Volunteers ensure successful tax season for Team Seymour

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Aaron J. Jenne
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  With tax season officially in the rearview mirror, Team Seymour's tax center volunteers are finally breathing a sigh of relief.

Over the past three months, they've worked diligently to ensure the proper filing of more than 1,000 tax returns as part of the base's Internal Revenue Service's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program. The program happens annually and is meant to help military members, retirees and their families file state and federal tax returns at no extra cost.

Airman 1st Class Ashley Barlett, 4th Fighter Wing paralegal, led the team of 16 military and civilian volunteers, who facilitated the program. She reiterated her own personal satisfaction with helping members of the community save money and properly complete their tax returns.

"We had a lot of prior military members and spouses come to us for taxes," Barlett said. "Not only was it free, but people also thought it was easier to trust individuals who work alongside them everyday. We weren't just people trying to exploit them for business. They saw us as individuals who genuinely were trying to help get the most out of their return."

During this year's tax season, volunteers saved customers more than $200,000 in filing fees and facilitated $1 million in returns. Each volunteer cited customer appreciation was reward enough for their participation in the program.

"This was definitely a challenging yet very rewarding experience," said Master Sgt. William Watros, 4th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels operations section chief and 2014 VITA program volunteer. "While at times it may have seemed a bit much just to be able to volunteer, the thought of helping others motivated us to push forward."

According to Barlett, one customer, an older lady, cried as she filed her return in appreciation.

"She was so grateful; she cried in my arms," Barlett said. "It was her first time filing her taxes since her husband's passing so it was an emotional moment for her. I was proud to help her through this trying experience."

In order to work at the tax center and be IRS certified, each volunteer had to take a mandatory week-long class and pass a series of tests. During the class, volunteers spent time everyday researching individual tax needs and unique state tax laws.

"It was definitely hard work to become IRS qualified." Watros said. "However, the information we learned during our time taking classes and volunteering in the program will help us a lot in the future."

Service members unable to file their returns due to deployments have 180 days from the time they return to complete their paperwork. Barlett said she will personally offer her services to help anyone in this situation.

Most of the volunteers from this year's team have committed to helping with the program next season; however the center is also looking for new individuals who wish to volunteer.

"We had to turn some people away in the end because we didn't have enough volunteers to accommodate," Barlett said. "Hopefully next year we can get more volunteers base-wide to provide free tax filing for even more people."

Watros also encourages those who plan on filing at the tax center next season to make an appointment early and start preparing as soon as possible.

"It's never too early to start preparing for next year's taxes," Watros said. "Keeping your paperwork organized and knowing your state tax laws erases a lot of headaches when it comes to filing for taxes."