CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Time has come for a change in the seasons. Not the usual winter to spring, but the change from holiday season to tax season.
Tax season can be one of the most dreaded times of the year for the unprepared; but if you are armed with information and people trained to help, tax season can come and go without a problem. The Base Tax Center is now up and running in Bldg. 246, Room 125 to provide that information and help.
Here is just a small sample of the information the BTC can provide:
Enlisted Airmen who serve in a combat zone for any part of a month may exclude all military pay received in that month from gross income. This includes reenlistment bonuses, payments for annual leave accrued while serving in the combat zone and payments received during periods of hospitalization for injuries received in a combat zone.
For officers, the monthly exclusion is capped at the highest enlisted pay, plus any hostile fire or imminent danger pay received. Amounts excluded from gross income are not subject to federal income tax. The Air Force must certify your entitlement on the Form W-2 it provides you. If you believe you are entitled to the exclusion, but it is not reflected on your Form W-2, ask the finance office to issue a corrected Form W-2.
Military members who are serving in a combat zone may suspend compliance actions, such as audits or enforced collections until 180 days after leaving the zone. Taxpayers, spouses, and authorized agents may notify the IRS of the member's combat zone status through a special e-mail address: combatzone @irs.gov. They should provide name, stateside address, date of birth, and date of deployment to the combat zone.
The BTC is staffed by volunteer legal office Airmen and volunteer income tax assistance representatives who have volunteered to provide this free service. To assist the BTC staff members in preparing your tax return, please ensure you have all tax-related documents; dependent identification, social security cards, bank account numbers and a routing number if direct deposit is requested. BTC staff members can be contacted by calling 963-1040. Services will be provided on a drop-off basis and by appointment. The center is open from 9 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.