Tax center saves big bucks

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Nicole Sikorski
  • 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  With W-2s and 1040s on many people's minds, it is that time of year again -- tax season.

Taxes can be a daunting endeavor despite all of the resources available. To help alleviate that stress, more than 60 volunteers at the Ramstein Tax Center work through the months of February to June to save Airmen money.

The tax center offers free filing of federal and state taxes for service members, retirees and dependents in the KMC, which saves them money and helps reduce the confusion of filing on their own.

Volunteers saved active-duty military members at Ramstein more than $170,000 in extra fees in 2013, filed more than 1,200 tax returns and refunded them more than $2.5 million.

"I enjoy volunteering to help with taxes," said Senior Airman Ashley Cassell, 86th Airlift Wing judge advocate tax paralegal. "It was intimidating at first to think about dealing with taxes, but it is rewarding to help people learn what they are eligible to claim and making sure they are filing correctly."

Volunteers attend a 40-hour weeklong class before the tax season begins. In addition to the classroom portion, online training offers courses on subjects such as W-2s, stocks, interest, rental properties and international returns. Tax center volunteers are required, at a minimum, to be certified on military tax returns.

Volunteers help a wide variety of customers at Ramstein, which include junior Airmen who are new to filing tax returns.With that, service members are faced with an overwhelming amount of choices on how to file their returns, said Airman 1st Class Destin Coleman, 86th Communications Squadron administrative apprentice.

"Being that it was my first time filing my taxes it was a little bit confusing," Coleman said. "I am not very educated in finances, but you are responsible for getting involved when they are your own.  I tried to file on my own prior to my appointment, but I had a lot of questions. The volunteers here were able to help me understand my return while filing my taxes for free."

Free tax filing is not only helpful to junior Airmen during their first tax return, but it is also beneficial to those in need of a helping hand in the midst of a busy schedule.

"My experience at the tax center has been great," said Master Sgt. Cornelius Richardson, 86th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron flight chief. "The volunteers have been very professional and helped me understand everything about my refund. I'm glad they're here for us. When you are overseas with your family, a lot of the time you are busy with work and getting to your taxes is hard. Having someone to help you is much appreciated."

While helping service members save when they can, volunteers at the tax center hope to enrich the quality of life for military members and their families through their services.

Although military members stationed overseas are allotted an additional two months to file, taxes owed are still due no later than April 15; otherwise, interest will be accrued.

To schedule an appointment, call the tax center at 480-1040.