Volunteer

We'd Love to Have You

join Our Team of Volunteers

You Can Email Us to Speak with a Local Volunteer, Sign Up to be a volunteer, or Read on to Learn More

Who We Are

The AARP Tax Aide Program provides free income tax preparation and e-filing services to taxpayers of all ages and income, with a special emphasis on those most in need in our community.

Our district provides services at multiple sites throughout Thurston County at libraries, community centers, and senior centers.

Why Volunteer for AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, Thurston County?

You can make a difference in the life of a  senior or low-income household who really needs your help; it means so much to them and takes so little for us to do. 

Volunteering is rewarding!  It works your mind while warming your heart.  You will get “paid” many times over with grateful smiles.

There’s more demand for our services than we can meet; that’s why we’re always looking to build up our team of 50-70 volunteers.

Who Can Volunteer?

You don’t need to be a tax expert, an AARP member, or a senior citizen; you just need a willingness to learn new skills and a desire to help folks who greatly appreciate the help.

What we Do

  • “Greeters” (also known as “Client Facilitators”) welcome taxpayers, help organize their paperwork, and manage the overall flow of service.

  • “Tax Counselors” work with taxpayers directly by preparing tax returns using IRS provided tax software. If you have no previous experience, you’ll get the training you need to meet IRS certification requirements and prepare in scope returns.

  • “Schedulers” work from home and make appointments.

  • “Interpreters or Translators” assist taxpayers for whom English is not their first language or who are hearing impaired.

  • We also need volunteers to help with communications, technology, and our website.

What's the Time Commitment?

Training: For Schedulers, Greeters, and Interpreters, training is about 5 hours in January.  For Tax Counselors, certification is a significant 50-hour commitment in December and January and includes classroom training, independent study, and testing.

During the tax season (early February to mid April): We ask each volunteer to work at least one 5-hr shift per week or a total of at least 40 hours during the tax season.  You pick the site and shift.  We will work around your vacation schedule or other commitments.

Interested, but have Questions?

Please email us at volunteer@taxaidewa20.org and one of our Thurston County volunteers will contact you.

Ready to Volunteer?

Please click here to create an account and sign up to be an AARP Foundation Tax-Aide Volunteer.  You don’t need to be an AARP member to volunteer. However, you must create a free account to sign up to volunteer. Once you have done this, a Thurston County volunteer will contact you about Orientation which is held in November.

Still not Sure?

Check out this Washington State video: