Capt. Krystal Gurnell, chief of Legal Assistance for the 88th Air Base Wing and this year’s coordinator, mentioned that the tax center has only one telephone line for making appointments. At times there will be extremely high call volumes, and callers may receive error messages. She is asking callers to continue to phone until a connection is made. (Do not call the Legal Office as the staff cannot schedule appointments.)
Gurnell said the best way to get the most out of the service is to be prepared for your appointment by bringing in all of the required paperwork.
Documents that must be brought to the appointment include:
• Last year’s federal and state tax returns;
• Wages, salaries, etc. (Form W-2);
• Unemployment benefits (Form 1099-G);
• Social Security cards for everyone who will be listed on the return, including spouses, children and other dependents. Bring the actual Social Security cards or Social Security verification letter.
• Picture IDs for everyone attending the appointment;
• Bank account information, including the routing number and account number for either direct deposit of refund or electronic payment of amount owed;
• Previous year’s Schedule D worksheet for capital loss carryover;
• Divorce decree or separation agreement involving custody of children or payment of taxes;
• Power of attorney if spouse is not available to sign electronic filing permission forms;
• Records of estimated tax payments made for the year.
The center is staffed with volunteers who are active-duty, civilians and retired personnel. They have taken a basic tax preparation course and have passed a series of qualification tests but do not prepare complicated tax returns.
The Tax Center is located at 5215 Thurlow St. in Area A, Bldg. 70, Door 6 (sixth entry down the side of the building). Bldg. 70 is the first large building at the corner of Schuster and Thurlow.
Taxpayers should plan on arriving at the tax center at least 15 minutes prior to their appointment to fill out the required paperwork (Form 13614-C, Intake/Interview & Quality Review Sheet). The center will only complete one tax return during each appointment. If a dependent child needs a return done, Gurnell recommends that consecutive appointments be made.
The center does not calculate married filing jointly versus married filing separately comparisons.
The center will not reschedule missed appointments due to the high volume of appointment requests.
Other documents taxpayers should bring if applicable, include:
• Interest income (Form 1099-INT);
• Dividends received (Form 1099-DIV);
• State tax refunds (Form 1099-G);
• IRA distributions (Form 1099-R);
• Pension income (Forms 1099-R, RRB-1099-R, CSA-1099);
• Social Security benefits (Form SSA-1099, RRB-1099);
• Simple capital gain/loss (Form 1099-B) limited service;
• Sale of home (Form 1099-S) limited service;
• Self-employed income (Form 1099-MISC) limited service;
• Gambling winnings (Form W-2G);
• Cancellation of Debt (Form 1099-C) limited service
• Health savings accounts (Form 1099-SA) limited service;
• Itemized deductions limited service;
• Education credits (Form 1098-T);
• Health insurance statements (Forms 1095-A, B or C);
• Form 8615 (tax on certain children’s unearned income) limited service.
Federal and state income tax laws contain special provisions for members of the military and their families. Based on certain criteria, some service members may not have to file. The state of Ohio strongly recommends that all military members file the Department of Taxation Form, IT 10-Ohio Income Tax Information Notice to avoid a failure-to-file notice.
Further information can be found on the Ohio taxation website at https://www.tax.ohio.gov. Follow the links for military.
For additional information or appointments, call the tax center at 937-656-1423.
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