Beyond The Bell: High School Students Help Prepare Tax Returns

The deadline to file your taxes is less than two months away and if you need help, there's a group of students up for the challenge.

It is the third year John Marshall High School's Finance Academy has filed taxes for the public.

Junior Trayvon Scott and four classmates have the returns method down pat.

For three nights a week, they work after school until 8 p.m.

"You got to put everything in the right place, finding out if they have W2s and if they have dependents and who will be claiming them," said Scott.

They may be underage, but don't underestimate the math skills for this group.

"We trained these students as freshman how to fill out basic tax returns," said Finance Academy coordinator Sharon Marker.

Marker said all the students are getting class credit and community service hours for their number crunching.

The way it works is anyone making $60,000 or less can show up to the John Marshall Library and have one of these students do their taxes for free.

"So far, everyone loves it, especially when they see there's no bill," Marker said.

People bring last year's returns and their W2's and not only do high schoolers do the taxes, their work is double-checked by UCO students studying to be accountants.

"So you get probably two or three checks or your return before I actually send them," Marker said.

Word is getting out about the young mathematicians, Sevannah Munoz saw a flyer and didn't mind the students doing her taxes.

"I think it's neat, I go to school to do hair, so people have to come in so that we can practice on them, so I think it's kind of neat that they have it where they're getting to practice doing taxes with the real people," Munoz said.

A priceless service that the students said pays in experience and smiles.

"It's nice seeing their smiles after that I get them that big return," Scott said.

Click here for the tax site hours