Active duty military members, retirees, veterans and their families can take advantage of free tax preparation and filing this year.
A special service offered through the Department of Defense gives free tax preparation to military members.
The website is called MilTax, and they joined forces with Military OneSource to provide military members with the neccessary software and assistance to file their taxes for free.
The site is specifically geared towards service members and helping them get the biggest refund they qualify for.
Currently this service is available to active duty, national guard and reserve members as well as their dependents. If you are a retiree or veteran, you can also utilize their site if it has been less than 1 year since you left your service.
For veterans and retirees who left service more than a year ago, there is an option for you to get free tax preparation as well.
Here’s the scoop, via Military.com:
Retirees can receive free tax advice and preparation assistance through Military Judge Advocate General (JAG) offices. See our Free Legal Assistance Page for more details.
Veterans who make $58,000 or less may receive free tax advice and preparation assistance through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. See the IRS website for more details.
AARP offers free tax advice and preparation assistance to low and moderate income taxpayers, with special attention given to those 60 and older. See the AARP website for more details.
There are many other services available at the local and community level. A good place to check for help is your local library.
Finally, military members or individuals with an adjusted gross income of less than $73,000 can often get free tax filing through major commercial tax preparation software.
Check around online to see what options are available to you, just make sure you read the fine print carefully so you don’t get charged a fee to file your return.