Notre Dame College is providing free income tax preparation services for low-income Cuyahoga County residents for the 12th consecutive season.
Accounting and finance majors at the College who have received training from and are certified by the IRS operate a free service center on campus, voluntarily filing federal and state income tax forms for eligible individuals and families. The campus tax preparation center this year features more than a dozen student volunteers once again under the direction of Natalie Strouse, M.B.A., associate professor of accounting and chair of the business administration division at the College. Strouse is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Ohio.
The students staff the tax preparation center in the College’s Regina Hall room 216 throughout the tax season. The service is available from 2-5 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each Saturday. The center is closed from Saturday, March 13, through Saturday, March 23, during Notre Dame’s Spring Break.
The center will also be closed on Saturday, April 11, for Easter Break.
The College also is conducting a “Super Saturday” tax clinic, tentatively from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., on February 22, in Regina Hall room 227 when Notre Dame students will be joined by employees from Ohio Savings Bank for increased capacity to meet with residents and prepare returns.
Notre Dame accounting majors who work in the tax center have the opportunity to earn internship credits for their service.
The College is one of just a few Ohio higher education institutions to offer the experience to students and to provide the assistance on campus to Cuyahoga County residents who cannot afford account services or software packages. Forms are completed while the taxpayers wait, so the undergraduates deliver professional services equivalent to those of employed tax preparers.
The service also is available to members of the College and extended community who qualify.
Clients must make an appointment to have their taxes prepared by calling United Way’s 2-1-1 First Call for Help, which is a nationwide phone number to dial for assistance with health and human services. Capacity limits at the site are dictated by the number of students offering their services. Community volunteers sometimes are available to assist.
To be eligible for the free service, taxpayers must have a qualifying income that ranges based on household size.
Participants must bring a current photo identification; Social Security cards for each adult and child listed on the return; all tax documents, including sources of income like W-2 and 1099 forms, for the filing year; support for any deductions and credits sought; health care verification; the prior year’s tax returns; and bank account and routing numbers to arrange direct deposit of any refund. Those filing jointly must both be present for forms to be processed electronically.
Notre Dame is located at 4545 College Road in South Euclid. The campus entrance is 1867 South Green Road.
For further information, contact United Way’s 2-1-1 First Call for Help by dialing 2-1-1 or visiting www.211oh.org.
February 2020
About Notre Dame College
For almost a century, Notre Dame College has educated a diverse population in the liberal arts for personal, professional and global responsibility. Founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1922, the College has grown strategically to keep pace with the rapidly changing needs of students and the dramatic changes in higher education. But it has never lost sight of its emphasis on teaching students not only how to make a good living but also how to live a good life.
Today, the College offers bachelor’s degrees in 30 disciplines plus a variety of master’s degrees, certification programs and continuing and professional development programs for adult learners on campus and online. Notre Dame College offers NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletic programs for men and women and is located in a picturesque residential neighborhood just 25 minutes from the heart of Cleveland. Hallmarks of the Notre Dame experience include stimulating academics, personalized attention of dedicated faculty and staff, and small class sizes.
Notre Dame College is located at 4545 College Road in South Euclid. For further information contact Brian Johnston, chief communications officer, at 216.373.5252 or bjohnston@ndc.edu.