Stimlus Package

[Anonymous]

Thanks guiness, I'm having a D'oh! Day.  It was staring me right in the face, although they haven't updated the payment schedule.

[guiness56]

Someone posted earlier, that the schedule will not update since it reads you will receive the money "by" not "on".

[Anonymous]

Oh, those tricky IRS types.

[guiness56]

Yes, and to make matters worse, I used a tax service. I did not get a RAL because I am military and they no longer let you. However, I did pay for the service and they had it sent through their bank via certified check. I paid for this "service" though they did not tell me up front it cost. It still took 14 days to get the check. So, now after reading more, it looks like I will get a paper check in June and not direct deposit in May. Sad.

[Anonymous]

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guiness56 wrote:
Yes, and to make matters worse, I used a tax service. I did not get a RAL because I am military and they no longer let you. However, I did pay for the service and they had it sent through their bank via certified check. I paid for this "service" though they did not tell me up front it cost. It still took 14 days to get the check. So, now after reading more, it looks like I will get a paper check in June and not direct deposit in May. Sad.

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It's sad that the military doesn't provide access to free or low-cost tax preparation (free assistance is available for low- and middle-income taxpayers).  Good thing you didn't get the RAL -- that would be more money in the pocket of the tax service.

[guiness56]

The military does have no cost tax preparation. I usually do my own taxes but, this year I utilized a paid service because of some things that had happened over the past year. Plus, they were doing business sooner than the military. I want my money and I want it now.

Message Edited by guiness56 on 04-28-2008 11:32 AM

[Anonymous]

For all of us out there who owe Fed or State (I had been told my State was pd, then found out it wasn't, they forgot a year)...or Child Support or Student Loans - guess what - we don't get the rebate  Guess it's a way to reduce the overall gov't debt?!!  There goes that TV

[Anonymous]

masde & guinness;

I don't know if it varies from base-to-base, but on Camp Pendletonn & Camp Lejeune, the free refund by military tax dudes is basically the daycare for Marines who are in big trouble & their SgtsMaj just wanted them out of their face. It's like the financial duty equivalent of having to weed the sandpit.

We had our taxes done by them ONCE and it was a nightmare. When we finally took them back (three weeks later and after the second submission & second IRS denial) and brought the package to a REAL tax prep, he spent two days trying to figure out what they did... some of the numbers he could play with & eventually figure out how they came up with them but other numbers he really felt were just pulled out of the air. That, and our tax situation was so abnormal (overseas mil pay, tax-free overseas contractor paid, etc) that even he had to call his boss to check a few things and he's been doing this for 15 years.

Ultimately we lost out on the ability to get our refund direct deposited because of the numerous screw-ups by the Cpl who did them initially, it had to be mailed in with all the corrections & I ended up taking off over 10 hours from work to handle the mess...

I don't trust the mil tax preparers as far as I can throw them, after that experience. They get minimal training, and aren't motivated to be there, it's just a way to get out of having to be somewhere else.

That experience really drove it home to me that you get what you pay for!

[guiness56]

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@Anonymous wrote:

masde & guinness;

I don't know if it varies from base-to-base, but on Camp Pendletonn & Camp Lejeune, the free refund by military tax dudes is basically the daycare for Marines who are in big trouble & their SgtsMaj just wanted them out of their face. It's like the financial duty equivalent of having to weed the sandpit.

We had our taxes done by them ONCE and it was a nightmare. When we finally took them back (three weeks later and after the second submission & second IRS denial) and brought the package to a REAL tax prep, he spent two days trying to figure out what they did... some of the numbers he could play with & eventually figure out how they came up with them but other numbers he really felt were just pulled out of the air. That, and our tax situation was so abnormal (overseas mil pay, tax-free overseas contractor paid, etc) that even he had to call his boss to check a few things and he's been doing this for 15 years.

Ultimately we lost out on the ability to get our refund direct deposited because of the numerous screw-ups by the Cpl who did them initially, it had to be mailed in with all the corrections & I ended up taking off over 10 hours from work to handle the mess...

I don't trust the mil tax preparers as far as I can throw them, after that experience. They get minimal training, and aren't motivated to be there, it's just a way to get out of having to be somewhere else.

That experience really drove it home to me that you get what you pay for!

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You know, I did not want to say that! But, that is a major reason I will not use the base personnel. They get 1 week of training and are ready. I have been doing mine for 10 years and have never had a problem. No need to start.