AARP FOUNDATION TAX AIDE SITES
BUTLER COUNTY
Hamilton
- Partners in Prime, 140 Ross Ave. Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Phone: 513-867-1998. Walk-ins welcome.
- Hamilton Lane Library, 300 N. Third St. Hours: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays. Phone: 513-894-6557. Appointment required.
Middletown
- MidPointe Library System, 125 S. Broad St. Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Phone: N/A. Walk-ins welcome.
- Towne Mall Galleria, 3461 Towne Blvd. Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays. Phone: N/A. Walk-ins welcome.
West Chester Twp.
- West Chester Activities Center, 7900 Cox Road. Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 12, March 26 and April 9. Phone: 513-779-7360 Appointment required.
Fairfield
- Fairfield Lane Public Library, 1485 Corydale Drive. Hours: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays. Phone: 513-894-6557 Appointment required.
Oxford
- Oxford Senior Citizens Center, 922 Tollgate Drive. Hours: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursdays. Phone: 513-523-8100. Appointment required.
WARREN COUNTY
Franklin
- Deardoff Senior Center, 605 S. River St. Hours: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mondays; 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Phone: 937-743-8100. Appointment required.
Mason
- Mason Christian Village, 411 Western Row Road. Hours: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 24. Phone: 513-398-1486. Appointment required.
- Mason Community Center, 6050 Mason Montgomery Road. Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays. Phone: 513-229-8555. Appointment required.
- Mason Public Library, 200 Reading Road. Hours: 1 to 5 p.m. Thursdays. Phone: 513-398-2711. Appointment required.
Turtlecreek Twp.
- Otterbein, 585 N. Ohio 741. Hours: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 10, March 31 and April 14. Phone: 513-933-5473. Appointment required.
- 741 Senior Center, 570 N. Ohio 741. Hours: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Phone: 513-695-2239. Appointment required.
Springboro
- Springboro Public Library, 125 Park Lane. Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays. Phone: 937-748-3200. Appointment required.
Source: AARP.org
Free help preparing tax returns is available to elderly residents or those with low to moderate incomes who cannot afford a tax preparer.
AARP operates a number of sites at various locations throughout Butler and Warren counties and has helped people with their taxes for about 30 years, said Jan Frazier, a local coordinator. The sites are sponsored by AARP Foundation Tax-Aide.
Frazier, of Trenton, has been an AARP volunteer for eight years after retiring from The Kroger Co., where she worked as an accountant and bookkeeper for 40 years.
“I didn’t like sitting around and I needed something to do,” she said as the reason she volunteers her time helping others prepare their tax returns.
More than 500 returns have been prepared in the past three weeks at the two locations in Middletown, according to Frazier.
Last year, nearly 2,500 tax returns were prepared at sites in Middletown, Hamilton, Franklin and Springboro, she said.
“We hope to build that up,” Frazier said. “We have a lot of new people coming in this year.”
While the program is sponsored by the AARP Foundation, Frazier said a person does not have to be a senior citizen or a member of AARP. She said the sites will also work with low to moderate income residents. In addition, Frazier said AARP volunteers are trained and meet IRS standards.
“The economy is so bad that people can’t afford to have their taxes done by a preparer. We’re happy to do (help prepare tax returns), and we pay special attention to everyone,” Frazier said. “We have people come back year after year and ask for the same preparer. The customers really love it.”
Frazier said some sites accept walk-ins while other sites require appointments be made in advance for the free service.
“The response has been fantastic. We’ve been very busy and we’ve seen more people that we haven’t seen before,” said Lee Dunlap, a volunteer tax preparer who works at sites in Middletown and Franklin. “It’s free for people and it helps people who don’t have the ability to pay a tax preparer.”
Dunlap, a Franklin resident, said he’s been volunteering for the past five years. He said they take care of younger and older people and can take care of most tax returns that are not complex.
“I’m happy that we’re able to do this for people,” Dunlap said.
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