Tax Counseling Project, Chicago

March 2005

Clemente spoke better English than I spoke Spanish. When I said his name I pronounced it with a silent "e". Clemente, like cement. I asked him a few more questions in spanglish, then he called himself Clemente with the Spanish "e". A Spanish "e" sounds like an English long "A". After more conversation about his name, we both started laughing at the differences between the Spanish and English language (not to mention the cultural differences).

Clemente was one of about forty clients the Tax Counseling Project serves each night at a Latino community center in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. Many of the clients speak little to no English and don't have social security numbers. They have temporary identification numbers (ITINs) used primarily for tax purposes. ITINs become beneficial when a person applies for citizenship. When a person has been paying taxes to the US even while they are not legally a citizen, they show a certain dedication to the country.

Most of the volunteers at the Pilsen Tax Site speak Spanish. Each night, the supervisor at the tax site only allows so many people's taxes to be completed (for obvious reasons--so the volunteers aren't doing taxes into the early hours of the morning). Every client is assigned a number and checked to make sure they earn an income within the Project's guidelines. When it is their turn, they are seated at one of the computers in the front of the room where the volunteers prepare taxes. The volunteers are trained on computer software called TaxWise used to complete and internet-file clients taxes. E-filing results in speedy refunds (10-14 days) for the clients.

After the client's taxes are finished and the site supervisor has approved the return, the client is sent to a desk on the side wall where someone conducts quality assurance. Quality assurance involves several steps. First, the client signs papers authorizing the electronic filing of their taxes. If they did not file their taxes on-line, the quality assurance person helps they mail the correct information to the IRS. The quality assurance volunteer completes a file for the Tax Counseling Project to keep for its record and a folder for the client to take home for their records. Social security numbers and names are checked for errors. If everything matches, the client may leave.

Each night after the clients are gone, the Project files are organized and stored in a locked filing cabinet. Also, taxes from the previous day undergo transmittal to the IRS via the internet. All other materials used during the hours of operation are cleaned up and stored. When the all tasks are done, the volunteers and supervisors head home.

Every day at the Tax Site has a similar cadence. The clients patiently waiting. The volunteers busily work at the computers. Of course the most rewarding events at the site are the personal connections. The moment someone learns they will receive a large tax return. Simple, funny miscommunications like the one Clemente and I shared. The Tax Site is a world of its own. Its amazing how taxes (yes, taxes) can bring people together.

Written by Maggie Carr>Even though Maggie callsMontana home, she enjoys the blustery weather and the taxes in Chicago. 

Senate 7 is an AmeriCorps*NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) team from the Capital Region Campus. Currently they are preparing taxes and aiding tax sites for the Center for Economic Progress in Chicago

Photos by Nate Smith.