JBSA tax centers open for business

Don’t get surprised by the individual income tax return filing deadline.  Filing your tax return does not have to be stressful, and there are many services available – many of them free – that make filing quite easy. 

Online programs are a popular and inexpensive way to electronically file your tax return.  Military OneSource (http://www.MilitaryOneSource.mil) provides access to free tax preparation software with on-call assistance from tax professionals.  This is available to active duty members, as well as Guard/Reserve members and dependents.

The City of San Antonio also has numerous Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (http://www.vitasa.org) locations for anyone with income below $60k.  You may also complete your taxes yourself or hire someone.  

In addition to these options during tax season this year, volunteers at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, JBSA-Lackland and JBSA-Randolph will operate tax centers for eligible active duty members and military retirees. The tax centers provide free tax preparation and electronic filing for federal and state tax returns.  

When receiving assistance at the JBSA Volunteer Tax Centers, clients must bring their Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, and Form 1095, which is required under the Affordable Care Act.  These documents are available through myPay. 

Clients should also bring their Social Security card and the Social Security card of each individual you intend to claim as a dependent.

If applicable to your financial situation, you must also bring the following:

·         Most recent tax return;

·         December 2017 Leave and Earnings Statement;

·         Form 1099-INT or  1099-DIV to report any interest or dividends you received as income in 2017;

·         Form 1098 to report payment of mortgage interest and property taxes, if any;

·         Form 1099-B for stock sales in 2017 together with your cost basis for capital gain or loss calculations;

·         Form1099-R to report any distributions from an IRA or 401k you’ve received in 2017

·         Form SSA-1099 to report any Social Security benefits received in 2017;

·         If you’ve already received a state tax refund, you may need to report it as income.

·         Form 1099-MISC if you have self-employment or miscellaneous income, outside of your regular job.

If you do not have the correct documents, the volunteer tax preparer will not be able to help. Finally, bring all documents with you and do not expect to have access to previous tax returns, based on having received assistance through a VITA tax office in previous years.

For more information, contact the local Tax Center to set an appointment.

JBSA-Fort Sam Houston
Location: Fort Sam Houston Community Center, Java Café, 1395 Chaffee Road
Phone: 210-295-1040

JBSA-Lackland
Location: Building 6629, at Hughes Avenue and Gentile Street
Phone: 210-671-1001