Army officials have announced that the Fort Riley Tax Assistance Center, 7034 Bullard St., has opened for business and will remain open through April 15. 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 orders for more than 30 days, and military retirees.
Due to COVID-19 mitigation efforts, the tax center will operate as a drop-off service with no appointments.
According to Elizabeth Thurston, Tax Center Director, “We’re trying to minimize the amount of time that we’re with a client. We anticipate that being no more than 10 -15 minutes and the same goes for when they come back in to sign and review their return.”
After dropping off their tax documents, clients can expect to hear back from the tax center within three working days.
The tax center is open at 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. They will accept the last walk-ins at 5 p.m. The tax center will be closed on training holidays and Federal holidays. All tax preparers are IRS certified, trained and up-to-date on current tax rules. The staff can prepare and e-file both Federal and state returns.
Thurston added, “I do want to emphasize that every tax return that is prepared by the Fort Riley tax center is quality-reviewed by either an attorney or a CPA. Nothing leaves our office without it having a second set of eyes by a tax professional before we send it to the IRS.”