Mount Saint Mary College student Thomas Samala of Newburgh, N.Y. (center) prepares taxes for a client at Montgomery Town Hall on Monday, March 24.
With Tax Day looming, Mount Saint Mary College students are providing free tax preparation for middle- and low-income families.
The students have been volunteering with Tax-Aide, a tax assistance program offered annually by the AARP Tax-Aide Foundation, the Mid-Hudson CASH Coalition, and other local partners.
Through Tax-Aide, Mount students serve their community in donated spaces throughout the area. In total, taxes are being prepared at more than a dozen locations, including Cornwall, Goshen, Middletown, Monroe, Newburgh, and New Windsor. Last year, the program resulted in more than $2.5 million in tax refunds and credits to families living in Dutchess and Orange counties.
This tax season, Mount Accounting major Thomas Samala of Newburgh, N.Y. has been preparing returns for local residents at several locations, including Montgomery Town Hall. It’s all part of an internship with Tax-Aide that he obtained through a recent career fair hosted by the Mount’s Career Center.
Samala is one of eight Mount students lending their skills to the 2025 Tax-Aide program. He and his peers passed a rigorous training course with certified instructors before they began volunteering. As a tax preparer, they interview clients, review documentation, and prepare federal and state income tax returns using computer software.
Participating in the Tax-Aide program has been a rewarding experience, noted Samala: “It feels great to help people out,” he said.
Samala credits Neirouz Watad, associate professor of Accounting at the Mount, with sparking his interest in tax preparation. He had initially wanted to drop Watad’s Federal Income Tax class because he was having a difficult time in it.
“But she encouraged me to keep going,” Samala explained, adding “She provides really good lectures and her ideas are clear.”
Now tax preparation is second nature to the dedicated student. Near the beginning of his internship in February, it took him about 40 minutes to file a client’s tax return. By the end of March, that preparation time had improved to about 20 minutes.
You can learn more about the Tax-Aide program, including how to utilize the service, at www.uwdor.org/hv-cash