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HELPFUL HINTS: Specific tax advice for military members

  • Published
  • By James T. Forrest
  • Office of the Staff Judge Advocate
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla., --  Benjamin Franklin once said that "nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." Unfortunately, tax filing is a certainty we all must face every year. For military members, taxes may be the last thing you want to deal with, especially if you or your spouse is deployed. However, filing taxes should not be overly time consuming and stressful. For military members and their families, there are a number of options at tax time to make tax filing less of a burden. Before filing your taxes, here are some pointers to help you in the process:

· File your returns listing your permanent home state of legal residency. If you are stationed outside your home of legal residency, in many cases you will still pay state taxes to your home state. For instance, if your address of record is in Kansas, but you are stationed in California, you will file state taxes with Kansas. Spouses working outside of their home of record in most cases will also have to file a state tax return for the state in which they are employed.

· Access your tax statement online. As a member of the military, you can view and print out your W-2 form before it is mailed to you. Go to myPay at https://myPay.dfas.mil or access myPay through the Air Force Portal (www.my.af.mil).

· Be sure to have power of attorney if filing for a deployed service member. Attach a copy of your power of attorney to your tax return. You may use an IRS Form 2848, Power of Attorney and Declaration Representative. The form can be found at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f2848.pdf. If the service member is deployed to a combat zone you can also sign a statement stating they are in a combat zone and that you are signing for them. There is no need for a Power of Attorney in that case, but the member must be deployed to a valid combat zone. South America is not considered a combat zone. Combat zone and hazardous duty deadline extensions

The IRS automatically extends filing deadlines for members of the military for the following reasons:

If you or your spouse are serving in a combat zone or in direct support of those in the combat zone and receive hostile fire or imminent danger pay, the deadline for filing income taxes is 180 days after your last day in the combat zone or hazardous duty area. Go to the IRS Web site to see a list of combat zones. In addition to the 180 days, the extension includes the number of days left in the filing period when you entered the combat zone or hazardous duty area. The filing period is January 1 through April 15. So, if you or your spouse entered the combat zone on March 31, you would add 15 days to your automatic 180-day tax filing extension.

If you or your spouse are hospitalized outside of the United States as a result of injuries suffered in a combat zone or hazardous duty area, the deadline is 180 days after discharge from the hospital. Note that the extension does not apply to the spouse if the service member is hospitalized in the United States.

Getting help with your taxes

Service members and their families can get help at the Tinker Voluntary Income Tax Assistance program, located in Bldg. 1, adjacent to the Area Defense Counsel office. Program volunteers will help active duty, dependents, and retired military members file their taxes free of charge. Go as early as possible before the filing deadline to avoid long lines. The tax office will be operating through April 15.

Appointments are highly recommended and can be made by calling 739-7754. The hours are 8 to 11:30 a.m. and noon to 3:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 8 to 11:30 a.m. Fridays.

New for this year, you will need to know how much Economic Stimulus Rebate you received. There has also been a change to the standard deduction for this year.

If you own a home but aren't able to itemize your deductions, you can take your real estate taxes you paid as a standard deduction (subject to some limitations), so you will need to bring the amount of real estate taxes you paid, even if you don't normally itemize. You will also need to bring a check that can be marked void if you would like to direct deposit a refund. The voided check will verify the bank routing number and your account number.

Military OneSource is a free, 24-hour service provided by the Department of Defense which can provide help with tax filing by live professional consultants. They can be reached by calling 800-342-2947 or through their Web site at www.militaryonesource.com.

If you have any legal tax-related questions or want additional information on these programs, call the legal office at 739-5811 or stop by during legal assistance hours -- 8:30 to 11 a.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays -- to consult with an attorney.