The Fort Riley Tax Assistance Center officially opened to soldiers Tuesday and will remain open through the April 15 filing deadline.
The center, part of the 1st Infantry Division’s Staff Judge Advocate office, provides free tax preparation assistance to military members, including active duty, eligible family members, military reservists on activated orders for 30 days or more. Tax Center Director Elizabeth Thurston says due to COVID-19 mitigation efforts, the tax center will operate as a drop-off service with no appointments.
“The soldier will come in, drop off his documents. We will then have the opportunity to prepare the return and after three days we’ll call them back in and at that point they’ll be able to review and sign it,” she said.
The tax center, located at 7034 Bullard Street, opens at 9 a.m. weekdays, with the last walk-ins accepted at 5:30 p.m. daily. It remains closed on training and Federal holidays.
Tax Center Officer in Charge, 1st Lt. Brittany Simon, says the service is completely free, provided by tax-preparers who are IRS certified.
“If you come to us and we prepare your taxes and the IRS contacts you, we will stand behind our taxes we prepared and will help you whatever the IRS is asking of you. But only if you come to us and we do your tax services,” she said.
Each year, the center’s tax-preparers save clients more than a million dollars in fees.
More information is available on the Fort Riley website, or by calling 785-239-1040.
