Starting Monday, authorized personnel can make appointments to have their taxes prepared and filed for free by one of the trained preparers in the legal assistance tax office located in building 606. Appointments can be made by calling 938-6040.The center is open from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. weekdays. Weekend hours will be added at a later date.

Active-duty and retired military, family members of both as well as cadets are entitled to this free service.

When you come to the center for an appointment, be sure to bring the following forms that apply to you with you:

Walk-in customers will be seen between scheduled appointments when time permits. "We cannot guarnatee that when someone comes in for a walk-in appointment that we will be available to take them. Naturally, set appointments come first in line, even if the walk-in has been waiting longer," said Anne-Marie Salvatore, lead tax preparer for the West Point Tax Center. She suggested making appointments to save time.

Most taxpayers hope for a large tax refund. Despite the thrill of receiving a large tax refund, you may have had too much withheld from your monthly pay. A large refund is the same as giving Uncle Sam an interest-free loan for twelve to eighteen months.

This publication also includes a Form W-4 to submit to military finance to change the amount of tax withheld. The Form W-4 has worksheets to determine the tax effect of the credits. Many Army families can reap an early benefit from the new child tax credit and increase their paycheck by filing a new Form W-4.