It's less than three months before taxes are due, but help is available in the military community — for free.

The tax preparers on military bases are trained by the Internal Revenue Service's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, but they also get training and continuous support through the military legal assistance establishment.

You've got some time to check it out. Taxes are due April 18; if you're a resident of Maine or Massachusetts, you get an extra day.

"We encourage people to come to our sites and take advantage of the free services. It's well worth it to take the time to get it right. If not, it takes more work to fix it later," said Army Lt. Col. Samuel Kan, executive director of the Armed Forces Tax Council. Even if you prepare your return, he said, take it to a military-affiliated VITA center and have someone look over it.

"We have vetting mechanisms and accountability. We certify them, and have them take exams. If there's a problem, you can go to the chain of command," he said. "Don't shortcut this process. It's important to take all the steps and get the money you should."

Even if it's a young service member who is preparing your taxes, he said, that service member is not alone in the process. Besides being thoroughly trained in all aspects of tax preparation — including those that are pertinent to service members and families — and changes in tax laws, that tax preparer has a network of others who can answer questions A quality review is always conducted by another expert after the return has been prepared.

There are some long-standing tax filing extensions available for service members: If your duty station is outside the U.S. and Puerto Rico, you qualify for a two-month extension. If you are in a combat zone, your deadline is extended by at least 180 days. Your tax preparer can help you file for these extensions, or you can refer to the "Extension of Deadlines" rules in IRS Publication 3, the Armed Forces Tax Guide.

Some changes in tax law that could benefit some service members, according to Kan:

  • The American Opportunity Tax Credit has been made permanent. It allows a maximum annual tax credit of $2,500 for eligible students and their parents, for the first four years of higher education.
  • The deduction for classroom expenses for educators has been made permanent. Teachers and other educators can deduct up to $250 of any unreimbursed expenses for 2015. Starting in 2016, this credit will be indexed to inflation.
  • The state and local sales tax deduction is permanent now. Kan said this is helpful to a lot of military members who are from states that don’t assess income tax, such as Florida and Texas. Since there’s no state income tax service members can write off, service members can claim state and local sales taxes instead.
  • Military members or family members (and others) whose employers provide subsidies for parking or public transit can receive up to $250 a month in those benefits tax-free. Any amount above that is taxed. Previously, the limit was $130 a month. While the law is retroactive for 2015, Kan said, many people, including those working at the Pentagon, may not be able to take advantage of the increase because the Pentagon was certifying documentation for only $130, because that was the monthly limit at the time.
  • The Earned Income Tax Credit maximum credit has increased for 2015, so that could result in a bigger refund for those who fall within the income limits. The income threshold increases with the number of children, up to $53,267 for married couples with three or more children, who could receive the maximum credit of $6,242.
  • The form 1095 is being sent to employees, verifying the type of health care coverage you had during the calendar year, and whether it meets the requirement for minimum essential coverage under the Affordable Care Act. That's an important form that you or your preparer will  need to prepare your taxes. Service members will generally receive a 1095-C; most service members and their dependent family members were covered by qualifying minimum essential health coverage for the entire year. Retirees will get form 1095-B.

These changes are included in the information being provided to tax preparers through the legal assistance offices.

Find the resource that best meets your needs, Kan said. If the closest installation doesn’t have the service available, check with another installation. To locate tax preparation services, contact your legal assistance office. Locator information is available here. at http://legalassistance.law.af.mil/content/locator.php. Some smaller locations may have limited resources and may limit their tax services to those in ranks  E-1 to E-4; others may be able to serve everyone, including retirees.  

Another option is the kiosk system, which is heavily used by the Navy, Kan said. Those locations have eight to 10 computers and a "floater or two" — people who are trained and can help you but who will not look at the tax return in the same detail. "The assumption is that your return is fairly simplistic and that you know what you're doing. ... You may have one question you want to ask and you're good to go."

Military OneSource also offers free tax preparation software for the eligible military community, which doesn't include retirees or veterans. This is an option for those who want to do their own taxes for free in the comfort of their own home. It may not offer all the elements that you need, such as forms for deductions for carryovers of passive losses from rental property, Kan said.

Military OneSource also provides free access to tax consultants who can provide military-specific advice on tax questions. These consultants don't prepare your taxes, but they can answer your questions.

Karen Jowers covers military families, quality-of-life and consumer issues for Military Times. She can be reached at kjowers@militarytimes.com

Karen has covered military families, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years, and is co-author of a chapter on media coverage of military families in the book "A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families." She previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fla., and Athens, Ga.

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