Tax Center now open

  • Published
  • By Capt. Nicholas Mathieu
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Assistant Staff Judge Advocate
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The Travis Base Legal Office's Tax Center is now open and will be providing free tax help, including electronic filing, for active duty members and their families, DoD employees, and other members of Team Travis.

More than 40 members of Team Travis, from all sections of the community, voluntarily attended Internal Revenue Training to become Volunteer Income Tax Assistants.

VITAs will help members prepare federal income taxes, free of charge. Not only will they be available to assist members, the VITAs will have critical IRS information readily available on topics such as the Earned Income Credit, Additional Child Credit, deductions and other important tax matters.

The Tax Center, located in Bldg. 383, is open five days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., until Feb. 9 and again from April 2 to 6 and April 9 to 13. For the rest of tax season, the center is only open Wednesday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The center will offer both appointments and walk-ins. Appointments for 1040EZ filers will be every Friday. Walk-ins for both 1040EZ and 1040 filers will be available on Wednesdays from 1 to 4 p.m. All other times will be reserved for 1040 filers by appointment.

All appointments can be made on the first day the center is open each week.
Reviewing and filing a tax return can take time. However, there are ways to help speed up the process.

To ensure a speedy process, members should have the following when arriving at the Tax Center:

-- A copy of social security cards for the taxpayer and family members

-- A voided check if direct deposit of tax return is desired

-- A W-2 Form from each employer. Active duty servicemembers may obtain this from https://mypay.dfas.mil/mypay.aspx

-- Childcare/daycare expense information. The name, social security number and address of the childcare provider is also needed

-- If any additional sources of income, such as rental property or sales of stocks, supporting documentation must be provided to prepare an accurate return

In addition to the Travis Tax Center, members can also take advantage of free tax assistance on MilitaryOneSource.

MilitaryOneSource offers active duty, Guard and Reserve servicemembers and their families to free tax preparation and filing services from their personal computers.

The service, available at www.militaryonesource.com, will guide members through a step-by-step process, provide the required forms and documentation, perform the calculations and include tax-relevant questions about issues such as deployment and relocation.

Tax consultants are also available anytime by phone at 1-800-730-3802 or via email at TaxCut@militaryonesource.com to assist members with personal tax-related questions and financial planning.

For additional information about the Travis Tax Center, call 424-6559.

For more information about MilitaryOneSource, contact the Airman and Family Readiness Center at 424-2486.