Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA)
Penn State VITA is an IRS-sponsored, university-operated free tax preparation program at University Park, PA, staffed by IRS-certified student volunteers from the Smeal College of Business and Dickinson School of Law, serving low-income individuals, seniors, and Penn State student athletes in Centre County.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersUniversity Park, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) does
Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) is a free, IRS-sponsored tax preparation program operated by Penn State University at University Park in State College, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2004, the program is now in its 22nd year of operation and provides federal, state, and local tax return preparation and e-filing at no cost to eligible taxpayers — primarily individuals and families earning up to $65,000 annually (the EITC eligibility threshold), as well as special needs taxpayers, seniors, and Penn State student athletes.
Services are delivered in-person at the program's primary site at 216 Wagner Building, University Park, with secondary appointment capacity through Centre County VITA at Schlow Library in downtown State College and dedicated athlete appointments at the Morgan Academic Center. The program is staffed by IRS-certified student volunteers drawn from the Smeal College of Business (since 2009) and the Dickinson School of Law (since 2007), under academic leadership of Edward R. Jenkins, CPA, CGMA (Professor of Practice in the Smeal College of Business) and operational direction of Site Coordinator Barry Rossman.
The program's underlying technology consists of IRS-certified tax preparation software and e-filing systems; it does not maintain proprietary technology or APIs. There is no commercial revenue model — the service is provided free of charge, funded through IRS sponsorship and Penn State institutional support. Demand-side signals indicate the program is capacity-constrained: its website publicly notes that no further general-population appointments remain available for the current tax season.
Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA)
- Legal name
- Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
- Website
- https://psuvita.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Penn State VITA is an IRS-sponsored, university-operated free tax preparation program at University Park, PA, staffed by IRS-certified student volunteers from the Smeal College of Business and Dickinson School of Law, serving low-income individuals, seniors, and Penn State student athletes in Centre County.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Free Tax Preparation Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Taxes & Filing Basics (Withholding, Deductions, Credits) (EDAAAJAG)
Keywords
Where Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- University Park
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Free Tax Preparation Services: IRS-sponsored Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program providing free tax preparation and e-filing services to eligible taxpayers. No revenue generated; funded through IRS sponsorship and Penn State institutional support.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free tax preparation service for eligible taxpayers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Penn State VITA provides free federal, state, and local tax return preparation and e-filing to eligible taxpayers, delivered by IRS-certified student volunteers under professional oversight. The program targets individuals and families earning up to $65,000 annually, along with special needs taxpayers, seniors, and Penn State student athletes, at multiple locations in Centre County, Pennsylvania.
Product overview
Penn State VITA is a free tax preparation service operated by IRS-certified student volunteers, not a commercial software product. The service provides free tax return preparation for federal, state, and local taxes targeting individuals and families with income up to $65,000 (eligibility for Earned Income Tax Credit). Services are delivered in-person at their location with volunteer roles including Greeter, Scheduler, Preparer, Intern, and Supervisor. The organization also provides tax education resources covering federal taxes, PA taxes, local taxes, tax credits, health insurance and taxes, and residency status. The 2025 tax year marks the 22nd year of operation at Penn State-University Park.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Free Tax Preparation Services Free return preparation for federal, state, and local taxes performed by IRS-certified volunteers for eligible low-income individuals, families, special needs taxpayers, and senior citizens in Centre County, Pennsylvania.
- Local Tax Preparation Local tax preparation services for PA residents covering multiple municipalities including Centre Region, Penns Valley Region, Nittany Valley Region, and Upper Bald Eagle Valley Region.
Quantifiable outcome
- Free tax preparation services for eligible taxpayers earning up to $65,000
Companies that use Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA)
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- IRS (Internal Revenue Service)coreIRS-sponsored volunteer program. The IRS provides training materials, certification requirements, and program guidelines for all VITA sites nationwide. VITA is an IRS-sponsored initiative.
- Penn State Cooperative Extension/College of Agricultural SciencesminorOriginal home of the PSU VITA program starting in 2004. The program began as an outreach program before transitioning to its current structure.
- Penn State Smeal College of BusinesscoreAccounting students from Smeal College of Business have been volunteering since 2009 (tax year 2009). Academic advisor Edward R. Jenkins is Professor of Practice in the Smeal College of Business.
- Penn State Dickinson School of LawminorLaw students from Dickinson School of Law started volunteering beginning with the 2007 tax year.
- Centre County VITAcoreAlternative VITA site operated by Centre County at Schlow Library in downtown State College. Provides additional capacity for Centre County residents and resident aliens not receiving Form 1042-S.
- Directorate of International Student and Scholar Advising (DISSA)minorPenn State office that assists international students and scholars who are non-residents for tax purposes. Purchases tax software for non-resident tax filing. Provides guidance when PSU VITA cannot assist non-resident aliens.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) social profiles
Digital presencePenn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA)
What does Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) do?
Penn State VITA provides free federal, state, and local tax return preparation and e-filing to eligible taxpayers, delivered by IRS-certified student volunteers under professional oversight. The program targets individuals and families earning up to $65,000 annually, along with special needs taxpayers, seniors, and Penn State student athletes, at multiple locations in Centre County, Pennsylvania.
Is Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) a public or private company?
Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) founded?
Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) was founded in 2004. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) based?
Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) is headquartered in University Park, United States, in the North America region.
How does Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) make money?
One revenue line is on record: free Tax Preparation Services.
Does Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) have an API?
No public API is recorded for Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA).
What industry is Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA) in?
Penn State Volunteer Income Tax Assistant (VITA)'s product category is Free Tax Preparation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAJAG, Taxes & Filing Basics (Withholding, Deductions, Credits). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.