Arnold AFB Legal Office offers free tax help

  • Published
  • By Lelie McGowan
  • AEDC Public Affairs
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  The 2018 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 active-duty service members, 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 total income is less than $55,000.

Trained IRS volunteers assist tax filers in preparing, reviewing and electronically filing their income tax returns. Most customers receive their refund within two weeks. Please note, by law, the IRS must hold refunds claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit and/or the Additional Child Tax Credit until Feb. 15.

Tax assistance appointments are available and will continue until the yearly tax filing deadline of April 15. Eligible personnel may call the Arnold AFB Legal Office at 931-454-4657 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, businesses involving employees and inventory, and complicated capital gains and losses, will need assistance from a paid professional preparer for tax assistance.

Military members should access and print their W-2s from the MyPay website at https://mypay.dfas.mil/mypay.aspx before arriving for their appointment.

If you prefer “do-it-yourself” tax returns, Military One Source has a free federal and up to three state tax forms tax preparation and an 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 H&R Block. 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 1-800-242-9647.

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 makes less than $64,000 can also e-file for free. For more information, call the legal office at 931-454-4657.

Those not eligible for the military tax assistance program may locate their nearest VITA site by calling the IRS Information VITA line at 1-800-829-1040. At this time, it is not certain if the program will be offered at the Coffee County Lannom Memorial Library in Tullahoma; however, Murfreesboro, Sewanee and Fayetteville have confirmed their sites will be operational and providing VITA tax preparation services again this tax year.

If you are interested in assisting taxpayers with tax preparation at the Arnold AFB Legal Office, call 931-454-4657.