what’s happening past & future september 2013 regional meeting – kansas city 1
TRANSCRIPT
WHAT’S HAPPENINGPAST & FUTURE
September 2013 Regional Meeting – Kansas City 1
Regional Meeting August 2013
Inputs from National Meeting
TY 2012 RESULTS National MAFederal Returns 1.57 M 28,000People Helped 2.60M 41,149Number of Sites 5624 239
IRS Focus for Coming YearIntake Sheets Audits found problems!Quality Review Audits found problems!Fraud Reduction
No more One Person Sites AnywhereWill cause site closures in about half of our Districts
Computers/SoftwareNo use of XP after April 15, 2014Limited use of hot-spots allowed to facilitate TWO conversionSome computers/printers available for new sites/diversity sites
2September 2013 Regional Meeting – Kansas City
Regional Meeting August 2013
Inputs from National Meeting - 2
TrainingDOMAChanges to Intake Sheets, TestsSeveral changes to ScopeNew detailed Scope Document
Attrition
National average last year: approx 15%MA about average – 98 total; 55 were first year.Could better mentoring reduce this number?Discussion!
3September 2013 Regional Meeting – Kansas City
Regional Meeting August 2013
Inputs from National Meeting - 3
Tax-Aide Diversity NumbersHispanic 5%AA/Black 7%Asian/Pacific Is 2%Other Minorities 4%White 82%
WE NEED TO FIND WAYS TO BETTER REACH MINORITIES
AARP WILL PROVIDE GRANTS OF HARDWARE & DOLLARS TO GROUPS WILLING TO UNDERTAKE START-UP OF A NEW MINORITY SITE
MORE INFO COMING!
4September 2013 Regional Meeting – Kansas City
Tax-Aide Strategy Setting
2014 Tax-Aide National GoalsGrowth •Increase Federal Returns Prepared by 4 percent (IRS counts via CCH and self reported paper returns)
Quality (SPEC QSS and other reviews/observations)
•Maintain a 90% or higher accuracy rate of tax returns, through
1. 100 percent Quality Review of tax returns
2. Thorough client interview and utilization of Intake form by all counselors and for QR
Multicultural/Diversity (MME) Outreach•Multicultural (MME) Taxpayers to 19% (CSS), through
1.Mini MME grants received from TA volunteers for opening new TA sites; Multicultural Outreach to TPs and Vols
Volunteers/Volunteer Workload/Security•TaxWise Online usage to 80% Tax Season 2014 (Software Orders and EFIN use - CCH)
• Goal for MA – 90%
•On Line Counselor Reimbursement Submission 100% TS 2014 (Portage Usage/Paper submissions)
•Reduce number of 1st and 2nd year Counselor drop outs by 5 percent
Funding•At least one new or significantly increased funding source (focus on donations pilot). MA will not participate
Regional Meeting August 2013
NEW SPEAKERS
DEAN STRACK - TECHNOLOGY SUBJECTS
FOLLOWED BY BREAK
6September 2013 Regional Meeting – Kansas City
Regional Meeting August 2013
ONE PERSON SITES
In spite of extra efforts, recruiting results have been disappointing.
At current time about half of our Districts will be closing sites—about 15 site closures anticipated.
Hopefully, most volunteers at one person sites will stay with program.
Districts need to start informing high risk sites that we don’t think we’ll be able to staff their site for the coming and advising them of nearest site that will be open.
Reason to be given: AARP and the IRS have determined that in order to provide acceptable accuracy, all returns need to be reviewed by a second volunteer while the Client is present.
7September 2013 Regional Meeting – Kansas City
Regional Meeting August 2013
ONE PERSON SITES -2
TRADITIONAL SOURCE OF NEW VOLUNTEERS
Another AARP Volunteer 29%
Local Paper or Poster 25%
AARP Website/Magazine 30%
AARP E-mail/Snail Mail 8%
CONSIDER SPECIAL HANDLING OF TRAINING FOR LATE VOLUNTEERS WHO
WOULD NORMALLY BE DEFERRED UNTIL FOLLOWING YEAR
8September 2013 Regional Meeting – Kansas City
TAX-AIDE
IRS & AARP Site Reviews
● TIGDA Secret Shopper Reviews not covered – will be discontinued for TY 2013)
● IRS did Shopping Reviews in TY2012 and will continue 52% of returns reviewed were correct
● IRS also did QSS Reviews and informal Site Visits in TY2012 92% of returns reviewed were correct
● AARP did 4 MA Site visits on TY2012
Regional Meetings– 2013 9
TAX-AIDE
IRS Shopping Reviews*
Regional Meetings– 2013 10
TAX-AIDE
IRS QSR Reviews* (Tax Law)
● QSR Site Reviews – 10 regions
(87 sites, 184 returns)
● 170 returns correct – 92%
● Areas that caused most errors: Interest, stock income, self employment income reported on
line 21 Missed information or transposed data not picked up by QR
Regional Meetings– 2013 11
*IRS employees present ID when arrive at site; observe 2-3 returns as prepared then correct any mistakes made in front of taxpayer. Review consists of accuracy score for returns as well as rating score on all ten Quality Site Requirements (new).
TAX-AIDE
IRS QSR Reviews (Quality Site
Requirements)
71 of 87 sites (82%) met all 10 QSRs 15 of 87 sites either didn’t use the intake form
or used it incorrectly 10 sites did not have sufficient QR to catch
errors 7 sites didn't ask for photo ID or verify SSN 7 sites didn’t have poster adequately displayed 2 sites prepared OOS return 2 sites had non-certified Client Facilitator assist
in QR
Regional Meetings– 2013 12
TAX-AIDE
IRS Reviews by Mass SPEC
● 2 QSR Reviews
● 11 Field Site Visits
● Visited 9 of 12 MA Districts
● Significant Findings
No QR – 4 sites
No Poster – 6 sites
Inadequate use of Intake Sheet – 1
Out of scope return - 1
Minor Findings
Didn’t ask for ID, no 3189, no intake sheet,
Regional Meetings– 2013 13
TAX-AIDE
QSR Background
● Quality Site Requirements (QSR) are used by SPEC to evaluate if a site meets all Grant requirements
● SPEC reviews in 2013 observed volunteers preparing returns without having a discussion with the taxpayer or reviewing Form 13614-C.
Shopping Reviews: 56% used; 49% accurateQSS Reviews: 84% used; 91% accurate
Quality Review often was not sufficient to catch errors made on return!
Regional Meetings – 2013 14
TAX-AIDE
QSR Background - 2
● 10 QSR elements: prior year reviews determined “met or “not met” for each site reviewed
● Starting in 2014 a site will be given up to 10 points for each correctly followed QSR
● QSR’s need to be included in training – 6 have updates from last year!
Regional Meetings – 2013 15
TAX-AIDE
What You Need to Know
QSR #2
Intake and Interview
All volunteers must take annual awareness training on the Intake/Interview & Quality Review Process
Mandatory Training module and test embedded in IRS Ethics test.
All Volunteers, including Greeters and Client Facilitators, will train and test on this information.
Regional Meetings – 2013 16
TAX-AIDE
What You Need to Know
QSR #3
Quality Review Process
Quality Reviewers must be certified to the same level required to complete the return being reviewed.
QR should be in front of taxpayer with full review of Client Intake Form
QR should ask “probing questions” not just verify name and numbers
Regional Meetings – 2013 17
TAX-AIDE
What You Need to Know
QSR #7
Title VI
Sites must provide information to taxpayers regarding their Civil Rights.
New Language on AARP Poster
*trash or re-cycle old posters!
Must display at “first point of contact between volunteer and taxpayer.”
Regional Meetings – 2013 18
TAX-AIDE
What You Need to Know
QSR #10
Security, Privacy and Confidentiality
Volunteers must identify themselves to the Taxpayer
All Volunteers must wear name badge with first name/last initial (not full last name
Remind LC’s to order enough Name Tags from AARP
Regional Meetings – 2013 19
TAX-AIDE
What You Need to Know
QSR #10
Security, Privacy and Confidentiality
Taxpayers must identify themselves to the Volunteers
All taxpayers must present photo ID
*Deters Identify theft
*eliminates perception of preferential treatment
Exceptions by LC only under “extreme conditions”
Regional Meetings – 2013 20
TAX-AIDE
What You Need to Know
QSR #10
Security, Privacy and Confidentiality
Social Security Numbers must be verified for everyone listed on return
All taxpayers must present SS cards or tax ID numbers for all
Exception: Validations permitted through approved documents
SS cards, letters, income statements and “other documents issued by SS”
Regional Meetings – 2013 21
Regional Meeting August 2013
NEW SPEAKER OR LUNCH
22September 2013 Regional Meeting – Kansas City
Regional Meeting August 2013
CORI
1. The Problem2. Sites Role & Constraints3. MA Tax-Aide Role & Constraints4. What MA Tax-Aide proposes to do5. Summary of the MA Tax-Aide CORI Policy6. Appendices
Actions for MA Tax-Aide Leaders
23September 2013 Regional Meeting – Kansas City
Regional Meeting August 2013
CORI – Actions for Tax-Aide Leaders
A. If your host site requires CORI or is proposing to CORI our AARP volunteers, review the supplied material with them and request that they consider accepting the Tax-Aide CORI
B. If they accept our CORI, there’s no problem and you can proceed to plan for the coming year.
C. If they do not accept our CORI, notify Tax-Aide State Coordinator and we will review with national
A. I do not expect that National will approve continuing our relationship with locations that insist on their own CORI
B. There a greater likelihood that National will agree to a one year extension of our relationship with sites with a long term history of CORI on our volunteers
24September 2013 Regional Meeting – Kansas City