With tax season fast approaching, students may have more to worry about than just midterms.
Students said their experiences in filing taxes varied widely.
LSA senior Whitney Begeman said she has handled her own taxes for the past three years. Begeman said she already filed and received her refund. "Now I've got that money for spring break," she said.
Other students, like Engineering junior Lindsay Rooks, said they know little about taxes. Rooks said she has held summer jobs for four years, but has not had to deal with the Internal Revenue Service, due to a little help from her father.
"My dad does it for me," Rooks said with a shrug. "He's an accountant."
LSA senior Paul Scott said he has filed his own taxes for the past six years. But last year he made a mistake.
"They came after me last year," Scott said.
Due to complications that stemmed from holding two part-time jobs at once, Scott ended up paying $350 less than he owed. Scott said this error was further complicated by the IRS's failure to get in touch with him. Scott said the notices were sent to his permanent residence, not his school address. He finally received them in July.
Scott said the first two letters were "polite," but that the third wasn't.
It spoke of a need for the IRS to pursue "further action," which could have included the imposition of a fine or a term in jail.
Scott said that after he explained the confusion to the IRS, he was spared these strict actions. Instead he was put on a payment plan.
"I've been paying them off ever since," Scott said, noting that he was to blame for the problem. "It was ignorance on my part. I didn't know what I was doing."
Scott said the problem started when he incorrectly filed as a part-time instead of a full-time worker.
IRS Public Affairs Specialist Elcy Maccani said the most common errors made while filling out tax forms are mathematical miscalculations.
Maccani said one of the best ways to avoid errors is to "always use the simplest form."
She said students might benefit from declaring with the 1040EZ, a simplified version of the 1040 form. She also suggested visiting the IRS website at http://www.irs.ustreas.gov, where she said tax forms, instructions and answers to common questions can be found.
For more personalized help, the Beta Alpha Psi accounting fraternity at the University will be running a voluntary income tax assistance program. Open to University students and low income families, it will hold sessions Tuesday nights starting March 11.
The program's coordinator, School of Business junior Michelle Bakalarski, said past years have taught the organization to thoroughly prepare for the complex needs of international students. "We have their forms available," Bakalarski said.