Seasonal Tax Associate

Campaign For Working Families Inc•Vineland, NJ

31d•Hybrid

About The Position

Campaign for Working Families, Inc. (CWF) champions the financial well-being and economic mobility of individuals and families through programs, advocacy, initiatives, and support systems that promote equitable opportunity and financial stability. CWF believes every individual and family deserves respect, dignity, and access to the tools and information needed to succeed. CWF advances positive change at the policy and grassroots levels through empathy, data-driven decision-making, and collective action. The Tax Associate is an IRS-certified seasonal tax preparer responsible for interviewing clients and preparing accurate federal, state, and local individual income-tax returns within the Associate's certification level, CWF's approved service scope, and IRS VITA/TCE requirements. The Associate reviews source documents and intake responses, asks required follow-up questions, enters information accurately in approved tax software, explains the preparation process, documents relevant facts, submits every return for independent quality review, corrects identified errors, and supports required signatures and client follow-up. The Tax Associate may be an intern, volunteer, or seasonal employee; all individuals performing this function are held to the same certification, confidentiality, conduct, and quality standards.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent required.
Must be able to obtain Advanced VITA certification.
Ability to obtain and maintain IRS Volunteer Standards of Conduct, Intake/Interview and Quality Review, Basic or Advanced certification appropriate to assignment, and required state, local, or specialty certifications.
Working knowledge of individual income-tax concepts within assigned certification level or demonstrated ability to master required training.
Strong attention to detail, interviewing, problem-solving, organization, customer-service, and communication skills.
Ability to follow written procedures, use reference materials, accept corrective feedback, and work effectively during high-volume periods.
Proficiency with computers, tax preparation software, email, scanners, and office equipment or demonstrated ability to learn quickly.

Nice To Haves

College coursework or a degree in accounting, finance, business, economics, public administration, or a related field preferred but not required.
Prior individual income-tax preparation, VITA/TCE, accounting, financial-services, customer-service, or community-service experience preferred.
Bilingual or multilingual ability is valued based on community and site needs.

Responsibilities

Conduct a complete taxpayer interview using the current IRS intake and interview form, source documents, prior-year information when relevant, and required follow-up questions.
Verify identity information, filing status, household members, dependency facts, income, expenses, adjustments, deductions, credits, health-coverage items, banking information, and state or local filing requirements.
Prepare accurate federal, state, and local returns in approved tax software only within current certification and CWF service scope.
Reconcile tax documents to software entries, review diagnostics and warnings, document material facts or unresolved items, and complete an initial self-review before quality review.
Pause preparation and seek guidance when facts are unclear, documents conflict, the taxpayer cannot support a position, or the return may be outside program scope.
Submit every completed return and all supporting documents for independent review by an authorized Senior Tax Analyst or other designated quality reviewer.
Respond professionally to reviewer questions, correct errors completely, update notes when required, and return the corrected work for final approval.
Learn from correction patterns, participate in coaching or refresher training, and apply updated guidance consistently.
Assist with rejected-return or incomplete-return follow-up only when assigned and supervised through approved procedures.
Explain the preparation process, ask sensitive questions respectfully, and communicate in clear language appropriate to the taxpayer's needs.
Review major return results with the taxpayer as assigned, confirm banking and contact information, and explain required signatures, copies, records retention, and next steps.
Refer questions involving legal advice, tax controversy, collection, identity theft, out-of-scope matters, or services beyond the Associate's authority to an approved resource.
Provide respectful, patient, confidential, equitable, and culturally responsive service without discrimination or judgment.
Notify the Tax Site Coordinator promptly about complaints, threats, safety issues, suspected coercion, or service barriers.
Follow IRS Volunteer Standards of Conduct, Quality Site Requirements, Intake/Interview and Quality Review procedures, CWF policies, and applicable tax rules.
Prepare returns only under the Associate's own authorized account and never share passwords, identification numbers, credentials, or system access.
Safeguard taxpayer documents and information in physical, electronic, written, and verbal form and use only approved systems and communication methods.
Immediately report suspected identity theft, fraud, fabricated documents, unauthorized access, data exposure, conflicts of interest, or misconduct.
Maintain current certification and complete required updates, assessments, coaching, or remediation throughout the assignment.
Maintain an organized workstation, manage assigned work queues, return documents promptly, and update required status or tracking systems.
Coordinate with Intake Specialists, Senior Tax Analysts, interns, volunteers, and site leadership to support efficient client flow and complete handoffs.
Assist with appointment, walk-in, drop-off, virtual, follow-up, scanning, printing, document organization, opening, and closing activities as assigned.
Meet reasonable productivity and timeliness expectations while maintaining accuracy, complete interviews, and quality standards.
Participate in required meetings, training, coaching, performance feedback, and end-of-season closeout.
Perform related seasonal tax-site duties assigned by the Tax Site Coordinator or tax operations leadership.