VITA office set to open Feb. 4, Airmen volunteer to assist

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jerilyn Quintanilla
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  Tax season is nearing and volunteers from RAF Mildenhall are taking steps to ensure they are prepared to assist Airmen file their taxes.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance office, located in building 424, is scheduled to open Feb. 4 for Airmen E-4 and below and opens Feb. 18 to the remaining base populace. To prepare, representatives from the Internal Revenue Service and the RAF Mildenhall legal office conducted training Jan. 11 through 14, for approximately 60 volunteers. Volunteers included Airmen, dependents and civilian employees.

"We had Airmen, dependents and civilian employees come out and volunteer, all of whom had to complete a four-day training course," said Staff Sgt. Mary Allen, 100th Air Refueling Wing legal office paralegal.

Training consisted of the completion of three certification tests, a standards-of-conduct course and signing a confidentiality statement.

"The training provided in-depth information about the whole process and the different situations we may encounter," said Senior Airman Kevin Lee, 100th Maintenance Operations Squadron maintenance plans and scheduling journeyman. "Our instructor was from the IRS so it definitely benefited all students to learn from 'the source'."

Services provided by the VITA office are free and open to all Department of Defense identification card holders with an annual income of $50,000 or less. However, the progam is unable to assist with complex tax returns, which include most returns of individuals with business income, multiple rental properties, or self-employed taxpayers who are required to prepare 1099s for another individual.

Members are reminded to bring all applicable tax-related information to their appointments, including:

· W-2s, 1099s, 1098s and interest/dividends on checking/savings regardless of amount
· Social security cards or individual tax I.D. numbers for all persons on the tax return. Military members will be verified by CAC and W-2 and/or previous year tax return.
· Proof of identity such as drivers license or other Government-issued picture identification.
· Bank details for direct deposit/debit, a voided check works best.
· Substantiating records for basis and depreciation calculations.

The VITA office will be open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays are reserved for single Airmen living in the dorms, by appointment, but may be made available to others in exceptional circumstances.

For more information, or to schedule an appointment, contact the 100th ARW legal office at DSN 238-1978.