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Mt. SAC Offers Free Tax Help

A VITA volunteer worker helps members of the community with their taxes.

February 02, 2026 - 10:30 AM

As tax season approaches, Mt. San Antonio College is once again opening its doors to help local residents file their taxes for free.

Beginning Feb. 28 and continuing through April 11, the College will offer free tax preparation assistance every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. through its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. The service is available to individuals and families earning $69,000 or less.

The program is sponsored by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and is designed to assist low- and moderate-income individuals and families, people with disabilities, and those with limited English proficiency by offering free preparation of basic federal and state income tax returns through trained volunteers.

At Mt. SAC, the volunteers are accounting students who have completed the three-course Tax Preparation certificate. 

Val Biller, a Mt. SAC employee, decided to enroll in the Tax Certificate program after a short stint in the College’s Purchasing Department.

 “At first, I was planning to take just a couple of classes in the Accounting Department to get a feel for the discipline,” Biller said. “As I progressed through the program, I realized I was good at it. Originally, I took the Federal Tax Law class to meet the AA requirement in Accounting.”

She said it was no surprise that this particular class was the most difficult for her to complete. “I love new challenges and expanding my knowledge, and nothing is more challenging than the rules and ever-changing regulations in our tax system,” said Biller, who will be among the VITA students on Saturdays.

According to Accounting Professor and VITA co-chair Steven Valdes, the program offers valuable benefits and work experience to students like Biller, helping them earn practical financial skills and tax knowledge, prepare for IRS Certification exams, and build leadership in the field of tax preparation.

The volunteers will help prepare a range of returns and tax components, including Form 1040 series returns, standard and itemized deductions, Earned Income Tax Credit claims, and virtual currency transaction reporting.

This year, volunteers will also offer their services to fellow Mt. SAC students including those involved with TRIO, Upward Bound, EOPS, the REACH program and veterans. The College’s student-run restaurant, Café 91, is set to provide food for the volunteers over the course of the seven weeks.

To ensure the service is accessible to the community, assistance is offered in English, Spanish, and Mandarin. No appointments are required, and walk-ins are welcome.

The program continues to expand its impact each year. Last year, Mt. SAC VITA volunteers prepared a record 653 tax returns, a 19% increase from the previous year.

This year also marks a major milestone: 10 years of service to the community

Members of the campus community work on their tax returns in a computer lab.

. Over the past decade, the program has saved residents more than $1 million in tax preparation fees and since the COVID-19 pandemic, the program has helped generate more than $2.18 million in refunds, money returned directly to working families and reinvested into the local economy. Valdes says the program’s impact goes far beyond numbers.

“We have a lot of returning clients that have become like family,” Valdes said. “We look forward to seeing them and we have a lot of people thank us.”

For more information, visit the VITA website.

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