KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany - DoD cardholders now have a new option for tax preparation in the Kaiserslautern military community.
The 21st TSC tax center opens Feb. 6 and will be open through the end of April. The Kaiserslautern office is located at Room 101 in Building 3210 on Kleber Kaserne in Kaiserslautern. The service is free to all DoD cardholders.
"The ideal candidate is the single Soldier who can't afford to a hire a tax consultant," said Capt. Tyler Scharff, 21st TSC legal assistance attorney who will be the Kaiserslautern location's officer-in-charge.
Though do-it-yourself online services are popular, the tax center also offers services that online programs cannot match. A face-to-face service can make sure that clients are getting all of the tax credits they may be eligible for.
"You want to make sure service members are getting the tax credits they're eligible for and to do that, you have to have a conversation with someone," Scharff said. "If you have a complicated return such as rental properties, or capital gains for example, we have a case-by-case availability of subject-matter experts."
There are additional locations for 21st TSC members stationed in Baumholder; Stuttgart; Vicenza, Italy; and in the Netherlands.
"It's a good swath across Europe," Sharff said. "It's a good program to have here. Because being over here, people may have overseas-specific tax problems they need help with in-person."
The Kleber office will have 15 Soldiers staffed to handle tax preparation. The office will also have a drop-off service for advance returns that will start President's Day weekend.
Tax payers in the states have until April 17 to file, but all overseas personnel have a 60-day extension to file. However, if tax payers owe federal income tax, they will still have to pay interest on any amount paid after the April 17 deadline.
Scharff said that the tax program processes approximately $2 million in services at each location per tax year.
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