Tax-Aide Available by Appointment

As published in the Red Rock News
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​It’s tax time! Sedona Public Library is pleased to announce that we will again offer free AARP Tax-Aide assistance in partnership with AARP Foundation. Services will be offered beginning on Tuesday, February 16, through Thursday, April 15, but it’s going to be different this year.
 
There will be no walk-in service. Tax-Aide assistance will be by appointment only through an AARP volunteer. As the Library and AARP Foundation are dedicated to being Covid-safe, this is an important change. Please read the information below to learn how the tax preparation service will work this year.
 
According to Larry Dreyfuss, local organizer, there are three simple steps this year for taxpayers:

1. Pick up a Tax-Aide intake forms packet beginning on Monday, January 25, in either of our library locations. You can get your packet using our curbside or doorway service, or by picking one up at the checkout desk during open hours. At the checkout desk, ask for assistance from a librarian to receive the packet. Check our website, sedonalibrary.org, for current library hours.
2. Complete all forms in the Tax-Aide intake packet.
3. Call (928) 793-3346 to schedule an appointment. Leave a message, and your call will be returned within a couple of days by a Tax-Aide volunteer. This is not a library number but takes you directly to an AARP volunteer. You cannot schedule an appointment with library staff.

 
Socially-distanced appointments will take place at Sedona Public Library in the Community Room or Quiet Study. Taxpayers should arrive exactly at their scheduled appointment time.  Please do not arrive early, as we cannot guarantee that there will be socially-distanced seating available. Please remember that masks must be worn properly and at all times when in the Library.
 
Larry Dreyfuss is a longtime library volunteer. Prior to Covid-19, Dreyfuss worked with our interlibrary loan system, with mailings, and with book filing. He has also volunteered with AARP Tax-Aide for several years. This year, Dreyfuss is spearheading the program, and we are grateful for his help in making this important service available.
 
Dreyfuss asks for your patience, as in all things during Covid-19, as we work through any kinks in providing this service. We are dedicated to having Covid safety precautions in place. Most importantly, there is no walk-in service. In order to meet with an AARP volunteer, you must call (928) 793-3346 to schedule your appointment.
 
Every year, AARP Foundation Tax-Aide provides tax preparation assistance free of charge to anyone, with a special focus on taxpayers who are 50 or older or who have low to moderate income. Tax-Aide volunteers are trained and IRS-certified every year to make sure they know about and understand the latest changes and additions to the tax code.
 
Sedona Public Library has provided a location for this service for more than a decade. Additional information on AARP Foundation can be found here. 
 
Finally, Dreyfuss said, “Thanks so much, Sedona Public Library, for doing this! Sedona is grateful!” And we are grateful to you, Larry, and to AARP Foundation.

Happy tax season!
 
Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization where your tax-deductible gifts are always welcome. Learn more at sedonalibrary.org/donate.

Sedona Public Library
Column for January 29, 2021
​Written by Anne Marie Mackler, Development Director