Felix Akazi loves his job, and he smiles broadly as he explains why. “The greatest reward in the world is knowing that you’ve made a concrete contribution to another person’s well-being,” he says. “And here at COJO, I’ve had the opportunity to do that with literally thousands of households over the past few years.”
Akazi is the Tax Prep Coordinator at COJO Flatbush, heading a team of staffers and volunteers whose single-minded goal is, as he puts it, “to ensure the maximum positive results for every eligible taxpayer who walks through our doors.”
The unpleasant truth is that completing a tax return is often a tedious and aggravating project which, if done incorrectly, can lead to serious legal and financial consequences. “Tax law,” Akazi points out, “is extremely complicated, and the Internal Revenue Service regularly makes several important changes to the tax code – changes that can affect, among other things, your tax bracket, inflation-adjusted standard tax deductions, and eligibility for Child Tax and Earned Income Tax Credits.”
Several new deductions for specific groups of taxpayers are on the books in 2026, effective for 2025 through 2028, and Akazi notes that the fine print – the myriad details of what’s allowed, who qualifies, and under which circumstances – on the “no tax on tips” and “no tax on overtime” and “no tax on car-loan interest” provisions can seem indecipherable to the typical taxpayer.
“We really do everything we can to ease the burden on the people who depend on our services,” says Akazi, “including, if needed, making appointments with the IRS and state tax offices to represent our clients on tax-related issues.”
“It’s virtually impossible for the average individual to stay on top of these constant changes and to successfully navigate all the rules and regulations,” says COJO Tax Preparer Eduardo Ahuatl. “That’s why we instituted our Tax Prep program several years ago and why it’s grown so substantially.”
Since 2020, COJO Flatbush has been offering free tax preparation for eligible taxpayers – this year defined as families that earned up to $97,000 in adjusted gross income (AGI) and individuals who earned up to $68,000 in AGI in 2025 – through the NYC DCWP IRS-certified Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs. It’s quick, convenient – and, Akazi emphasizes, accurate, with tax-return forms carefully worked on by certified tax preparers whose goal is maximizing earned-income tax credits and refunds.
Akazi is particularly excited about COJO’s capacity to help even more people this year. “The number of COJO’s Tax Prep clients grows from year to year – nearly 2,000 in 2025, with substantially more projected for 2026 – and so we’re in the process of bringing aboard more tax preparers to handle that increase.”
Akazi points to a spread sheet on his desk listing dozens of tax-preparer applicants. He spends a good part of October and November going over names, backgrounds, and levels of experience, and then training and testing those who were selected.
“Every VITA/TCE volunteer who prepares returns must pass tax-law training that meets or exceeds IRS standards,” he explains. “In addition to requiring that the tax preparers certify their knowledge of tax law, the IRS mandates that every prepared return must pass a quality-review check prior to filing.”
Tax Preparer Chioma Madu says that “a well-trained staff will have more than the necessary proficiency with numbers and statutes. It’s important that we go out of our way to address the concerns clients have about every aspect of their tax returns throughout the preparation phase, which includes making sure the clients know exactly what kind of income documentation they’ll need to bring with them and then patiently answering all their questions.”
Adds COJO Tax-Prep Intake Specialist Rinat Roshko, “Servicing clients doesn’t end on April 15. We work with late filers as well as those who need to make post-filing adjustments. There’s no deadline when it comes to making sure our clients are well-represented by our Tax Prep Department.”
That dedication to maximizing positive results, says Intake Specialist Golda Feigenbaum, includes helping clients correct mistakes they may have made on past years’ tax returns as well as clients who didn’t file at all.
Indeed, COJO Social Services Director Shulamis Shapiro recalls running into an old friend who during their conversation asked whether COJO’s free Tax Prep service is limited to just the current year, because she knew a woman who hadn’t filed taxes for the past three years. Not only did COJO tax preparers end up helping the woman file for those three years – they were able to get her a much-needed refund.
Shapiro says it’s not hard to understand the popularity of COJO’s Tax Prep program. “Preparation of even a relatively routine tax return will cost a person a couple hundred dollars,” she says. “Not having to spend that money makes an enormous difference to so many families. Multiply that amount by the number of tax-prep clients we service, and you’re talking about more than half a million dollars remaining in the pockets and bank accounts of the people in our community.”
(For more information about COJO’s free Tax Prep program and to schedule an appointment, call 718-377-2900, ext. 331.)