The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is continuing its collaboration with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, offering free tax preparation services to the Paso del Norte community. This initiative provides UTEP students with practical experience while helping local residents.
Sarah Robertson, an associate professor of accounting in the Woody L. Hunt College of Business, leads the UTEP VITA site. The program functions as an independent study course where mostly accounting students earn academic credit and become IRS-certified tax preparers. In spring 2026, 26 students are participating, each completing at least 30 volunteer hours to achieve certification.
Project VITA is funded by an IRS grant and managed locally by GECU. The service ensures accurate and secure tax preparation at no cost to taxpayers, aiming to prevent predatory practices and contribute millions of dollars back into the local economy.
During the current tax season, UTEP students have prepared 2,294 returns through Project VITA free of charge.
UTEP’s Sun Bowl Stadium is currently the only VITA site in El Paso certified to assist non-resident foreign scholars, including international students and researchers who cannot use standard tax software. The final two service dates for this group will be April 3 and April 10.
The site has already held six service dates this season. Remaining sessions will take place on March 6 for all community members and on April 3 and April 10 exclusively for international students and faculty. Services are available from 1–4 p.m. at the GECU Terrace in UTEP Sun Bowl Stadium, located at 2701 Sun Bowl Dr., third floor.
More information can be found at https://freetaxeselpaso.org/locations.
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