Most of the time, people who are with the free tax filing help groups are volunteers. They are usually retired professionals with the knowledge to prepare tax returns. Some may be ex- CPAs or ex- tax preparers or even ex- IRS agents.

It does not matter what their backgrounds are, if they offer to be part of the free tax help program, then they will have to prove that they are capable of preparing tax returns.

But, bear in mind that if you do not pay them, then technically they are not responsible if something happens on your tax returns. Also, they can make mistakes so check your returns before submitting.