YONGSAN GARRISON, South Korea — With tax season around the corner, Army officials in South Korea are set to open free tax-service offices at bases throughout the peninsula. And for the first time, most will be open six days a week from the beginning of February until April’s filing deadline.
The centers, staffed by soldiers, temporary employees and volunteers, will file returns using computer programs and the Internal Revenue Service’s electronic filing system. That system promises a tax refund, if due, between seven and 10 days after filing.
“We use the electronic forms for all federal returns and eligible state returns,” said Sgt. Jason Lowder of the Yongsan Tax Center. In cases where states don’t accept electronic returns, the tax center will print copies of paper returns. Yongsan Garrison’s Tax Center files up to 75 percent of all Army tax returns in South Korea each year, officials said. Active-duty servicmembers accounted for 80 percent of the returns filed, and the free service is open to all U.S. Forces Korea personnel and their families.
The Yongsan Tax Center, located in the Moyer Community Services Center, will open Feb. 3. Walk-ins and appointments are welcome, Lowder said. Necessary paperwork will vary depending on what kind of return is going to be filed, but all filers should bring their military ID, social security cards for themselves and any family they’ll claim and applicable W-2 forms, which can be downloaded from the military’s myPay Web site.
Receipts for rental properties, interest income, child care expenses or other deductions should also be brought in, officials said.
“If someone thinks they are going to have a difficult return, make an appointment,” said Lowder. “We don’t want the difficult returns to come as walk-ins.”
The Area III Tax Assistance Center on Camp Humphrey, opened this week and will be staffed Monday through Saturday until April 16. To help soldiers in outlying bases, tax center staffers will travel to smaller camps.
Tax reps will visit Camp Long every Tuesday and Suwon Air Base every Thursday throughout the tax season, officials said. Soldiers are being told to meet with their unit tax advisors before making appointments.
Tax centers and plans to visit outlying camps are being made in all regions of South Korea, officials said. For more information, call DSN 725-1040.
Last year, officials said, tax centers in South Korea processed more than 5,000 returns, resulting in more than $4 million in tax refunds for servicemembers and civilians.
