College students may find it easier to file taxes this Apr. 17. A new Web site, CampusTaxes.com, provides software that helps guide college students through the process of filing their tax returns.
Gail Perry, the site's creator and a tax accountant in Ann Arbor, Mich., said she was inspired to create the site by her college-age daughters and their friends.
"At some point, students have to take charge of their own taxes," she said, adding that her software gives students a chance to act without help from their parents while still offering them the help of an accountant. The site offers customer service, and clients can contact Perry if they have a question.
The service could prove to be a boon to students like Siu Chung Chan '09. He said he has never filed his own taxes but has "heard that it's really tedious."
The software, which costs users $9.95 for the federal taxes version and $4.95 for the state taxes version, helps students with data entry and instructs them on how to answer each question.
Perry said she expects most of her customers to be college students filing taxes from their part-time or summer jobs. Though most college students do not make enough money to be required to submit tax returns, many have had taxes withheld and are eligible for a refund, she said.
