Kirtland Tax Center provides tax help to Airmen, families

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Chandler Baker
  • 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

Service members at Kirtland Air Force Base have an alternative way to do their taxes this year.

The Kirtland Legal office will open a tax center on February 1 and will be catering their services to military members, their families, and retirees.

The priority is E-6s and below, O-3s and below, and retirees with a gross income of $60,000 and below. All others are welcome, but will be helped on a first come, first served basis.  The tax center will run until April 14. 

“It really is an all-encompassing center,” said Capt. Christopher Mitchell, 377th Air Base Wing Judge Advocates Office chief of legal assistance. “As long as you bring in your information for taxes, we can take you from start to finish. We’ll enter all of your information into our database and print you off your finished tax return. We’ll either e-file it for you or print it so you can mail it off to the IRS and/or your state.”

The center, operated entirely by volunteers, prepared 1,411 federal and state tax returns last year, saving clients roughly $136,000 in preparation and filing costs.  The volunteers received five days of volunteer income tax assistance training and have varying degrees of experience with tax filing.

“The tax center is mainly (377th Air Base Wing Commander) Colonel Froehlich’s program,” said Mitchell. “He is the main supporter of this. I know many bases have closed down their tax centers because of how much work it is, but Col. Froehlich likes what this program does so he’s asked us to administer that tax center.” 

The tax center is located inside the Consolidated Support Building, Building 20245, inside the military personnel section. Appointments can be scheduled for Tuesday through Friday, except federal holidays, for 9, 10, 11 and 1 p.m. by calling 505-853-1700.  Walk-ins are welcome but appointments are preferred.