Tax season is right around the corner and Pitt Business accounting students, for the 23rd year, are ready to help those who qualify with U.S. or international tax returns.
The David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership at Pitt Business is leading the collaboration with the College of Business Administration’s Beta Alpha Psi Information Professionals Honor Society. Together, they partner with the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania to provide free assistance for the completion of tax returns for taxpayers whose income is under $65,000 per year.
Since 2002, approximately 30-40 accounting students have volunteered yearly to support the Volunteer Tax Assistance Program (VITA), an IRS initiative to help the underserved through various partner organizations. Cumulative refunds to taxpayers have surpassed $1 million. In 2024, the program added a second site at the Jewish Community Center to pair with its site at the Carnegie Library – Oakland branch. Between the two sites, the program had a record-breaking year featuring over 1,000 tax returns completed, up over 300 from the previous year.
Through its emphasis on experiential learning, this volunteer effort “challenges students to apply the skills they’ve learned in the classroom while gaining experience working with individuals and families from the community,” said Dave Lebel, director of the Center and associate professor of business administration.
Win-Win Situation
For those who qualify, having their taxes completed for free by a knowledgeable source is a win. For the students who gain hands-on experience helping with tax preparation, participation is also a win.
For Sarah Kaufmann (BSBA ’24), her three years of participation equipped her with professional and personal skills. “Participating in this program made me feel like I belong and gave me the confidence I needed to know what I wanted to do with my life. Ultimately, I know that I want to work in tax accounting because of this program,” she says.
Using her knowledge to help the Pittsburgh community was important to Isabel Keidan (MS ’25, BSBA ’24). “Being so involved with the program for multiple years not only taught me a lot about tax, but also gave me invaluable leadership experience,” she says. Keidan credits the program for giving her experience early in her academic career. That helped give her a leg up when it came time to search for internships.
At the Center of it All
This program has broadened the Berg Center’s impact by including faculty and students in a program that directly benefits the residents from communities in and around the University’s Oakland campus and assists the local international population.
“The Berg Center looks forward to supporting this expanded programming which so significantly impacts our community members’ financial well-being in the upcoming year,” says Lebel.
For more information on this program or the many other programs the Berg Center facilitates, please contact BergCenter@pitt.edu.