Seasonal Intake Specialist

Job Description

Job Description

**THIS POSITION IS FOR THE 2027 TAX SEASON BEGINNING IN JANUARY**

Overview of Campaign for Working Families

Campaign for Working Families, Inc. (CWF) champions the financial well-being and economic mobility of individuals and families through programs, advocacy, initiatives, and support systems that promote equitable opportunity and financial stability. CWF believes every individual and family deserves respect, dignity, and access to the tools and information needed to succeed. CWF advances positive change at the policy and grassroots levels through empathy, data-driven decision-making, and collective action. The following core values guide CWF's mission, goals, and service to individuals and families throughout its communities:

1. Equity and Inclusion:  We believe all individuals and families, regardless of background, race, gender, or socioeconomic status, should have equitable opportunities and access to resources.
2. Family-Centered Approach:  We prioritize policies and initiatives that support family well-being, stability, and growth, recognizing that strong families are the foundation of thriving communities.
3. Collaboration and Partnerships:  We value collaboration with organizations, government agencies, businesses, educational institutions, and individuals who share our commitment to working families.
4. Data-Driven Decision-Making:  We use evidence and data to guide policies, programs, and operational decisions, ensuring that our efforts are effective and impactful.
5. Respect and Dignity:  We treat every individual with respect and dignity, recognize each person's inherent worth, and work to create systems that uphold these values.

Position Summary

The Intake Specialist is the first point of contact for clients entering CWF's tax services and is responsible for welcoming clients, confirming preliminary program eligibility, organizing client flow, reviewing required documents for completeness, supporting completion of the IRS intake and interview form, obtaining required consents, and routing each client to an appropriately certified Tax Associate. The Intake Specialist provides accurate service information, maintains privacy, updates appointment and tracking systems, identifies missing information, and communicates concerns to the Tax Site Coordinator. The position does not determine tax law, prepare or quality-review returns unless separately trained, certified, and assigned to perform those functions.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Greet each client promptly, confirm appointment or walk-in status, explain the service process, and provide realistic information regarding wait times and next steps.
• Confirm the client is seeking a service offered at the site and apply CWF's preliminary eligibility and scope-screening questions without making unauthorized tax determinations.
• Enter or verify client contact and appointment information accurately in approved systems.
• Maintain an orderly waiting area, protect client privacy during conversations, and alert the Tax Site Coordinator to access, safety, language, or service concerns.
• Provide courteous, equitable, culturally responsive service to clients with varied backgrounds, abilities, languages, and levels of tax knowledge.

• Review identification, Social Security or taxpayer-identification documents, income statements, expense records, prior-year returns when relevant, banking information, health-coverage documents, and other required materials using the approved checklist.
• Support clients in completing every applicable question on the current IRS intake and interview form while requiring the client to provide the underlying information.
• Identify unanswered questions, inconsistent responses, missing documents, name or number discrepancies, and other visible intake gaps; refer tax-law questions to a certified preparer or quality reviewer.
• Confirm required consents, disclosures, signatures, and service acknowledgements are completed before routing the client.
• Organize documents in the approved order and never alter, interpret, or create taxpayer records.
• Clearly explain what information is missing and the approved options for rescheduling, drop-off, follow-up, or referral.

• Route clients based on service type, certification need, appointment sequence, accessibility needs, language needs, site capacity, and direction from the Tax Site Coordinator.
• Maintain accurate status information for clients waiting, in preparation, in quality review, awaiting documents, or completing departure steps.
• Coordinate respectfully with Tax Associates, Senior Tax Analysts, interns, volunteers, and site leadership to prevent lost paperwork, duplicate work, or avoidable delays.
• Monitor the waiting area and notify site leadership when volume, wait time, client distress, or staffing conditions require intervention.
• Follow approved procedures for drop-off check-in, document inventory, labeling, secure transfer, status tracking, and client receipts when assigned.

• Follow IRS Volunteer Standards of Conduct, Intake/Interview and Quality Review requirements applicable to the role, Quality Site Requirements, CWF policies, and taxpayer privacy rules.
• Keep documents attended or secured, position screens to protect information, use approved communication methods, and discuss taxpayer matters only with authorized individuals.
• Verify identity and authorization before releasing documents or information according to CWF procedures.
• Immediately report suspected identity theft, fraud, unauthorized access, lost documents, data exposure, threats, harassment, discrimination, or other incidents.
• Perform only functions authorized by current certification, training, assignment, and system access.

• Answer routine questions regarding hours, locations, appointments, required documents, service steps, and available CWF referrals using approved information.
• Use appointment, check-in, document-tracking, communication, and data systems accurately and maintain required paper or electronic logs.
• Assist with scanning, copying, document organization, supply preparation, signage, workstation setup, client follow-up, and site closeout as assigned.
• Participate in required training, meetings, coaching, observations, and performance feedback.
• Perform related seasonal tax-site duties assigned by the Tax Site Coordinator or tax operations leadership.

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Welcomes clients respectfully, listens carefully, explains processes clearly, and remains calm during high-volume periods.
• Uses sound judgment when referring tax, language, accessibility, conflict, or safety concerns.