The final numbers are in for this year’s Riley County extension Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program.
Extension Director Jennifer Wilson presented the totals during Thursday’s Riley County Commission meeting. The volunteers collaborated to complete 442 federal returns and 482 state returns, which netted a total refund amount of $596,488.
“If you went to have a paid professional complete your return that would have cost an average of $200,” Wilson said. “We figure the value of the service that we provided came to just under $90,000 this year.”
The total number of returns completed was up 11 percent from last year according to Wilson. The volunteer team that helped prepare the returns consisted of 21 individuals, many of whom are accounting majors at Kansas State University.
“They help out tremendously in this process,” Wilson said. “I figure they’ve given somewhere between 500 and 550 hours in a two-month period.”
There will be a celebration on May 1 to recognize the volunteers for their efforts.
