One of the most memorable experiences for Harv Grassian in his 13 years as an AARP Foundation Tax-Aide volunteer was with Elizabeth Seaver, an 83-year-old retired music teacher and one of his taxpaying clients for many of those years. The unique way their story unfolded over the years serves as a testament to the dedication and skill of the volunteers who dedicate their time to providing free tax preparation assistance through the program.

In early 2024, Harv received a voicemail from Elizabeth thanking him for his efforts on her behalf a few years earlier. “I’m just glad it all worked out in my favor, thanks to you!” Elizabeth said in the message. “You’re a master at figuring this all out and giving us a great outcome.” (See an audio clip of the message below.)

It all started when Elizabeth received a letter from the IRS in late 2020 saying she owed more than $10,000 in additional taxes on her 2018 return. She was understandably scared and confused. Elizabeth had been going to her local AARP Foundation Tax-Aide site for years to have her tax return prepared by IRS-certified volunteer tax preparer Harv Grassian. How on earth could there be a discrepancy, she wondered.

Although Elizabeth was certain there was an error, she wrote a check for the full amount. She told her cousin about the problem in 2021, and she suggested that Elizabeth call the AARP 800 number, which she did. That generated a ticket that was sent to the state coordinator, who happened to be Harv. He recognized Elizabeth’s name and remembered her. “I went to Tax Slayer and found her return. I went through it — I had done the quality review of it. Of course, it was perfect,” Harv jokes. But everything appeared to have been reported correctly based on Elizabeth’s records.

Harv, who had been volunteering with Tax-Aide since 2011 after retiring from Westinghouse/Siemens after 40 years, didn’t initially realize the IRS letter was legitimate. “I initially suspected that the letter they got was a scam,” he says.

The Tax-Aide location was closed due to the pandemic, but Harv arranged to meet Elizabeth in the parking lot of their regular location so he could review the letter. It was legitimate—but false.

Harv had Elizabeth authorize him to communicate with the IRS on her behalf. He printed out a report showing that her income had been reported correctly and wrote a letter to the IRS detailing and proving the error on their part. “It was a total blunder on the IRS’s part,” Harv says. “It was wrong and I told them.”

Thanks to Harv’s dedication, the IRS corrected the error and Elizabeth was able to recover the $10,000 she had paid, plus interest. Looking back on moments like this, Harv says, “The gratitude they feel, especially when you find something that makes them a few more dollars, they’re over the moon.”

There’s another part to the story. When Harv got Elizabeth’s voicemail, he shared it with coworkers, who encouraged him to call Elizabeth to see if she would be willing to share it publicly. He tried calling her, but both of the numbers he had for her were disconnected. Then he discovered that her house had been sold, so her address didn’t help either. After a few days of dedicated detective work, he discovered that she had recently moved into a nursing home, so he called them. To protect their resident’s privacy, they only agreed to leave her a message.

Not long after, Harv received a call from Elizabeth, who says, “I was just stunned when he called because I was wondering who was going to do my taxes this year with all my changes.”

Harv says, “When I first called, she said, ‘How did you find me?’ That’s a long story,” he says with a laugh.

Harv continues to volunteer each season at the same location near his home in Longwood, Florida, and he and Elizabeth have a bond that goes beyond that of preparer and client. “He’s my guardian angel,” Elizabeth says.

And Harv, now a regional coordinator, still occasionally listens to Elizabeth’s voicemail to remind him why he volunteers at Tax-Aide.

Learn more about AARP Foundation Tax-Aide and how to volunteer with Tax-Aide.

Read more stories about how our programs have helped people find hope and about the volunteers who go above and beyond to help others.