Base Legal Office offers tax help Published Feb. 4, 2015 By Leslie McGowan AEDC/PA ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, TENN. -- The 2014 income tax season has arrived and the Arnold Air Force Base Legal Office is offering free Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) for eligible personnel. All service members on active duty, retirees, and their dependents are eligible to receive these free services. This year the Legal Office will be able to provide tax services to other categories of filers including DOD civilians whose income is less than $60,000. IRS-trained volunteers assist tax-filers in preparing, reviewing and electronically filing their income tax returns. Most customers receive their refund within two weeks. Tax assistance appointments are available and continue until the yearly tax filing deadline of April 15. Eligible personnel may call the Legal Office at 454-4657 to schedule an appointment. VITA volunteers can provide tax preparation up to advanced and military certification levels which include rental properties and Schedule A itemizations. However, taxpayers filing taxes that are beyond the VITA scope of training and certification, with complicated returns such as non-deductible IRAs, business with losses, and complicated capital gains and losses, will need assistance from a paid professional preparer for tax assistance. Military members should access and print their W2s from the MyPay website at https://mypay.dfas.mil/mypay.aspx before arriving for their appointment. If you prefer to use the "do-it-yourself tax returns," Military OneSource has a free federal tax preparation and e-filing program available to military members and their dependents through their website at www.militaryonesource.com. The website allows tax filers to utilize a free online version of the H&R Block tool. The software is a simple question and answer program that is a quick and easy way to complete and e-file your federal tax returns. The program also allows military members the option to e-file their state returns for a small fee. You can also receive military specific advice regarding tax questions at no cost by speaking to a trained Military OneSource tax consultant at 1-800-342-9647. If you prefer to file your federal and state taxes using the paper forms, these forms are now available on-line for download and printing at www.irs.gov or through the individual state tax websites. The IRS also offers a free tax program, Free File, at www.irs.gov where individuals who make less than $60,000 can also e-file for free. For more information, call the Legal Office at 454-4657. For those who are not eligible for the military tax assistance programs, the IRS VITA program is offered at the Coffee County Lannom Memorial Library in Tullahoma by appointment only. For a tax appointment at Tullahoma, call 409-3602. If you live outside the Tullahoma area and wish to locate your nearest VITA site, call the IRS information VITA line at 1-800-829-1040. If you are interested in assisting taxpayers with tax preparation at the Arnold AFB Legal Office, call 454-4657.