With April 15 right around the corner, tax day is quickly approaching. The day typically brings stress to the average American worker; this does not exclude students.

In the past, the NIU Department of Accountancy helped to relieve such anxiety by assisting students with filing their taxes. This semester, however, the department will not offer these services.

Jim Young, Department of Accountancy chair, said there was an administrative mix-up with the IRS which has led to the suspension of these services.

“We’re sorry that we won’t be able to help students file their taxes this semester,” Young said. “It is a requirement of the IRS that our staff is trained to help students with their taxes. They are required to go through 20 to 25 hours of training and take an extensive exam before we can offer their assistance. The problem was, we didn’t get the necessary materials for training until the end of the fall semester.”

The department of accountancy will resume services again next fall semester. Students still in need of tax help can visit other areas such as the DeKalb Public Library, Young said.

Melissa Berland, junior physical education major, said she usually goes to her parents for help with filing her taxes. She also said if offered, she would consider filing with the Accountancy Department for future semesters.

“I wasn’t aware that the Accountancy Department offered that service,” Berland said. “It would be much easier for me to seek help here rather than going all the way home. I will keep that in mind for next semester.”

Katherine Keyes, public relations coordinator for the DeKalb Public Library, said the library offers space to volunteers from AARP Tax Aid.

“The tax aid is offered to the general public: it is a series of volunteers that donate time to walk through the basis of filing taxes,” Keyes said. “They do not mail out tax forms, but they help people get the most out of filing their taxes.”