JBM-HH readies joint tax center for 2015

By Guv Callahan, Pentagram Staff WriterDecember 19, 2014

JBM-HH readies joint tax center for 2015
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Tax season is right around the corner, and come January, service members, retirees and their families will be able to use the services of the installation's new consolidated joint tax center on Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall.

Located in Building 205 at 101 Bloxon Street on the Fort Myer portion of the joint base, the 2015 tax center will combine the Fort Myer and Henderson Hall tax centers into one convenient location for customers.

First Lt. Lynmarie Rivera, a legal assistance attorney and officer in charge for the tax center, said the idea of combining tax centers had been in the works for a couple of years.

"Of course, one of the biggest concerns with the armed forces is the budget issue," Rivera said. "It makes no sense that we were opening two tax centers on such a small base."

Although the setup is different, the tax center's clientele will remain unchanged.

"Basically, our clients are the same - we still going to serve Army, Air Force, Marines - so we're still going to serve the same population, the same clients," Rivera said. "Instead of opening two, we should open one and consolidate all of the resources."

The facility will provide cost-free federal and state income tax return preparation and e-filing for military personnel, their families and other eligible clients throughout the 2015 tax season. Tax center staffers will also help with itemized deductions and certain self-employment income and expenses.

Rivera said she'll also be the staffer providing advice on any questions customers might have pertaining to tax law.

The tax center will provide services in Spanish throughout the 2015 season as well.

"If [clients] want to see somebody in Spanish, I'll be the one helping them," Rivera said.

The center will be staffed by 11 Soldiers, eight Marines and a variety of civilian and military volunteers.

Service members who want to volunteer and whose commanders are willing to let them should call 703-696-0761.

Volunteers and service members assigned to the center will attend a free training session, known as Volunteer Income Tax Assistance or VITA, Jan. 12-16 at Fort Belvoir.

Five parking spaces at Building 205 will be reserved specifically for tax center customers, but clients will also be able to use available parking spaces in the vicinity of the building.

The JBM-HH tax center filed more than 2,600 tax returns during the 2014 season, saving customers more than $300,000 in tax preparation fees. The center's work generated more than $2.7 million in tax refunds.

To schedule an appointment, customers should call 703-696-1090.

Rivera said she hoped the center would be very busy this coming season. If it's busy, that means the facility is helping people, she said.

"We're going have a lot of people in comparison to last year," she said. "The whole purpose of the tax center is to be really busy."

There will be no tax center on the Henderson Hall portion of the joint base this year.