LAUREL — American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) is again looking for volunteers to help local residents with their tax returns.

David Allison, district coordinator for AARP, said the agency is still searching for people willing to volunteer to be trained to assist with the AARP Tax Aide program.

Allison said AARP Tax-Aide is a program of the AARP Foundation, offered in conjunction with the Internal Revenue Service.

AARP Tax-Aide is the nation’s largest free, volunteer-run tax assistance and preparation service available to taxpayers with low- and moderate- income, with special attention to those age 60 and older.

Allison said anyone interested in serving as a Tax Aide volunteer in Laurel this next year is invited to register by the end of September for a training session to be held in October.

He said the session will provide a hands-on introduction to Tax Wise, the tax preparation software used by AARP and IRS to prepare tax returns.

Allison said a person does not have to be a member of AARP to serve as a Tax Aide Volunteer.

“We need volunteers who have good people skills, who are comfortable working with computers, and who enjoy helping senior adults and lower to middle income citizens with their taxes,” Allison said. “AARP Tax Aide volunteers receive free tax preparation training and are reimbursed on a limited basis for qualified program related expenses.”

Allison said volunteers will help provide free tax assistance to taxpayers in the Laurel area on a one-to-one basis starting in February of next year.

In 2009, South Mississippi Tax Aide District Tax Aide volunteers served taxpayers at Tax Aide sites in Hattiesburg, Petal, and Picayune.

Allison said this year was the first time the program was operated in Laurel.

“We had so much success this year and were able to service a large number of people,” he said. “We had such a large response that we wanted to look at expanding the services.”

He said the agency is appreciative of the Laurel Housing Authority for allowing it’s Arco Lane office to be used as the tax service’s local site for the initial year in Laurel.

However, Allison said, the proposed site for this year’s tax services will be the Laurel-Jones County Library’s Laurel branch.

“We are excited about our new location,” he said. “There will be plenty of room to see more clients.”

Allison said Elma Portero, director of the Retired Senior Volunteers Program (RSVP), will continue to serve as the local coordinator (LC) for the Laurel Tax Aide site.

“Laurel has always been an important site in the Pine Belt. We want to grow this site and serve more and more people,” he said. “We want our center in Laurel to thrive. ... Within the next three years we want to make Laurel’s one of the biggest sites in the state.”

Allison said the agency is looking for volunteers to help staff the site for one morning/afternoon a week beginning Jan. 31, 2011 through April 15, 2011.

He said everyone who registers will receive IRS information.

“The longer they have to review the information, the more familiar they will be,” he explained. “We will conduct orientations the first week of October.”

The group will conduct a training session Jan. 10-14, 2011.

Allison said AARP Tax-Aide volunteers are trained in cooperation with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). He said there are nearly 7,000 AARP Tax-Aide sites nationwide which help over two million taxpayers file their federal, state, and local tax returns each year.

AARP Tax-Aide helps low- and moderate-income taxpayers file their personal income tax returns. Volunteers are trained to assist in filing the 1040 tax form and basic schedules.

Officials said taxpayers with complex tax returns are advised to seek paid tax assistance.

However, Allison said, AARP offers free year-round tax assistance on the Internet.

For more information about the volunteer meeting or to become a tax aide volunteer, contact Allison at 601-582-4825.

Allison said the Internet service allows taxpayers to pose tax questions to online assistants 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from the comfort of their home by visiting the agency’s website at www.aarp.org/taxaide.