military travel expenses

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Your travel management hub for dod trips.

Military members and DoD Civilian personnel can book official travel and manage travel expenses.

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back to your bank account, Government Travel Charge Card (GTCC), or both

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Travel Reimbursement for Specialty Care

Do you need to check your TRICARE health plan enrollment? Visit the  Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System . 

What is the Prime Travel Benefit?

The Prime Travel Benefit reimburses reasonable travel expenses Amounts you pay when traveling to and from your appointment.  This includes mileage, meals, tolls, parking, lodging, local transportation, and tickets for public transportation. for a qualified trip by a TRICARE Prime enrollee.

Does Your Trip Qualify for the Prime Travel Benefit?

Your trip may qualify for reimbursement if you’re enrolled in TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Prime Remote for Active Duty Family Members and:

• Aren't an active duty service member (ADSM).
• Aren’t an active duty family member living with your active duty sponsor on orders in Alaska and Hawaii. Contact your nearest  military hospital or clinic  to see if you might qualify for a separate overseas travel benefit program.
• You are assigned to Primary Care Manager (PCM) in the United States.
• A trip for health services not covered by TRICARE doesn't qualify for reimbursement.
• Your military hospital or clinic’s travel office or the Defense Health Agency (DHA) Prime Travel Benefit office determines the distance for program qualification.
• There’s no suitable specialty care provider within 100 miles of your PCM to provide the referred care. This includes military, network, or non-network TRICARE-authorized providers.

Does the Prime Travel Benefit Cover a Non-Medical Attendant (NMA)?

It depends. Travel for an approved NMA may qualify for the Prime Travel Benefit.

• The patient’s trip must qualify for the Prime Travel Benefit (as described above) and the NMA must travel with the patient on that qualified trip.
•  Is the patient age 18 or older? The referring or treating provider must verify in writing that the NMA is medically necessary for the patient’s trip.
• TRICARE won’t reimburse travelers for the same expense. This includes shared expenses like lodging or car rental.

Are you an Active Duty Service Member?

How does the prime travel benefit work.

Once you have a referral for specialty care that qualifies for the Prime Travel Benefit, follow these steps:

Step 1: Contact Your Prime Travel Office

• Do you have a military PCM? Contact the travel representative at your  military hospital or clinic .
• Do you have a civilian PCM? Is your sponsor an active or retired member of the Coast Guard? If yes, then you should contact the DHA Prime Travel Benefit office. Toll-free: (844) 204-9351 Email:  [email protected]

Step 2: Make Your Travel Arrangements and Go to Your Appointment

• Economy class for air or train travel.
• Compact class for car rental, unless approved before travel.
• You can choose any reasonable mode of transportation you desire. But your reimbursement won’t exceed the most cost-effective amount as determined by the government.
• Call your servicing Prime Travel Benefit office before booking airfare or traveling more than 400 miles one-way. You must confirm the maximum amount you may be reimbursed.
• Lodging allowance includes taxes and fees.
• If taxes and fees aren’t itemized, only the daily room cost is reimbursable up to the maximum allowance.
• Booking agency fees aren’t reimbursable.
• Meal allowance includes taxes and reasonable tips but excludes alcoholic beverages.
• You’ll receive reimbursement for the miles you drive to and from the appointment.
• You have an authorized NMA and the NMA is either an ADSM or a Department of Defense federal employee.
• Then the “TDY Travel” mileage rate applies.
• Mileage rates may change at least once a year.

Step 3: Submit Your Travel Documents

• Get the required travel forms from the  Prime Travel Reimbursement Instructions page .
• Follow all instructions. Fill out each required form completely and sign as required.
• Enclose all itemized receipts. You may tape them (clear tape) on plain paper, 8½ by 11 inches.
• Follow instructions on submitting your completed package.

Please send all Prime Travel Benefit email correspondences to  [email protected] .

Last Updated 2/3/2023

Related Websites

Combat-Related Disability Travel

Government Per Diem Rates

Joint Travel Regulations (JTR)

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PCS and Taxes: Deducting Military Moving Expenses

Service members who move due to a permanent change of station may be eligible to deduct some of their unreimbursed moving expenses from their federal income tax returns. Many of these costs are covered by military allowances, so you’ll want to save your receipts and log your expenses to calculate any possible deduction at the end of the tax year.

Check out IRS Tax Topic 455, Moving Expenses for examples and more details.

Who is eligible?

Only active-duty military members who relocate due to PCS orders or, in some cases, their unaccompanied family members, can deduct moving expenses. These include orders to a first duty station and orders when separating or retiring from military service.

Free MilTax Services

MilTax’s tax preparation and e-filing software is available from mid-January through mid-October, and MilTax consultants are available year-round to help with your tax questions.

What expenses can be deducted?

In general, you can deduct unreimbursed expenses directly related to the moving and storage of your household goods, as well as costs (subject to approval) related to travel from your old location to a new one. This includes expenses for the taxpayer and any member of their household.

Among the costs you can deduct as part of your move are:

• Packing materials
• Shipping of vehicles
• Transporting pets
• Stopping and starting essential utilities
• Some storage fees
• One night’s lodging at your old location if your furniture has been moved
• First night’s lodging at your new location
• Moving of household goods, whether by car, container or via a moving contract

To be a reasonable travel expense, the route you take, for example, must be the shortest, most direct one available from your previous home to your new one.

What expenses cannot be deducted?

The following costs are not deductible:

• Temporary lodging after the first night that you arrive at your new location
• Vehicle registration
• Driver’s licenses
• Purchasing or renting a new home
• Other expenses for stopovers, side trips or pre-move house-hunting expenses

The IRS has a wealth of additional information to guide you on the process of deducting moving expenses .

How to report deductible expenses

Deductible moving expenses are reported on IRS Form 3903 , and any deduction on that form is reported on your regular federal income tax return.

The IRS website provides additional information on the forms used to report moving expenses .

Reimbursements

Many moving expenses are fully or partially covered by military allowances. You cannot claim any expenses paid for by the military, whether paid directly or reimbursed. For example, you cannot deduct mileage and lodging that was reimbursed under the military’s Monetary Allowance in Lieu of Transportation, typically called mileage, or the PCS Per Diem rates.

Military OneSource offers free tax assistance through the MilTax suite of services, including tax preparation, filing software and telephone consultations with a tax professional. Schedule an appointment to speak with a MilTax consultant by calling 800-342-9647. OCONUS/International? View calling options . Or live chat to schedule a free consultation with a MilTax consultant or a financial counselor.

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The Military Wallet

How to Deduct Mileage and Travel Expenses for National Guard and Reserve Drill

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Deducting Mileage and Travel Expenses for Guard/Reserve Duty

Current irs mileage rates, allowable travel expenses, how to track your travel expenses, tracking mileage, lodging and other expenses, what if you didn’t track your expenses, how to claim travel expenses on your taxes, how reserve travel deductions impact your taxes, exceptions to travel deductions, 2018 tax year changes.

In a perfect world, all Guard and reserve members would receive travel reimbursements when they report to drill . Unfortunately, that is not the case. While some members are reimbursed for their travel expenses, not all branches of the military and not all units authorize travel reimbursements for attending regularly scheduled drills.

Thankfully, members of the National Guard and military reserves (including Reserve Corps of the Public Health Service) may be eligible to deduct travel-related expenses when they file their tax returns. If you live more than 100 miles from your duty location and stay overnight, you may be able to deduct travel-related expenses including mileage, hotel and lodging, parking fees, tolls and half the cost of your meals, up to the federal per diem limits.

Prior to the most recent tax system overhaul, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, it was also possible for members of the reserve component to claim expenses if they lived less than 100 miles away from their drill location. However, recent changes to the tax laws have made some changes to these rules. (We’ll cover this in more detail below.)

These deductions can be worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars per year. Let’s take a deeper look at these deductions to see how to qualify and claim them on your taxes.

• Eligibility: To be eligible to claim these expenses, you must be a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States, including the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force or Coast Guard Reserve; the Army National Guard of the United States; the Air National Guard of the United States or the Reserve Corps of the Public Health Service. These deductions for travel-related expenses are not available for active-duty service members.
• Only duty-related travel: All related travel expenses must be incurred for the sole purpose of serving on official duty in the Guard or reserves. If your travel is not for the sole purpose of official duty, then you cannot claim it as an expense on your tax return.
• You must travel at least 100 miles to your duty location: If you traveled more than 100 miles to your duty location, you can deduct your travel expenses to include mileage, lodging, parking, tolls and half the cost of meals. According to the IRS:

This deduction is limited to the regular federal per diem rate (for lodging, meals and incidental expenses) and the standard mileage rate (for car expenses) plus any parking fees, ferry fees and tolls. Claim these expenses on Form 2106 or Form 2106-EZ and carry them to the appropriate line on Form 1040. Expenses in excess of the limit can be claimed only as an itemized deduction on Form 1040, Schedule A. Source .

• 2021 Mileage Rate: 56 cents per mile.
• 2022 IRS Mileage Rate: 58.5 cents per mile

According to the IRS , deductible travel expenses while away from home include, but are not limited to, the costs of:

• Travel by airplane, train, bus or car between your home and your business destination. If you are provided with a ticket or you are riding free as a result of a frequent traveler or similar program, your cost is zero.
• Using your car while at your business destination. You can deduct actual expenses or the standard mileage rate, as well as business-related tolls and parking fees. If you rent a car, you can deduct only the business-use portion for the expenses.
• Fares for taxis or other types of transportation between the airport or train station and your hotel, the hotel and the work location, and from one customer to another, or from one place of business to another.
• Meals and lodging.
• Tips you pay for services related to any of these expenses.
• Dry cleaning and laundry.
• Business calls while on your business trip. (This includes business communications by fax machine or other communication devices.)
• Other similar ordinary and necessary expenses related to your business travel. (These expenses might include transportation to and from a business meal, public stenographer’s fees, computer rental fees and operating and maintaining a house trailer.)
• Shipping of baggage, sample or display material between your regular and temporary work locations.

If you plan to track your mileage and other expenses for tax purposes, then you need to keep clean tax records . Here are some tips:

A good way to track your mileage is to keep a mileage logbook in your vehicle. Record the mileage on your vehicle when you start and stop your trip, and write the total number of miles you drove. Record this for each trip you take over the course of the year. 

You can record mileage with a standard notebook, mileage logbook, smartphone app or with software such as Quicken. Be sure to include the journey to and from your home, as well as all related travel to and from your hotel and the base, if it is for official duty.

It’s always a good practice to keep all related receipts if you are taking a tax deduction, particularly if you will be adding up multiple months’ worth of expenses. The amount of expenses you can deduct on Form 1040 is limited to the regular federal per diem rate (for lodging, meals and incidental expenses) and the standard mileage rate (for car expenses), plus any parking fees, ferry fees and tolls.

In some cases, you may not get receipts for all expenses, such as parking and tolls. In these cases, be sure to document the expenses in your travel notebook or by other means. For example, you could print a receipt for your tolls if you have a toll pass that tracks each toll you pass.

If you found out about this deduction partway through the year, you can still deduct your travel, even if you don’t have excellent records. However, you need to be careful – it is up to you to prove your expenses if you are audited. A good way to get a reasonable estimate of your travel is to use Google Maps, MapQuest or another online map service to determine the distance from your home to your unit.

Be sure to document the days you traveled and the number of trips, and you should have a fairly accurate estimate of your miles traveled. It would be more difficult to determine how much you may have paid for food, tolls and other expenses if you don’t have good records. It may be a good idea to forget about the other expenses if you can’t come up with a reasonably accurate list of expenses. Just work on keeping records from this point forward.

At the end of the year, add your related travel expenses. You will use this information to fill out Form 2106, Employee Business Expenses ( PDF ), or Form 2016-EZ, Unreimbursed Employee Business Expenses (PDF) – Form 2106 instructions . You will use this information when you fill out tax Form 1040.

If you use a software program to file your taxes , then your program will likely ask you if you have any related travel expenses for your duty with the Guard or reserves. If you use a professional tax service, then be sure to give this information to your tax preparer – he or she will take care of it for you.

You can find related information in IRS Publication 3, the Armed Forces Tax Guide , and in our article covering military tax tips .

The deduction for travel-related expenses is a top-of-the-line tax deduction to your gross income, meaning it directly reduces your income before your taxes are calculated. As an example, if your income for the year was $50,000 and you had $2,500 in travel-related expenses, you would subtract the $2,500 from your $50,000 income, leaving your taxable income at $47,500. Of course, this does not include other tax deductions you may be eligible to receive. So you may be taxed on a lower percentage of your income after accounting for all eligible tax deductions.

You cannot claim mileage or other expenses that are reimbursed . For example, some Guard or reserve units pay for lodging when their members travel from out of town for drill weekends. If your unit puts you up in a hotel for your drill weekend or reimburses your expense, you cannot also claim that as a tax deduction. That would be double-dipping, and fraudulent. You cannot also claim mileage expenses if your unit reimburses you for the miles you drove. This goes for all related expenses and possible reimbursements.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 brought many changes to the U.S. tax system. The standard deduction was increased starting in tax year 2018. The rates almost doubled from 2017 to 2018, increasing from $6,350-$12,000 for single taxpayers and from $12,700-$24,000 for couples.

Other changes included changing the income tax brackets, lowering tax rates and reducing or eliminating certain itemized deductions. Many miscellaneous itemized deductions were eliminated, including the ability to deduct unreimbursed employee expenses on Schedule A of their taxes.

Guard and reserve members who travel less than 100 miles from their home to perform their military duties are no longer eligible to deduct their mileage on their taxes. Prior to these changes, they were able to claim travel expenses as a miscellaneous itemized deduction, which was subject to a 2% limit (travel expenses must be at least 2% of your adjusted gross income before you can claim the deduction on your taxes).

Members may be authorized reimbursement for these expenses if offered by their branch of service or unit. Otherwise, the expense is now completely out of pocket.

Net impact of change: The increased standard deduction likely makes up for the inability to deduct travel expenses as a miscellaneous itemized deduction.

The changes to the 2018 tax year mean you only need to track your mileage if you travel over 100 miles each way to your unit. That said, this is a very valuable deduction and is absolutely worth taking if you are eligible.

For example, a 100-mile journey each way turns into a 200-mile round trip. At $0.535 per mile, that adds up to a $107 deduction for each drill weekend. Twelve of those would equal a $1,284 deduction. This is the bare minimum situation and doesn’t include other expenses such as food or tolls.

My unit is approximately 210 miles from my residence. That puts my annual mileage around 5,040. At the 2018 rate of $0.535 per mile, that comes out to an above-the-line tax deduction of $2,696.40. That has a big impact when I file my taxes each year. Bottom line: Be sure to document your travel mileage and other expenses. They will add up quickly and could potentially put hundreds of dollars or more back in your pocket.

About Post Author

Ryan Guina is The Military Wallet’s founder. He is a writer, small business owner, and entrepreneur. He served over six years on active duty in the USAF and is a current member of the Tennessee Air National Guard.

Ryan started The Military Wallet in 2007 after separating from active duty military service and has been writing about financial, small business, and military benefits topics since then.

Featured In: Ryan’s writing has been featured in the following publications: Forbes, Military.com, US News & World Report, Yahoo Finance, Reserve & National Guard Magazine (print and online editions), Military Influencer Magazine, Cash Money Life, The Military Guide, USAA, Go Banking Rates, and many other publications.

See author's posts

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About the comments on this site:

These responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

June 12, 2023 at 4:35 pm

In addition to uniform dry cleaning, can sewing new rank emblems be deducted as well? In addition is there any other items that are deductible?

Thomas G says

February 14, 2023 at 7:17 am

How do you deduct the air travel if you fly? I only saw an option for mileage reimbursement.

Ryan Guina says

September 27, 2023 at 9:58 am

Thomas, you can deduct the cost of the airline tickets. Keep your receipts in case you are ever audited.

Shannan says

April 14, 2019 at 6:37 pm

Do I deduct reservists mileage under vehicle expenses or travel expenses? The one way commute is over 100 miles

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Military Per Diem Rates

Per diem is a daily payment to reimburse service members for the out-of-pocket cost of food, lodging, and incidental expenses that occur while on military business or temporary duty (TDY) away from their home station. Per diem sets the limit on how much a service member can be reimbursed for meals and lodging. The following is a summary of how per diem works:

The DoD Per Diem Allowance

Each year the DoD Per Diem, Travel and Transportation Committee sets the per diem allowance. Per diem is specific to a given travel location and can range from a standard CONUS rate from $166 per day to over $800 per day for OCONUS rates.

Fiscal 2024 Per Diem Rates

Per diem is broken down into three categories:

• Incidental expenses

The per diem rate you will receive is based on a combination of the maximum lodging and the meals and incidental expenses (M&IE) rates as well as an incidental expense. 

When you travel, you receive the meal and incidentals portion of per diem automatically. To be reimbursed for lodging, you must submit receipts showing the lodging's actual cost, or you can use your government charge card to have your receipts automatically entered to your travel account in some cases.

For travel to most locations in the continental United States, you are reimbursed based on the standard per diem rates. For fiscal 2024, starting Oct. 1, 2023, those rates are $107 for lodging and $59 for meals. There is also a $5 daily incidental allowance.

If your lodging costs less than the maximum amount of $107, you will be reimbursed only the actual cost; if it costs more, you have to pay the difference out of pocket. 

Of course, there are exceptions to this rule: It's nearly impossible to find a hotel in any major city for $107, so several "high-cost" areas have higher limits for lodging. These areas may have higher reimbursement for meals as well. Also, some areas have higher per diem rates during tourist season, when prices go up. However, for most of the U.S., standard per diem rates apply.

To find the specific per diem rate for a given location visit the DoD Travel and Per Diem website.

Privately Owned Vehicle (POV) Mileage Reimbursement Rates

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Reimbursed VA travel expenses and mileage rate

Read this page to learn what health care travel-related expenses we pay for and our current mileage reimbursement rate. If you're ready to file a claim for reimbursement, you can go to the AccessVA travel claim portal.

• Go to the AccessVA travel claim portal

Travel expenses that we reimburse

We may pay for your travel to receive care at these types of facilities:

• VA health facility. We reimburse you for travel to the closest VA health facility to your home that can provide the care you need. If your VA health care provider decides that you need to travel to another VA facility for care, we'll reimburse the cost of travel to that facility.
• Non-VA health facility. We only reimburse you for travel to receive non-VA care that we’ve approved in advance, except in certain emergency situations.

We may pay for these costs:

• Mileage driven to and from your appointment
• Bridge, road, and tunnel tolls
• Taxi and plane fares
• Ticket costs for public transportation, including train, subway, bus, ferry, or light rail
• Transportation by a specially equipped vehicle, like an ambulance or wheelchair van, when needed and approved
• Meals and lodging when needed in some cases

You can submit your travel pay reimbursement claims through our Beneficiary Travel Self Service System (BTSSS).

Play our videos on how to use BTSSS (YouTube)

Mileage reimbursement rate

We currently pay 41.5 cents ($0.415) per mile for approved, health-related travel.

We use Bing Maps to calculate your mileage, based on the fastest and shortest route from your home to the closest VA or authorized non-VA health facility that can provide the care you need. This distance is often called “door to door.”

We pay round-trip mileage for your scheduled appointments. We may only pay return mileage for unscheduled visits.

Monthly deductible

Before we can pay you back for expenses, you must pay a deductible.

The current deductible is $3 one-way or $6 round-trip for each appointment, up to $18 total each month. After you pay $18 within 1 month, we’ll pay the full cost of your approved travel for the rest of that month.

We charge this deductible because we’re required by law to withhold certain amounts from travel reimbursement payments. The money we withhold helps to pay for travel or medical care for other Veterans.

In some cases, we may waive this deductible.

More information

More information about reimbursed expenses, meals and lodging.

In some cases, we may reimburse you for the actual cost, up to 50% of the local government employee rate, for meals or lodging. You’ll need to provide all receipts.

We determine the need for meals and lodging based on these factors:

• Your medical condition, and
• How far you need to travel for care, and
• Other circumstances

Except in certain unusual cases, you can only get this reimbursement if we approve it before you travel. We won’t reimburse you for lodging or meals if you chose to stop or take a less direct route to a VA or VA-authorized health facility.

Transportation to a non-VA health facility in an emergency

We can provide travel in certain emergency situations.

If you have an emergency while receiving care at a VA health facility and the facility can’t provide the care you need:

We may pay for your transport to a non-VA facility for emergency treatment and back to the VA facility. As long as we’ve approved the care at the non-VA facility, we’ll pay for this transportation—even if you’re not eligible for VA travel pay.

If you have an emergency and you’re anywhere other than at a VA health facility:

We may pay for your transport to a non-VA facility for emergency treatment. Contact your local facility within 72 hours of the emergency transport to determine your specific eligibility.

Appointments at VA health facilities where you work or volunteer

If you’re a Veteran and a VA employee who’s eligible for reimbursement, or if you’re a compensated work therapy patient

We’ll reimburse you for travel to and from your scheduled appointments. This includes appointments scheduled on a day when you’re working at the same VA health facility. For unscheduled appointments, we may reimburse you for one-way travel if you’re seen as a Veteran and not an employee.

If you’re a volunteer

You’re eligible for travel pay whether or not you volunteer on the same day as your appointment.

More information about the mileage rate and deductible

If your current mailing address is a po box.

You’ll need to establish an official place of residence. This is so we can determine your reimbursement amount. We may ask you to provide documentation to confirm your address.

If you change your home address while receiving care

If you change your address while receiving care (such as during a long hospital stay), we’ll reimburse you for your return trip home. But we’ll base your reimbursement on the distance between your new home and the VA health facility closest to your new home that could have provided the care you needed.

For example: If you lived in Baltimore, Maryland, when you entered a VA hospital for care, but then changed your home address to Detroit, Michigan, during your hospital stay, we’d base your reimbursement on the distance from your new Detroit home to the closest VA or VA-approved facility that could have provided your care.

If you go to a VA health facility other than the one that’s closest to your home

If your VA health care provider hasn’t determined that the extra travel is needed, you’ll need to pay for any added travel costs. 

This includes paying for any of these added costs:

• Public or private transportation costs
• Special mode transportation

If you can’t afford to pay the monthly deductible

You may be eligible for a deductible waiver. You don’t need to pay the deductible if you meet the requirements listed below.

This must be true:

You’re eligible for VA travel pay reimbursement.

And at least one of these must also be true. You’re:

• Receiving a VA pension , or
• Traveling for a scheduled VA claim exam , or
• A non-service-connected Veteran, and your income last year was below the maximum annual VA pension rate , or
• A non-service-connected Veteran, and what you expect to earn this year doesn’t exceed our maximum annual VA pension rate, or
• A service-connected Veteran, and your income last year falls below the VA national income limit for health care benefits and prescriptions, or
• A service-connected Veteran and what you expect to earn this year doesn’t exceed our national income limit for health care benefits and prescriptions

If we determine that you qualify for a waiver, we’ll automatically waive your deductible. You can also request a waiver in person or in writing.

Note: We consider Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits for 100% service-connected Veterans to be special monthly compensation and not a VA pension.

Thank you for your feedback.

Related information

Va benefits.

Health care

Apply for VA health care, find out how to access services, and manage your health and benefits online.

Need more help?

• Health benefits hotline: 877-222-VETS (8387)
• My HealtheVet help desk:
• eBenefits technical support:
• MyVA411 main information line:
• Telecommunications Relay Services (using TTY) TTY: 711

Last updated: November 3, 2021

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• Login to DTS
• Frequently Asked Questions

Calculate Mileage

Use the Defense Table of Official Distances [TEAMS login required] to calculate mileage for permanent change of station or temporary duty.

Mileage Rates

If you are authorized to travel by a privately owned vehicle (POV) for local, Temporary Duty (TDY), or Permanent Change of Station (PCS) travel, you are entitled to a mileage allowance, reimbursed as a rate per mile in lieu of reimbursement of actual POV operating expenses.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) establishes automobile mileage rates for travelers engaged in official business for the Government. The IRS updates mileage rates annually, but occasionally a special adjustment is made within the year due to cost changes. The General Services Administration adopts the IRS standard automobile mileage rate in accordance with 5 USC 5707(a)(1).

The TDY mileage rates consider the fixed and variable costs of operating a vehicle, such as gasoline, insurance, or wear and tear, and reimburse the average expense of using a POV for the official travel.

A traveler who is authorized TDY travel by POV is allowed one day of travel for every 400 miles between authorized points. See the JTR, par. 020302-A. If the POV use is for the traveler's convenience, the traveler is authorized only 1 travel day for each leg.

PCS/MALT Rate

The monetary allowance in lieu of transportation (MALT) rate for PCS travel is not intended to reimburse all the costs of operating a vehicle. It is a payment for POV travel based on the official distance between authorized locations. The MALT rate covers all the authorized travelers traveling in the vehicle and is a payment instead of providing transportation on a commercial carrier.

A traveler who is authorized PCS travel by POV is allowed one day of travel for the first 400 miles between authorized official points. If the distance between authorized official points is greater than 400 miles, then divide by 350 to determine the number of authorized travel days. If the remainder is 51 or more, one additional travel day is allowed. The result determines the maximum number of authorized travel days. See the JTR, par. 050205.

Other Mileage Rate

The Other Mileage Rate applies if a Government vehicle was available but a traveler drove a POV instead. The Other Mileage Rate also applies to Inactive Duty Training locations outside the normal commuting distance (JTR, par. 032304), and medical travel (JTR, pars. 033007 and 033101).

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What isn't covered in this publication.

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Servicemembers’ Government Pay Included in Gross Income

Combat zone pay.

Table 2. Servicemembers’ Government Pay Items Excluded From Gross Income

Death gratuity to a survivor.

Can I deduct expenses paid with my excluded basic allowance for housing (BAH)?

Differential wage payments.

What are differential wage payments?

Military base realignment and closure benefits.

Qualified reservist distribution (QRD).

What is a QRD?

Uniformed Services Traditional Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) distributions.

Uniformed Services Roth Thrift Savings Plan (TSP).

State bonus payments.

What are state bonus payments?

Retroactive determination of nontaxable disability severance payments.

How do I file a claim for a refund of an overpayment attributable to my disability severance pay?

When must I file my claim?

Where to file.

What Is Foreign Source Income?

Foreign earned income exclusion.

American Samoa and Puerto Rico income exclusion.

Marital Status

Nature of the payment.

Domicile or tax residence of civilian spouse.

Nevada, Washington, and California Domestic Partners

What information can i find on my form w-2, what do the codes in box 12 of form w-2 mean, are my travel expenses as a reservist deductible, am i a member of a reserve component, how to report my reserve-related travel expenses.

As a military person, do I get additional time to make a contribution to my IRA?

Is My Combat Zone Pay Included in IRA Calculations?

Is a qualified reservist distribution subject to the 10% additional tax?

What is a qualified reservist distribution?

Can I repay amounts distributed from my IRA, section 401(k) or 403(b) plan, or a similar arrangement?

Is there a limit to the amount I can repay?

Is there a time limit for repaying?

Can I deduct qualified reservist repayments?

Will the repayment affect my IRA deduction?

How do you report the repayment?

Tax Relief for Qualified Disaster Distributions and Repayments

What constitutes a permanent change of station?

Are there additional considerations when a spouse or dependent moves?

Are Reimbursements, or the Value of Services Provided by the Government When I Move, Included in My Income?

How much of my moving expenses can I deduct?

Which moving expenses can I deduct?

Moving household goods and personal effects.

Storing and insuring household goods and personal effects.

Moving services and allowances provided by the government.

Foreign Moves

How to report moving expenses.

Enlisted members, warrant officers, and commissioned warrant officers.

Commissioned officers (other than commissioned warrant officers).

Enlisted member, warrant officer, or commissioned warrant officer.

Earned income election.

How Do I Report the Combat Zone Exclusion?

Partial month service is treated as full month of service.

Are my retirement pay and pensions treated as combat zone pay?

Serving outside combat zone considered serving in a combat zone.

The Afghanistan area.

The Kosovo area.

The Arabian Peninsula.

Sinai Peninsula.

The former Yugoslavia area.

Serving in a Combat Zone

Hospitalized while serving in a combat zone.

Hospitalized after leaving a combat zone.

Time limit on combat zone exclusion for pay received while hospitalized.

Nonqualifying Presence in a Combat Zone

How much can you exclude?

What must you do to be eligible for the exclusion?

What happens if I don't meet the ownership and use tests?

5-year test period can be suspended for members of the Armed Forces.

Limits on period of suspension.

Qualified official extended duty.

What if the property was used for rental or business?

What if there were periods when I didn't use the property as my main home and wasn’t on qualified official extended duty?

Are my losses deductible?

More information.

Payments made for violations of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA).

Lump-sum portion of settlement payment.

Interest payment on lump-sum portion of settlement payment.

Lost equity portion of settlement payment.

The rules that apply to a lost equity payment you received for the foreclosure of a property that wasn't your main home are different.

Interest payment on lost equity portion of settlement payment.

Repayments to Your Employer

Can I claim the child tax credit if I don't have a social security number (SSN) or an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN)?

Are there exceptions to the time lived with you requirement?

What if my child is the qualifying child of more than one person?

Adopted child.

Modified AGI.

Form 8862, who must file.

What is the ACTC?

Can I claim the EIC if I don't have an SSN?

How to report.

Qualifying child.

Relationship test.

Residency test.

Joint return test.

Social security number (SSN) of child.

What is included in my earned income for the EIC?

Can I treat my nontaxable combat zone pay as earned income?

What isn't earned income for the EIC?

The IRS Can Figure Your Credit for You

What if one of my employers withheld more than $9,932.40?

Joint return.

Credit for Excess Social Security Tax Withheld Worksheet.

Do I figure my credit differently if I am a railroad employee?

How to take the credit.

First-Time Homebuyer Credit Repayment

What does tax forgiveness mean?

Service outside combat zone.

Missing status.

Terrorist or Military Action Related Forgiveness

Step 1: File the proper form.

Step 2: Properly identify the return.

Step 3: Include a before and after tax forgiveness computation.

Computation when the decedent filed joint returns.

Computation when in a community property state.

Step 4: Provide Form 1310, if required.

Step 5: Provide the death certification.

Can I get more time to file if I don't have enough tax information by the deadline?

Who Can File a Claim for Tax Forgiveness?

Extension of deadline when the death is combat zone related.

Where To File a Return Requesting Tax Forgiveness

What is my filing status if I am in a same-sex marriage?

What is my filing status if I am in a registered domestic partnership, civil union, or other similar relationship?

• Electronic filing (

Paper returns.

What Is the Regular Due Date of My Return?

Can I delay my payment of income taxes?

Where on my return do I enter the amount paid with my request for an extension?

The automatic 2-month extension.

What if I'm filing a joint return?

What if I'm filing as married filing separately?

The additional automatic 4-month extension (Form 4868).

The additional discretionary 2-month extension.

Do the extensions apply to those in missing status?

Do the extensions apply to support personnel?

Do the extensions apply to spouses?

Qualified hospitalization.

For Which Actions Are My Deadlines Extended?

Military service.

How do I request an extension of time to pay my tax?

How will I know if my request for an extension of time to pay the tax has been granted?

Maximum Rate of Interest When There Is Hardship

If you are an alien and in the Armed Forces.

What are the tax consequences of being a resident alien?

Am I a resident alien?

First-year choice.

Treating nonresident alien spouse as resident alien.

Making the choice.

Ending the choice.

Choice not made.

Treating a dual-status alien spouse as a resident alien.

Am I a nonresident alien?

What are the tax consequences of being a nonresident alien?

Am I a dual-status alien?

What are the tax consequences of being a dual-status alien?

Form 2848, Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative.

Do both my spouse and I have to sign our joint return?

Spouse overseas.

Spouse in combat zone.

Spouse in missing status.

Spouse incapacitated.

Spouse died during the year.

Preparing and filing your tax return.

Free options for tax preparation.

Using online tools to help prepare your return.

Need someone to prepare your tax return?

Employers can register to use Business Services Online.

IRS social media.

Watching IRS videos.

Online tax information in other languages.

Free Over-the-Phone Interpreter (OPI) Service.

Accessibility Helpline available for taxpayers with disabilities.

Getting tax forms and publications.

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Access your online account (individual taxpayers only).

Get a transcript of your return.

Tax Pro Account.

Using direct deposit.

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Ways to check on the status of your refund.

Making a tax payment.

What if I can’t pay now?

Filing an amended return.

Checking the status of your amended return.

Understanding an IRS notice or letter you’ve received.

Responding to an IRS notice or letter.

Contacting your local TAC.

What Is TAS?

How can you learn about your taxpayer rights, what can tas do for you, how can you reach tas, how else does tas help taxpayers, low income taxpayer clinics (litcs), publication 3 - additional material, publication 3 (2023), armed forces' tax guide.

For use in preparing 2023 Returns

Publication 3 - Introductory Material

Due date of return. File Form 1040 or 1040-SR by April 15, 2024. If you live in Maine or Massachusetts, you have until April 17, 2024, because of the Patriots’ Day and Emancipation Day holidays.

Who must file. Generally, the amount of income you can receive before you must file a return has been increased. For more information, see the Instructions for Form 1040.

Standard deduction amount increased. For 2023, the standard deduction amount has been increased for all filers. The amounts are:

Single or Married filing separately—$13,850;

Married filing jointly or Qualifying surviving spouse—$27,700; and

Head of household—$20,800.

For more information, see the Instructions for Form 1040.

Credits for qualified sick and family leave wages. The credits for qualified sick and family leave wages paid in 2023 for leave taken before April 1, 2021, and for leave taken after March 31, 2021, and before October 1, 2021, are now reported on Schedule 3, line 13z. See Schedule H (Form 1040) for more information.

Additional child tax credit amount increased. While the maximum child tax credit amount remains at $2,000 for each qualifying child, the amount that can be claimed as a refundable credit, called the additional child tax credit (ACTC), has increased to $1,600 for each qualifying child.

New lines on Schedule 3. This year Schedule 3 has new lines.

Line 5 has been separated into lines 5a and 5b so that the residential clean energy credit and the energy efficient home improvement credit reported on Form 5695 each have their own line.

New line 6m was added to report the credit for previously owned clean vehicles from Form 8936.

Line 13c will be used to report the elective payment election amount from Form 3800. Filers eligible to make the election must complete a pre-filing registration process and file their tax return with Form 3800 on or before the tax return due date (including extensions).

Standard mileage rates. The 2023 rate for business use of a vehicle is 65.5 cents a mile. The 2023 rate for use of your vehicle to do volunteer work for certain charitable organizations is 14 cents a mile. The 2023 rate for operating expenses for a car when you use it for medical reasons is 22 cents a mile.

Modified AGI limit for traditional IRA contributions. For 2023, if you are covered by a retirement plan at work, your deduction for contributions to a traditional IRA is reduced (phased out) if your modified AGI is:

More than $116,000 but less than $136,000 for a married couple filing a joint return or a qualifying surviving spouse,

More than $73,000 but less than $83,000 for a single individual or head of household, or

Less than $10,000 for a married individual filing a separate return.

If you either live with your spouse or file a joint return, and your spouse is covered by a retirement plan at work but you aren't, your deduction is phased out if your modified AGI is more than $218,000 but less than $228,000. If your modified AGI is $228,000 or more, you can't take a deduction for contributions to a traditional IRA. See How Much Can You Deduct in Pub. 590-A, Contributions to Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs).

Modified AGI limit for Roth IRA contributions. For 2023, your Roth IRA contribution limit is reduced (phased out) in the following situations.

Your filing status is married filing jointly or qualifying surviving spouse and your modified AGI is at least $218,000. You can't make a Roth IRA contribution if your modified AGI is $228,000 or more.

Your filing status is single, head of household, or married filing separately and you didn't live with your spouse at any time in 2023 and your modified AGI is at least $138,000. You can't make a Roth IRA contribution if your modified AGI is $153,000 or more.

Your filing status is married filing separately, you lived with your spouse at any time during the year, and your modified AGI is more than zero. You can't make a Roth IRA contribution if your modified AGI is $10,000 or more. See Can You Contribute to a Roth IRA in Pub. 590-A.

2024 modified AGI limits. You can find information about the 2024 contribution and AGI limits in Pub. 590-A.

Tax law changes for 2023. When you figure how much income tax you want withheld from your pay and when you figure your estimated tax, consider tax law changes effective in 2023. For more information, see Pub. 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax.

Alternative minimum tax (AMT) exemption amount increased. The AMT exemption amount is increased to $81,300 ($126,500 if married filing jointly or qualifying surviving spouse; $63,250 if married filing separately). The amount used to determine the phaseout of your exemption has increased to $578,150 ($1,156,300 if married filing jointly or qualifying surviving spouse).

Adoption credit. The adoption credit and the exclusion for employer-provided adoption benefits have both increased to $15,950 per eligible child in 2023. The amount begins to phase out if you have modified AGI in excess of $239,230 and is completely phased out if your modified AGI is $279,230 or more.

Exception to the 10% additional tax for early distributions from certain retirement plans. The exception to the 10% additional tax for early distributions includes the following.

Distributions from a retirement plan in connection with federally declared disasters.

Distributions from a retirement plan made to someone who is terminally ill.

Distributions to firefighters at age 50 or with 25 years of service under the plan.

See Form 5329 and its instructions and Pub. 590-B for more information.

Future developments. For the latest information about developments related to Pub. 3, such as legislation enacted after it was published, go to IRS.gov/Pub3 .

Change of address. If you change your mailing address, be sure to notify the IRS using Form 8822, Change of Address. Mail it to the Internal Revenue Service Center for your old address. (Addresses for the Service Centers are on the back of the form.) Use Form 8822-B, Change of Address or Responsible Party—Business, if you are changing a business address.

Nontaxable combat pay election. In 2023 and future years, nontaxable combat pay will be reported on Form 1040 or 1040-SR, line 1i.

Credits for sick and family leave for certain self-employed individuals are not available. The credit for sick and family leave for certain self-employed individuals were not extended and you can no longer claim these credits.

Tuition and fees deduction not available. The tuition and fees deduction is not available after 2020. Instead, the income limitations for the lifetime learning credit have been increased. See Form 8863 and its instructions.

Form 1040-X continuous-use form and instructions. Form 1040-X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, and its instructions have been converted from an annual revision to continuous use beginning in tax year 2021. Both the form and instructions will be updated as required. For the most recent version, go to IRS.gov/Form1040X . Section discussions and charts that were updated annually have been removed, or replaced with references to relevant forms, schedules, instructions, and publications. See the forms, schedules, instructions, and publications for the year of the tax return you are amending for guidance on specific topics.

Electronic filing available for Form 1040-X. You can file Form 1040-X electronically with tax filing software to amend 2020 or later Forms 1040 or 1040-SR. See IRS.gov/Filing/Amended-Return-Frequently-Asked-Questions for more information.

All taxpayers now eligible for Identity Protection PIN. Beginning in 2021, the IRS Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) Opt-In Program has been expanded to all taxpayers who can properly verify their identity. An IP PIN helps prevent your social security number from being used to file a fraudulent federal income tax return. You can use the Get An IP Pin tool on IRS.gov to request an IP PIN, file Form 15227 if your adjusted gross income is $79,000 or less for individuals or $158,000 if married filing jointly, or make an appointment to visit a Taxpayer Assistance Center.

Veterans' disability severance payments received after 1991. There may still be time for some veterans to claim their refund for disability severance payments they received after 1991 and claimed as income. These veterans should take action soon if they received a notice and haven’t already filed Form 1040-X to claim a refund or credit of the overpayment attributable to the disability severance payment. See Disability Severance Payments to Veterans , later, for the filing deadline.

Alimony and separate maintenance payments. Amounts paid as alimony or separate maintenance payments under a divorce or separation agreement executed after 2018 won't be deductible by the payer. Such amounts also won't be includible in the income of the recipient. Amounts received as alimony or separate maintenance pursuant to a divorce or separation agreement executed on or before December 31, 2018, are includible in the recipient’s income unless that agreement was modified after December 31, 2018, to expressly provide that alimony received isn't included in your income. See your tax return instructions and Pub. 555.

Qualified birth or adoption distribution. Beginning in tax years after December 31, 2019, you can take a distribution from your IRA without it being subject to the 10% additional tax for early distributions. For more information, see Pub. 590-B.

Third party designee. You can check the “Yes” box in the Third Party Designee area of your return to authorize the IRS to discuss your return with your preparer, a friend, a family member, or any other person you choose. This allows the IRS to call the person you identified as your designee to answer any questions that may arise during the processing of your tax return. It also allows your designee to perform certain actions. See your income tax return instructions for details.

Penalty for failure to file. If your return is more than 60 days late, the minimum penalty will be $485 or the amount of any tax you owe, whichever is smaller.

Educational assistance benefits. If you receive educational assistance benefits from your employer under an educational assistance program, you can exclude up to $5,250 of those benefits.

Abbreviations. The following abbreviations will be used in this publication when appropriate.

ACTC means additional child tax credit.

ATIN means adoption taxpayer identification number.

ITIN means individual taxpayer identification number.

ODC means credit for other dependents.

SSN means social security number.

TIN means taxpayer identification number. A TIN may be an ATIN, an ITIN, or an SSN.

Other abbreviations may be used in this publication and will be defined as needed.

Photographs of missing children. The IRS is a proud partner with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) . Photographs of missing children selected by the Center may appear in this publication on pages that would otherwise be blank. You can help bring these children home by looking at the photographs and calling 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) if you recognize a child.

Introduction

This publication covers the special tax situations of active members of the U.S. Armed Forces.

For federal tax purposes, the U.S. Armed Forces includes commissioned officers, warrant officers, and enlisted personnel in all regular and reserve units under control of the Secretaries of the Defense, Army, Navy, and Air Force. The U.S. Armed Forces also includes the Coast Guard. The Public Health Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration can also receive many of the same tax benefits. The U.S. Armed Forces doesn't include the U.S. Merchant Marine or the American Red Cross.

Members serving in an area designated or treated as a combat zone are granted special tax benefits. In the event an area ceases to be a combat zone, the IRS will do its best to notify you. Many of the relief provisions will end at that time.

This publication doesn't cover military retirement pay or veterans' benefits (except those discussed under Disability Severance Payments to Veterans , later) or give the basic tax rules that apply to all taxpayers. For information on military retirement pay or veterans' benefits, see Pub. 525, Taxable and Nontaxable Income. If you need the basic tax rules or information on another subject not covered here, you can check our other free publications.

We welcome your comments about this publication and suggestions for future editions.

You can send us comments through IRS.gov/FormComments . Or, you can write to the Internal Revenue Service, Tax Forms and Publications, 1111 Constitution Ave. NW, IR-6526, Washington, DC 20224.

Although we can’t respond individually to each comment received, we do appreciate your feedback and will consider your comments and suggestions as we revise our tax forms, instructions, and publications. Don’t send tax questions, tax returns, or payments to the above address.

If you have a tax question not answered by this publication or the How To Get Tax Help section at the end of this publication, go to the IRS Interactive Tax Assistant page at IRS.gov/Help/ITA where you can find topics by using the search feature or viewing the categories listed.

Go to IRS.gov/Forms to download current and prior-year forms, instructions, and publications.

Go to IRS.gov/OrderForms to order current forms, instructions, and publications; call 800-829-3676 to order prior-year forms and instructions. The IRS will process your order for forms and publications as soon as possible. Don’t resubmit requests you’ve already sent us. You can get forms and publications faster online.

Useful Items

Publication

17 Your Federal Income Tax

54 Tax Guide for U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad

463 Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses

501 Dependents, Standard Deduction, and Filing Information

503 Child and Dependent Care Expenses

505 Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax

516 U.S. Government Civilian Employees Stationed Abroad

519 U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens

523 Selling Your Home

525 Taxable and Nontaxable Income

527 Residential Rental Property

529 Miscellaneous Deductions

555 Community Property

559 Survivors, Executors, and Administrators

590-A Contributions to Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs)

590-B Distributions from Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs)

596 Earned Income Credit (EIC)

970 Tax Benefits for Education

3920 Tax Relief for Victims of Terrorist Attacks

Form (and Instructions)

1040 U.S. Individual Income Tax Return

1040-SR U.S. Income Tax Return for Seniors

1040-X Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return

1310 Statement of Person Claiming Refund Due a Deceased Taxpayer

2555 Foreign Earned Income

2848 Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative

3903 Moving Expenses

4868 Application for Automatic Extension of Time To File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return

8822 Change of Address

8822-B Change of Address or Responsible Party—Business

9465 Installment Agreement Request

8915-C, 8915-D, and 8915-F Qualified Disaster Retirement Plan Distributions and Repayments

See How To Get Tax Help at the end of this publication for information about getting IRS publications and forms.

Publication 3 - Main Contents

Gross income.

Members of the Armed Forces receive many different types of pay and allowances. Some are included in gross income while others are excluded from gross income.

You must report the items listed in Table 1 as gross income on your tax return unless the pay is for service in a combat zone. For pay for service in a combat zone, refer to Table 2 . The items in Table 1 are taxable. The list in Table 1 isn't exclusive. Also see Income Items of Special Interest , later.

Table 1. Servicemembers’ Government Pay Included in Gross Income

Servicemembers’ government pay items excluded from gross income.

Items in Table 2 aren't includible in your gross income though you may have to report them on your income tax return. The list in Table 2 isn't exclusive. See your tax return instructions for more information on specific items. Also see Income Items of Special Interest , later.

You may also be able to exclude pay for service in a combat zone even though that pay would otherwise be taxable. For information on the exclusion of pay for service in a combat zone and other tax benefits for combat zone participants, see Combat Zone Exclusion and Are There Filing, Tax Payment, and Other Extensions Specifically for Those in a Combat Zone or a Contingency Operation , later.

Income Items of Special Interest

Any death gratuity paid to a survivor of a member of the Armed Forces is excluded from the survivor’s gross income.

As noted in Table 2, BAH is excluded from income. This doesn't prevent you from deducting certain expenses paid for with your BAH. You may still be able to deduct mortgage interest and real estate taxes on your home if you pay these expenses with your BAH. See the Instructions for Schedule A (Form 1040) of your tax return.

Differential wage payments are taxable. They aren't treated as combat zone pay even if the individual was in a combat zone.

Differential wage payments are payments made by an employer (other than the Armed Forces) to an individual. They are paid for a period during which the individual performed services in the uniformed services while on active duty for a period of more than 30 days. These payments represent all or a portion of the wages the individual would have received from the employer if the individual had been performing services for the employer during that period.

Military base realignment and closure benefits paid under the Homeowners Assistance Program (HAP) are generally excluded from income. However, for any property, the sum of all your payments can't be more than the maximum amount described in subsection (c) of 42 U.S.C. 3374 as in effect on November 6, 2009. You must include in income the excess over this maximum amount. For more information about the HAP, see usace.army.mil/Missions/Military-Missions/Real-Estate/HAP/ .

The portion of your QRD reported by your employer as wages on Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, is included in your gross income and is taxable. The amount reported should be the QRD reduced by the after-tax contributions to your health flexible spending arrangement. This amount is also subject to employment taxes.

With reference to a cafeteria plan or health flexible spending account, a QRD is a distribution to an individual of all or part of the individual's balance in a cafeteria plan or health flexible spending arrangement if:

The individual was a reservist who was ordered or called to active duty for more than 179 days or for an indefinite period, and

The distribution is made no sooner than the date the reservist was ordered or called to active duty and no later than the last day reimbursements could otherwise be made under the arrangement for the plan year which includes the date of the order or the call to duty.

If you participate in the Uniformed Services Traditional TSP and receive a distribution from your account, the distribution is generally included in your taxable income unless your contributions included tax-exempt combat zone pay.

If your contributions included tax-exempt combat zone pay, the part of the distribution attributable to those contributions is tax exempt. However, the earnings on the tax-exempt portion of the distribution are taxable. The TSP will provide a statement showing the taxable and nontaxable portions of the distribution. For more information on TSP distributions, see TSPBK26, Tax Rules About TSP Payments.

For 2023, combat zone service entitles service members to contribute as much as $66,000 in a TSP retirement account.

The annual additions limit is the total amount of all the contributions made in a calendar year. This limit is per employer and includes money from all sources: employee contributions (tax-deferred, after-tax, and tax-exempt), Agency/Service Automatic (1%) Contributions, and Agency/Service Matching Contributions. It does not include catch-up contributions.

The annual additions limit affects mostly members of the uniformed services who can exceed the annual elective deferral limit. The excess contributions go into the traditional portion of their TSP accounts from tax-exempt pay earned in a combat zone.

Roth TSP contributions are included in your income. They are after-tax contributions and are subject to the same contribution limits as the traditional TSP. Qualified distributions from your Roth account in the TSP aren't included in your income. For more details, see Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) in Part II of Pub. 721, Tax Guide to U.S. Civil Service Retirement Benefits, and TSPBK26.

A state bonus payment will be treated as combat zone pay and may not be taxable if it is made because of your current or former service in a combat zone. See Combat Zone Defined , later, for a list of designated combat zones.

A state bonus payment is a bonus payment made to you or to your dependent(s) by a state (or a political subdivision of a state).

Disability Severance Payments to Veterans

Veterans discharged from military service due to medical disability may receive a severance payment. If you received a disability severance payment that was taxed to you, and either the amounts received were by reason of a combat-related injury or the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) later determined that you were entitled to receive disability compensation, your severance payment isn’t taxable and you can file a claim for credit or refund using Form 1040-X for the tax year in which the disability severance payment was received and included in income on your tax return.

For more information about amending prior-year returns to take advantage of this change, see that revision of the Instructions for Form 1040-X. For more information on how to file a prior-year Form 1040-X, go to IRS.gov/Form1040X .

The Combat-Injured Veterans Tax Fairness Act of 2016 gives certain veterans who received disability severance payments after January 17, 1991, additional time to file claims for credit or refund to recover tax overpayments attributable to their disability severance payments. Veterans affected by this legislation should have received a notice from the Department of Defense (DoD) reporting the amount of disability severance payments.

The notice from the DoD includes an explanation of how to file a claim, including a simplified method for making the claim. The IRS has worked closely with the DoD to produce these notices, explaining how veterans should claim the related tax refunds.

You can submit a claim based on the actual amount of your disability severance payment by completing Form 1040-X. However, you can choose instead to claim a standard refund amount based on the calendar year in which you received the severance payment. Enter “Disability Severance Payment” on line 15 of Form 1040-X and enter on lines 15 and 22 the standard refund amount listed below that applies.

$1,750 for tax years 1991 through 2005.

$2,400 for tax years 2006 through 2010.

$3,200 for tax years 2011 through 2020.

Enter “Veteran Disability Severance” or “St. Clair Claim” across the top of Form 1040-X, page 1, and attach a copy of the notice from the DoD about the disability severance payment. If you didn’t receive the DoD notice, you must include documentation showing the exact amount of and reason for your disability severance payment and a copy of either the VA determination letter confirming your disability or a determination that your injury or sickness was either incurred as a direct result of armed conflict, while in extra-hazardous service, or in simulated war exercises, or was caused by an instrumentality of war. Documentation showing the exact amount of and reason for your disability severance payment may include a letter from the Defense Finance and Accounting Services (DFAS) or your Form DD214 explaining the severance payment at the time of the payment. If you don’t have the required documentation showing the exact amount of and reason for your disability severance payment, visit dfas.mil/dsp_irs to learn how to obtain it.

You must file your claim by the later of 1 year after the date you received the notice from the DoD or the normal deadline for filing a claim for refund or credit.

Mail the completed Form 1040-X and your documents to the following address, regardless of where you live.

Foreign Source Income

For U.S. citizens, foreign source income is income from sources outside the United States. This section only discusses the tax consequences for foreign source income of U.S. citizens.

Is My Foreign Source Income Taxable?

You must report all of your foreign source income on your tax return, except for those amounts that U.S. law specifically allows you to exclude. This is true whether you reside inside or outside the United States and whether or not you receive a Form W-2 or a Form 1099. This applies to earned income (such as wages and tips) as well as unearned income (such as interest, dividends, capital gains, pensions, rents, and royalties).

Some foreign income may be excluded, but these exclusions aren't available for wages and salaries of military and civilian employees of the U.S. Government. See more on these exclusions in Foreign earned income exclusion and American Samoa and Puerto Rico income exclusion below.

Certain taxpayers can exclude income earned in foreign countries. For 2023, this exclusion amount can be as much as $120,000. However, military and civilian employees of the U.S. Government are not eligible to elect the foreign earned income exclusion. Employees of the U.S. Government include those who work at U.S. Armed Forces exchanges, commissioned and noncommissioned officers' messes, and Armed Forces motion picture services, and similar personnel. Military personnel and/or their spouses may be eligible to elect the foreign earned income exclusion only if they are independent contractors who are not employees of the U.S. Government. Of course, these individuals would need to meet the requirements of the foreign earned income exclusion to qualify. You won’t be treated as having a tax home in a foreign country for any period for which your abode is within the United States, unless you are serving in an area designated by the President of the United States by Executive order as a combat zone in support of the Armed Forces of the United States. For more information on the exclusion, including requirements and the definition of “abode,” see Pub. 54.

Residents of American Samoa and Puerto Rico may be able to exclude income from American Samoa and Puerto Rico. However, this territory exclusion doesn’t apply to wages and salaries of military and civilian employees of the U.S. Government. If you need information on this territory exclusion, see Pub. 570, Tax Guide for Individuals With Income From U.S. Territories.

Community Property

The pay you earn as a member of the Armed Forces may be subject to community property laws depending on your marital status , the nature of the payment , and your domicile . These laws may affect how much of your income is included in your gross income for tax purposes. Community property states are Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Community property rules apply to married persons whose domicile during the tax year was in a community property state. These rules may affect your tax liability if you file separate returns or are divorced during the year.

Active duty military pay is subject to community property laws. Armed Forces retired or retainer pay may be subject to community property laws.

For more information on community property laws, see Pub. 555.

Your domicile is the permanent legal home you intend to use for an indefinite or unlimited period, and to which, when absent, you intend to return. It isn't always where you presently live.

If you are the civilian spouse of an active duty U.S. military servicemember, you can elect to have the same domicile or residence as the servicemember. If your domicile or residence is the same as the servicemember's, you may be able to keep your prior domicile or residence for tax purposes when you accompany your spouse who relocated to a new duty station. For more information about this option, see Pub. 570. You may also elect to have the same domicile or residence as the servicemember.

A registered domestic partner in Nevada, Washington, or California must generally report half of his or her income plus half of the income of his or her domestic partner. See Form 8958 and Pub. 555.

Form W-2 shows your total pay and other compensation and the income tax, social security tax, and Medicare tax that was withheld during the year. Form W-2 also shows other amounts that you may find important in box 12.

Form W-2 Reference Guide for Box 12 Codes

Box 12 shows amounts not listed in other places on the form. The amounts shown in box 12 are generally preceded by a code. A list of the codes used in box 12 is shown above.

Adjustments to Income

Adjusted gross income is your total income minus certain adjustments. The following adjustments are of particular interest to members of the Armed Forces.

Travel Expenses of Armed Forces Reservists .

Individual Retirement Arrangements .

Moving Expenses .

Travel Expenses of Armed Forces Reservists

If you are a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces and you travel more than 100 miles away from home in connection with your performance of services as a member of the reserves, you can deduct your unreimbursed travel expenses on your tax return. Include all unreimbursed expenses from the time you leave home until the time you return home. See How To Report My Reserve-Related Travel Expenses , later, for information on how to report these expenses on your tax return.

You are a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces if you are in:

The Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, or Coast Guard Reserve;

The Army National Guard of the United States;

The Air National Guard of the United States; or

The Ready Reserve Corps of the Public Health Service.

If you have reserve-related travel that takes you more than 100 miles from home, you should first complete Form 2106, Employee Business Expenses.

On Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line 12, enter the part of your expenses, up to the federal rate, included on Form 2106, line 10, that is for reserve-related travel more than 100 miles from your home.

For more information about this limit, see Per Diem and Car Allowances in chapter 6 of Pub. 463.

Captain Harris, a member of the Army Reserve, traveled to a location 220 miles from his home to perform his work in the Reserves in April 2023. He incurred $1,588.20 of unreimbursed expenses consisting of $288.20 for mileage (440 miles × 65.5 cents a mile), $300 for meals, and $1,000 for lodging. Only 50% of his meal expenses are deductible. He shows his total deductible travel expenses of $1,438.20 ($288.20 + $150 (50% of $300) + $1,000) on Form 2106, line 10. He enters the $1,438.20 ($288.20 + $150 + $1,000) for travel over 100 miles from home on Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line 12.

Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs)

An IRA generally includes a traditional IRA, Roth IRA, simplified employee pension (SEP) IRA, and a savings incentive match plan for employees (SIMPLE) IRA.

Deductibility of Contributions to My IRA

Generally, you can deduct the lesser of the contributions to your traditional IRA for the year or the general limit (or spousal IRA limit, if applicable). However, if you or your spouse was covered by an employer-maintained retirement plan at any time during the year for which contributions were made, you may not be able to deduct all of the contributions. The Form W-2 you or your spouse receives from an employer has a box used to indicate whether you were covered for the year. The “Retirement plan” box should have a mark in it if you were covered.

For purposes of a deduction for contributions to a traditional IRA, Armed Forces members (including reservists on active duty for more than 90 days during the year) are considered covered by an employer-maintained retirement plan. The "Retirement plan" box on your Form W-2 should have a mark in it. Your deduction for contributions to a traditional IRA may be subject to a phaseout. See Limit if Covered by Employer Plan in Pub. 590-A for more information.

Individuals serving in the U.S. Armed Forces or in support of the U.S. Armed Forces in designated combat zones have additional time to make a contribution to an IRA. For more information on this extension of deadline provision, see Are There Filing, Tax Payment, and Other Extensions Specifically for Those in a Combat Zone or a Contingency Operation , later. For more information on contributions to IRAs, see Pub. 590-A.

For IRA purposes, your compensation includes nontaxable combat zone pay. Even though you don't have to include the combat zone pay in your gross income, you do include it in your compensation when figuring the limits on contributions, and on deductions for contributions, to IRAs.

Treatment of Distributions (and Repayments of Distributions) From an IRA to Qualified Reservists

A qualified reservist distribution , defined below, isn’t subject to the 10% additional tax on early distributions from certain retirement plans.

With reference to an IRA, a section 401(k) plan, or a 403(b) plan, a distribution you receive is a qualified reservist distribution if the following requirements are met.

You were ordered or called to active duty after September 11, 2001.

You were ordered or called to active duty for a period of more than 179 days or for an indefinite period because you are a member of a reserve component (see Am I a Member of a Reserve Component , earlier, under Travel Expenses of Armed Forces Reservists ).

The distribution is from an IRA or from amounts attributable to elective deferrals under a section 401(k) or 403(b) plan or a similar arrangement.

The distribution was made no earlier than the date of the order or call to active duty and no later than the close of the active duty period.

You may be able to contribute (repay), to an IRA, amounts equal to any qualified reservist distributions (defined earlier) you received. You can make these repayment contributions even if they would cause your total contributions to the IRA to be more than the general limit on contributions. You make these repayment contributions to an IRA, even if you received the qualified reservist distribution from a section 401(k) or 403(b) plan or a similar arrangement.

Your qualified reservist repayments can’t be more than your qualified reservist distributions.

You can make these repayment contributions up to and including the date that is 2 years after your active duty period ends.

You can’t deduct qualified reservist repayments.

The repayment of qualified reservist distributions doesn’t affect the amount you can deduct as an IRA contribution.

If you repay a qualified reservist distribution, include the amount of the repayment with nondeductible contributions on line 1 of Form 8606, Nondeductible IRAs.

Special rules provide for tax-favored distributions from and repayments to certain retirement plans (including IRAs) on account of economic losses due to disasters declared by the President. To report the qualified distributions and repayments, use Form 8915-D for 2019 disasters and use Form 8915-F for disasters that occur in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and future years. For more information, see the Instructions for Form 8915-F and Publication 590-B.

Moving Expenses

You may be able to exclude from income the value of government-provided services and reimbursement. If you weren't reimbursed, you may be able to deduct expenses you incurred when you moved. We discuss both below.

Are Reimbursements, or the Value of Services Provided by the Government When I Move, Included in My Income .

Which Moving Expenses Are Deductible and Which Aren't .

To deduct moving expenses, you must be a member of the Armed Forces on active duty and your move must be due to a military order and the result of a permanent change of station .

A permanent change of station includes:

A move from your home to your first post of active duty,

A move from one permanent post of duty to another, and

A move from your last post of duty to your home or to a nearer point in the United States. The move must occur within 1 year of ending your active duty or within the period allowed under the Joint Travel Regulations.

If you are the spouse or dependent of a member of the Armed Forces who deserts, is imprisoned, or dies while on active duty, a permanent change of station for you includes a move to:

The member's place of enlistment or induction;

Your, or the member's, home of record; or

A nearer point in the United States.

If the military moves you to or from a different location than the member, the moves are treated as a single move to your new main job location.

Don't include in your income the value of moving and storage services provided by the government because of a permanent change of station. Similarly, don't include in income amounts received as a dislocation allowance, temporary lodging expense, temporary lodging allowance, or move-in housing allowance.

Generally, if the total reimbursements or allowances that you receive from the government because of the move are more than your actual moving expenses, the excess is included in your wages on Form W-2. However, if any reimbursements or allowances (other than dislocation allowances, temporary lodging expenses, temporary lodging allowances, or move-in housing allowances) exceed the cost of moving and the excess isn't included in your wages on Form W-2, the excess must still be included in gross income on Form 1040 or 1040-SR, line 1h.

If you must relocate and your spouse and dependents move to or from a different location, don't include in income reimbursements, allowances, or the value of moving and storage services provided by the government to move you and your spouse and dependents to and from the separate locations.

Which Moving Expenses Are Deductible and Which Aren't

If you move because of a permanent change of station , you can deduct the reasonable unreimbursed expenses of moving you and members of your household. See How To Report Moving Expenses , later, for how to report this deduction.

A member of your household is anyone who has both your former home and your new home as his or her main home. It doesn't include a tenant or employee unless you can claim that person as a dependent on your tax return.

You can deduct expenses (if not reimbursed or furnished in kind) for:

Moving household goods and personal effects, and

You can deduct the expenses of moving your household goods and personal effects, including expenses for hauling a trailer, packing, crating, in-transit storage, and insurance. You can't deduct expenses for moving furniture or other goods you bought on the way from your old home to your new home.

You can include only the cost of storing and insuring your household goods and personal effects within any period of 30 consecutive days after the day these goods and effects are moved from your former home and before they are delivered to your new home.

You can deduct the expenses of traveling (including lodging within certain limitations, but not meals) from your old home to your new home, including car expenses and airfare. You can deduct as car expenses either:

Your actual out-of-pocket expenses such as gas and oil, or

The standard mileage rate of 22 cents a mile.

You can add parking fees and tolls to the amount claimed under either method. You can't deduct any expenses for meals. You can't deduct the cost of unnecessary side trips or lavish and extravagant lodging.

Don’t deduct any expenses for moving services that were provided by the government. Also, don’t deduct any expenses that were reimbursed by an allowance you didn’t include in income.

A foreign move is a move from the United States or its territories to a foreign country or from one foreign country to another foreign country. A move from a foreign country to the United States or its territories isn't a foreign move. For purposes of determining whether a move is a foreign move, a U.S. military base is not a territory of the United States and moving to a U.S. military base located in a foreign country is a foreign move.

For a foreign move, the deductible moving expenses described earlier are expanded to include the reasonable expenses of the following:

Moving your household goods and personal effects to and from storage, and

Storing these items for part or all of the time the new job location remains your main job location. The new job location must be outside the United States.

Figure moving expense deductions on Form 3903. The Form 3903 instructions provide information on how to figure your deduction for qualified expenses that exceed your reimbursements and allowances (including dislocation allowances, temporary lodging expenses, temporary lodging allowances, or move-in housing allowances that are excluded from gross income).

If you qualify to deduct expenses for more than one move, use a separate Form 3903 for each move.

Carry the moving expense deduction from Form(s) 3903, line 5, to Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line 14. For more information, see Form 3903 and its instructions.

Income Exclusions for Armed Forces Members in Combat Zones

Gross income doesn’t include compensation you received for active service in the Armed Forces for any month during any part of which you served in a combat zone or qualified hazardous duty area. The exclusion available to you as a member of the Armed Forces may depend on your rank.

If you are an enlisted member, warrant officer, or commissioned warrant officer, you can exclude the following amounts from your income.

Active duty pay earned in any month you served in a combat zone. See Combat Zone Exclusion , later.

Imminent danger/hostile fire pay. See Serving in a Combat Zone , later.

A reenlistment bonus if the voluntary extension or reenlistment occurs in a month you served in a combat zone.

Pay for accrued leave earned in any month you served in a combat zone. The DoD must determine that the unused leave was earned during that period.

Pay received for duties as a member of the Armed Forces in clubs, messes, post and station theaters, and other nonappropriated fund activities. The pay must be earned in a month you served in a combat zone.

Awards for suggestions, inventions, or scientific achievements you are entitled to because of a submission you made in a month you served in a combat zone.

Student loan repayments. If the entire year of service required to earn the repayment was performed in a combat zone, the entire repayment made because of that year of service is excluded. If only part of that year of service was performed in a combat zone, only part of the repayment qualifies for exclusion. For example, if you served in a combat zone for 5 months, 5 / 12 of your repayment qualifies for exclusion.

If you are a commissioned officer (other than a commissioned warrant officer), you may exclude part of your combat zone pay. There is a limit to the amount of combat zone pay you can exclude. See Commissioned officers (other than commissioned warrant officers) under How Much of My Combat Zone Pay Can I Exclude , later.

Combat Zone Exclusion

How much of my combat zone pay can i exclude.

If you are an enlisted member, warrant officer, or commissioned warrant officer, none of your combat zone pay is included in your income for tax purposes.

If you are a commissioned officer (other than a commissioned warrant officer), there is a limit to the amount of combat zone pay you can exclude. The amount of your exclusion is limited to the highest rate of enlisted pay (plus imminent danger/hostile fire pay you received) for each month during any part of which you served in a combat zone or were hospitalized as a result of your service there. For 2023, the applicable amount is $10,011 per month (that is, $9,786.00 for the highest enlisted pay + $225 for imminent danger pay).

Though your combat zone pay is excluded from income, you can elect to include it in income in figuring your EIC. See Can I treat my nontaxable combat zone pay as earned income? under Earned Income Credit , later.

Ordinarily, you don't have to do anything for this exclusion to apply. The exclusion will be reflected on your Form W-2. The wages shown in box 1 of your 2023 Form W-2 shouldn't include military pay excluded from your income under the combat zone exclusion provisions. If it does, you will need to get a corrected Form W-2 from your finance office. You can't exclude as combat zone pay any wages shown in box 1 of Form W-2. See also Disability Severance Payments to Veterans , later, for special rules relating to severance pay.

What Is Combat Zone Pay?

Combat zone pay is pay received by a member of the U.S. Armed Forces who serves in:

A combat zone as designated by the President in an Executive order (see Combat Zone Defined , later);

A qualified hazardous duty area designated by Congress while receiving hostile fire pay or imminent danger pay in accordance with 37 U.S.C. 351 (see Serving in a Combat Zone , later); or

An area outside the combat zone or qualified hazardous duty area when the DoD certifies that such service is in direct support of military operations in a combat zone or qualified hazardous duty area, and the member receives hostile fire pay or imminent danger pay (see Serving outside combat zone considered serving in a combat zone , later).

The month for which you receive the pay must be a month in which you either:

Served in a combat zone ; or

Were hospitalized as a result of wounds, disease, or injury incurred while serving in the combat zone .

If you serve in a combat zone for any part of 1 or more days during a particular month, you are entitled to a combat zone exclusion for that entire month.

Retirement pay and pensions don't qualify for the combat zone exclusion.

Combat Zone Defined

A combat zone is any area the President of the United States designates by Executive order as an area in which the U.S. Armed Forces are engaging or have engaged in combat. An area usually becomes a combat zone and ceases to be a combat zone on the dates the President designates by Executive order. To date, the Afghanistan area , the Kosovo area , and the Arabian Peninsula have been designated as combat zones. Combat zone tax benefits have been designated by Congress for the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt under certain circumstances. Though the former Yugoslavia is no longer treated as a combat zone, certain benefits may still be available to those who served in that area at that time. Each of the combat zones, the Sinai Peninsula, and the former Yugoslavia area are discussed below.

Military service outside a combat zone is considered to be performed in a combat zone if:

The DoD designates that the service is in direct support of military operations in the combat zone, and

The service qualifies you for special military pay for duty subject to hostile fire or imminent danger under 37 U.S.C. 351.

Military pay received for this service will qualify for the combat zone exclusion if all of the requirements discussed under Service Eligible for Combat Zone Exclusion , later, other than service in a combat zone, are met and if the pay is verifiable by reference to military pay records.

By Executive Order No. 13239, Afghanistan (and the airspace above) was designated as a combat zone beginning September 19, 2001.

The following countries were certified by the DoD for combat zone tax benefits due to their direct support of military operations in the Afghanistan combat zone.

Jordan and Pakistan (as of September 19, 2001).

Djibouti (as of July 1, 2002).

Yemen (as of April 10, 2002).

Somalia and Syria (as of January 1, 2004).

By Executive Order No. 13119, the following locations (including the airspace above) were designated as a combat zone beginning March 24, 1999.

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia/Montenegro).

The Adriatic Sea.

The Ionian Sea—north of the 39th parallel.

By Executive Order No. 12744, the following locations (and the airspace above) were designated as a combat zone beginning January 17, 1991.

The Persian Gulf.

The Red Sea.

The Gulf of Oman.

The part of the Arabian Sea that is north of 10 degrees north latitude and west of 68 degrees east longitude.

The Gulf of Aden.

The total land areas of Iraq , Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

The following countries were certified by the DoD for combat zone tax benefits due to their direct support of military operations in the Arabian Peninsula combat zone.

Jordan (as of March 19, 2003).

Lebanon (as of February 12, 2015).

Turkey east of 33.51 degrees east longitude (as of September 19, 2016).

Section 11026 of Public Law 115-97 designates the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt as a qualified hazardous duty area that is treated as if it were a combat zone. This designation generally applies for the period beginning June 10, 2015. For more information about amending prior-year returns to take advantage of the benefits associated with this designation, see the Instructions for Form 1040-X.

Section 1 of Public Law 104-117 designated the following locations as qualified hazardous duty areas that were treated as if they were combat zones.

Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Service Eligible for Combat Zone Exclusion

As noted earlier, pay eligible for the combat zone exclusion must have been received for a month in which you either served in a combat zone or were hospitalized as a result of wounds, disease, or injury incurred while serving in the combat zone . We discuss these below. Also see Serving outside combat zone considered serving in a combat zone , earlier, under Combat Zone Defined .

You are considered to be serving in a combat zone if you are either assigned on official temporary duty to a combat zone or you qualify for hostile fire/imminent danger pay while in a combat zone.

Service in a combat zone includes any periods you are absent from duty because of sickness, wounds, or leave. If, as a result of serving in a combat zone, a person becomes a prisoner of war or is missing in action, that person is considered to be serving in the combat zone so long as he or she keeps that status for military pay purposes.

Hospitalization as a Result of Wounds, Disease, or Injury Incurred While Serving in a Combat Zone

If you are hospitalized while serving in a combat zone, the wound, disease, or injury causing the hospitalization will be presumed to have been incurred while serving in the combat zone unless there is clear evidence to the contrary.

You are hospitalized for a specific disease in a combat zone where you have been serving for 3 weeks, and the disease for which you are hospitalized has an incubation period of 2 to 4 weeks. The disease is presumed to have been incurred while you were serving in the combat zone. On the other hand, if the incubation period of the disease is 1 year, the disease wouldn't have been incurred while you were serving in the combat zone.

In some cases, the wound, disease, or injury may have been incurred while you were serving in the combat zone, even though you weren't hospitalized until after you left. In that case, you can exclude military pay earned while you are hospitalized as a result of the wound, disease, or injury.

You were hospitalized for a specific disease 3 weeks after you departed the combat zone. The incubation period of the disease is from 2 to 4 weeks. The disease is presumed to have been incurred while serving in the combat zone.

If you are hospitalized, you can't exclude any military pay received for any month of service that begins more than 2 years after the end of combat activities in the combat zone. This pay won't be combat zone pay.

None of the following types of military service qualify as service in a combat zone.

Presence in a combat zone while on leave from a duty station located outside the combat zone.

Passage over or through a combat zone during a trip between two points that are outside a combat zone.

Presence in a combat zone solely for your personal convenience.

Gain or Loss From Sale of Home

You may not have to pay tax on all or part of the gain from the sale of your main home. Usually, your main home is the one you live in most of the time. It can be a:

Mobile home,

Cooperative apartment, or

Condominium.

You can generally exclude up to $250,000 of gain ($500,000, in most cases, if married filing a joint return) realized on the sale or exchange of a main home in 2023. The exclusion is allowed each time you sell or exchange a main home, but generally not more than once every 2 years.

You will be eligible for the exclusion if, during the 5-year period ending on the date of the sale, you:

Owned the home for at least 2 years (the ownership test), and

Lived in the home as your main home for at least 2 years (the use test).

If you don't meet the ownership and use tests due to a move to a new permanent duty station, you can exclude gain, but the maximum amount of gain you can exclude will be reduced. See Pub. 523 for more details.

You can choose to have the 5-year test period for ownership and use suspended during any period you or your spouse serves on qualified official extended duty as a member of the Armed Forces. This means that you may be able to meet the 2-year use test even if, because of your service, you didn't actually live in your home for the required 2 years during the 5-year period ending on the date of sale.

David bought and moved into a home in 2015. He lived in it as his main home for 2½ years. For the next 6 years, he didn't live in it because he was on qualified official extended duty with the Army. He then sold the home at a gain in 2023. To meet the use test, David chooses to suspend the 5-year test period for the 6 years he was on qualifying official extended duty. This means he can disregard those 6 years. Therefore, David's 5-year test period consists of the 5 years before he went on qualifying official extended duty. He meets the ownership and use tests because he owned and lived in the home for 2½ years during this test period.

The period of suspension can't last more than 10 years. You can't suspend the 5-year period for more than one property at a time. You can revoke your choice to suspend the 5-year period at any time.

You are on qualified official extended duty if you serve on extended duty either:

At a duty station at least 50 miles from your main home, or

While you live in government quarters under government orders.

You are on extended duty when you are called or ordered to active duty for a period of more than 90 days or for an indefinite period.

You may still qualify for a reduced exclusion of the gain from the sale of a home that you have used as a rental property or for business. However, you must meet the ownership and use tests discussed in Pub. 523.

If the sale of your main home results in a gain that is allocated to one or more period(s) of nonqualified use, you can't exclude that gain from your income.

Nonqualified use means any period after 2008 when neither you nor your spouse (or your former spouse) used the property as a main home, with certain exceptions. For example, a period of nonqualified use doesn't include any period (not to exceed a total of 10 years) during which you or your spouse is serving on qualified official extended duty , discussed above. You will be able to exclude the gain attributable to the period during which you or your spouse served on qualified official extended duty.

You can't deduct a loss from the sale of your main home.

For more information, see Pub. 523.

Foreclosures

There may be tax consequences as a result of compensation payments for foreclosures.

All servicemembers who received a settlement payment reported on a Form 1099 may need to report the amount on their tax return as income. However, the tax treatment of settlement payments will depend on the facts and circumstances as illustrated below.

Generally, you must include the lump-sum payment in gross income. In limited circumstances, you may be able to exclude part or all of the lump-sum payment from gross income. For example, you may qualify to exclude part or all of the payment from gross income if you can show that the payment was made to reimburse specific nondeductible expenses (such as living expenses) you incurred because of the SCRA violation.

You must include any interest on the lump-sum portion of your settlement payment in your income.

If you lost your main home in foreclosure, you should treat the lost equity payment as an additional amount you received on the foreclosure of the home. You will have a gain on the foreclosure only if the sum of the lost equity payment and the value of the main home at foreclosure is more than what you paid for the home. In many cases, this gain may be excluded from income. For more information on the rules for excluding all or part of any gain from the sale (including a foreclosure) of a main home, see Pub. 523.

To find rules for reporting gain or loss on the foreclosure of property that wasn't your main home, see Pub. 544, Sales and Other Dispositions of Assets.

You must include any interest on the lost equity portion of your settlement payment in your income.

Itemized Deductions

You can no longer claim any miscellaneous itemized deductions, including the deduction for unreimbursed employee business expenses. Miscellaneous itemized deductions are those deductions that would have been subject to the 2%-of-adjusted-gross-income limitation.

If you are an Armed Forces reservist, you may be able to deduct unreimbursed employee business expenses as an adjustment to income. See Travel Expenses of Armed Forces Reservists , earlier. These deductions aren’t available for active duty service members.

If you had to repay to your employer an amount that you included in your income in an earlier year, you may be able to deduct the repaid amount from your income for the year in which you repaid it. Where you report the repayment on your tax return will depend on the amount of the repayment. See Repayments in Pub. 525.

After you have figured your taxable income and tax liability, you can determine if you are entitled to any tax credits. This section discusses the child tax credit , additional child tax credit , credit for other dependents , earned income credit , and credit for excess social security tax withheld . For information on other credits, see your tax form instructions.

Child Tax Credit, Credit for Other Dependents, and Additional Child Tax Credit

The child tax credit is a credit that may reduce your tax by as much as $2,000 for each of your qualifying children. See How Much Can I Claim as a Child Tax Credit , later.

The additional child tax credit (ACTC) is a credit you may be able to take if you aren't able to claim the full amount of the child tax credit. The additional child tax credit is discussed later.

The credit for other dependents (ODC) is a credit that may reduce your tax by as much as $500 for each of your qualifying children or other dependents who can’t be claimed for the CTC. The amount you may claim for your CTC is calculated together with the amount you may claim for your credit for other dependents on the Child Tax Credit and Credit for Other Dependents Worksheet in the instructions for your tax return. These credits are reported on the same line of your return. The credit for other dependents is discussed later.

If you or your spouse (if filing jointly) don’t have an SSN or ITIN issued on or before the due date of your 2023 return (including extensions), you can't claim the child tax credit on either your original or an amended 2023 return, even if you later get an SSN. If an ITIN is applied for on or before the due date of a 2023 return (including extensions) and the IRS issues an ITIN as a result of the application, the IRS will consider the ITIN as issued on or before the due date of the return.

Is My Child a Qualifying Child?

Your child is a qualifying child for purposes of the child tax credit if your child meets all seven of the following conditions.

Is your son, daughter, stepchild, foster child, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, half brother, or half sister, or a descendant of any of them (for example, your grandchild, niece, or nephew).

Was under age 17 at the end of 2023.

Didn't provide over half of the child’s own support for 2023.

Lived with you for more than half of 2023 (but see Are there exceptions to the time lived with you requirement , later).

Is claimed as a dependent on your return.

Doesn't file a joint return for the year (or files it only to claim a refund of income tax withheld or estimated tax paid).

Was a U.S. citizen, a U.S. national, or a U.S. resident alien. If the child was adopted, see Adopted child , later.

Temporary absences by you or the other person for special circumstances, such as school, vacation, business, medical care, military service, or detention in a juvenile facility, count as time the person lived with you.

If the person meets all other requirements to be your qualifying child but was born or died in 2023, the person is considered to have lived with you for more than half of 2023 if your home was this person's home for more than half the time he or she was alive in 2023.

Any other person is considered to have lived with you for all of 2023 if the person was born or died in 2023 and your home was this person's home for the entire time he or she was alive in 2023.

There are also exceptions for kidnapped children, children lawfully placed with you for legal adoption by you in 2023, eligible foster children placed with you in 2023, and children of divorced or separated parents. For details, see Pub. 501.

A special rule applies if your qualifying child is the qualifying child of more than one person as only one person can actually treat the child as a qualifying child. For details, see Pub. 501.

Your adopted child is always treated as your own child. An adopted child includes a child lawfully placed with you for legal adoption. If you are a U.S. citizen or U.S. national and your adopted child lived with you as a member of your household all year, that child meets condition 7.

How Much Can I Claim as a Child Tax Credit?

The maximum amount you can claim for the credit is $2,000 for each qualifying child under age 17 at the end of 2023, who has an SSN that is valid for employment and issued before the due date of your 2023 return (including extensions). If your child was issued an SSN that wasn't valid for employment and became eligible for a card without the legend “Not valid for employment” by the due date of your return (including extensions), you may claim the CTC on an original or amended return for that tax year even if your child’s card wasn't updated by the due date of your return.

For purposes of the CTC and ACTC, your modified AGI is the amount on Form 1040 or 1040-SR, line 11, plus the following amounts that may apply to you.

Any amount excluded from income because of the exclusion of income from Puerto Rico.

Any amount on line 45 or line 50 of Form 2555.

Any amount on line 15 of Form 4563, Exclusion of Income for Bona Fide Residents of American Samoa.

If you don't have any of the above, your modified AGI is the same as your AGI.

Claiming the Credit

To claim the CTC and/or ACTC, you must file Form 1040, 1040-SR, or 1040-NR. For each qualifying child, you must check the “child tax credit” box in column (4) of the Dependents section on page 1 of Form 1040, 1040-SR, or 1040-NR and complete Schedule 8812 (Form 1040). If you meet the residency requirements to claim the ACTC, you will claim the ACTC on Form 1040, 1040-SR, or 1040-NR, line 28. Otherwise, you will claim the CTC on Form 1040, 1040-SR, or 1040-NR, line 19. For more information on these credits, see the Instructions for Form 1040, or the Instructions for Form 1040-NR, and the Instructions for Schedule 8812 (Form 1040).

You must file Form 8862 to claim the CTC, ACTC, or ODC if your ACTC or ODC for a year after 2015 was denied or reduced for any reason other than a math or clerical error. Attach a completed Form 8862 to your 2023 return unless an exception applies. See Form 8862, Information To Claim Certain Credits After Disallowance, and its instructions for more information, including whether an exception applies.

Credit for Other Dependents (ODC)

This credit is a nonrefundable credit of up to $500 for each eligible dependent who can't be claimed for the CTC or ACTC. The CTC, ACTC, and ODC are figured using Schedule 8812 (Form 1040).

To claim the credit, you must file Form 1040, 1040-SR, or 1040-NR. For each qualifying child, you must check the “Credit for other dependents” box in column (4) of the Dependents section on page 1 of Form 1040, 1040-SR, or 1040-NR. For more information on the ODC, see the Instructions for Schedule 8812 (Form 1040).

You must file Form 8862 to claim the CTC, ACTC or ODC if your CTC, ACTC, or ODC for a year after 2015 was denied or reduced for any reason other than a math or clerical error. Attach a completed Form 8862 to your 2023 return to claim the CTC, ACTC or ODC unless an exception applies. See Form 8862, Information To Claim Certain Credits After Disallowance, and its instructions for more information, including whether an exception applies.

Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC)

This credit is for certain individuals who get less than the full amount of the CTC.

You must file Form 8862 to claim the ACTC if your CTC, ACTC or ODC for a year after 2015 was denied or reduced for any reason other than a math or clerical error. Attach a completed Form 8862 to your 2023 return unless an exception applies. See Form 8862, Information To Claim Certain Credits After Disallowance, and its instructions for more information, including whether an exception applies.

Earned Income Credit (EIC)

The EIC is a credit for certain persons who work. The credit may give you a refund even if you don't owe any tax or didn't have any tax withheld.

You must satisfy certain criteria in order to claim the EIC. The criteria you must meet depends on whether you have a qualifying child. Detailed information is provided in Claiming the EIC if I Have a Qualifying Child and Claiming the EIC if I Don't Have a Qualifying Child , later.

You must file Form 8862 to claim the EIC if your EIC for a year after 1996 was denied or reduced for any reason other than a math or clerical error. Attach a completed Form 8862 to your 2023 return. Don't file Form 8862 if you filed Form 8862 for a tax year after the denial or reduction if the EIC was allowed for that year or if the 10-year period and/or 2-year period in the Caution below is over. See Form 8862 and its instructions for details.

If you don't have an SSN by the due date of your 2023 return (including extensions), you can't claim the EIC on either your original or an amended 2023 return, even if you later get an SSN.

Claiming the EIC if I Have a Qualifying Child

If you have a qualifying child (defined later), you must satisfy all nine of the following rules to claim the EIC.

You must have earned income (defined later).

Your earned income and adjusted gross income (AGI) must each be less than:

$56,838 ($63,398 for married filing jointly) if you have three or more qualifying children,

$52,918 ($59,478 for married filing jointly) if you have two qualifying children, or

$46,560 ($53,120 for married filing jointly) if you have one qualifying child.

If you are married, you must file a joint return to claim the EIC or satisfy certain requirements to be considered unmarried for EIC purposes.

You generally can't be a qualifying child of another person. If filing a joint return, your spouse also can't be a qualifying child of another person.

Your qualifying child can't be used by more than one person to claim the credit. If your qualifying child is the qualifying child of more than one person, you must be the person who can treat the child as a qualifying child. See the Caution below. If the other person can claim the child as a qualifying child, you may be able to claim the EIC under the rules for a taxpayer without a qualifying child. For details, see Rule 9 in Pub. 596.

You can't file Form 2555 to exclude income earned in foreign countries, or to deduct or exclude a foreign housing amount. See Pub. 54 for more information about this form.

You must be a U.S. citizen or resident alien all year unless:

You are married to a U.S. citizen or a resident alien,

Your filing status is married filing jointly, and

You choose to be treated as a resident alien for the entire year. If you need more information about making this choice, see Resident Aliens , later.

Certain investment income must be $11,000 or less during the year. For most people, this investment income is taxable interest and dividends, tax-exempt interest, and capital gain net income. See Worksheet 1 in Pub. 596 for more information on the investment income includible in the amount that must meet the $11,000 limit.

You must have a valid SSN for yourself, your spouse (if filing a joint return), and any qualifying child.

The child tax credit, ACTC, and ODC.

Head of household filing status.

The credit for child and dependent care expenses.

The exclusion for dependent care benefits.

If you satisfy all these rules, fill out Schedule EIC (Form 1040), Earned Income Credit, and attach it to Form 1040 or 1040-SR. You will claim the EIC on Form 1040, 1040-SR, or 1040-NR, line 27.

Your child is a qualifying child if your child passes four tests and has an SSN, as required in Social security number (SSN) of child , later. The four tests are:

Relationship ,

Residency , and

Joint return .

In order to be classified as a qualifying child, your child must pass the relationship test. Your child passes this test if the child is your:

Son, daughter, stepchild, or foster child, or a descendant of any of them (for example, your grandchild); or

Brother, sister, half brother, half sister, stepbrother, or stepsister, or a descendant of any of them (for example, your niece or nephew).

An adopted child is always treated as your own child. The term “adopted child” includes a child who was lawfully placed with you for legal adoption.

Your foster child, for the relationship test, is a child placed with you by an authorized placement agency or by judgment, decree, or other order of any court of competent jurisdiction. An authorized placement agency includes a state or local government agency. It also includes a tax-exempt organization licensed by a state. In addition, it includes an Indian tribal government or an organization authorized by an Indian tribal government to place Indian children.

In order to be classified as a qualifying child, your child must pass the age test. A child passes the age test if he or she is in at least one of the following categories.

Category 1. Under age 19 at the end of 2023 and younger than you (or your spouse, if filing jointly).

Category 2. Under age 24 at the end of 2023, a student , and younger than you (or your spouse, if filing jointly).

Category 3. Permanently and totally disabled at any time during 2023, regardless of age.

Student defined.

To qualify as a student, your child must be, during some part of each of any 5 calendar months of 2023:

A full-time student at a school that has a regular teaching staff, course of study, and regular student body at the school; or

A student taking a full-time, on-farm training course given by a school described in (1), or a state, county, or local government.

A school can be an elementary school, junior or senior high school, college, university, or technical, trade, or mechanical school. However, on-the-job training courses, correspondence schools, and schools offering courses only through the Internet don't count as schools for the EIC.

Students who work in co-op jobs in private industry as a part of a school's regular course of classroom and practical training are considered full-time students.

Permanently and totally disabled.

Your child is permanently and totally disabled if, at any time in 2023, both of the following apply.

Your child couldn't engage in any substantial gainful activity because of a physical or mental condition.

A doctor determined the condition has lasted or can be expected to last continuously for at least a year or can lead to death.

In order to be classified as a qualifying child, your child must pass the residency test. A child passes the residency test if he or she has lived with you in the United States for more than half of 2023.

The IRS may ask you for documents to show you lived with each qualifying child. Documents you might want to keep for this purpose include school and childcare records and other records that show your child's address.

The United States includes the 50 states and the District of Columbia. It doesn't include U.S. territories such as Guam or Puerto Rico.

U.S. Armed Forces personnel stationed outside the United States on extended active duty are considered to live in the United States during that duty period for purposes of the EIC. Extended active duty means you are called or ordered to active duty for an indefinite period or for a period of more than 90 days. Once you begin serving your extended active duty, you are still considered to have been on extended active duty even if you don't serve more than 90 days.

A child who was born or died in 2023 is treated as having lived with you for more than half of 2023 if your home was the child's home for more than half of the time he or she was alive in 2023.

Count time that you or your child is away from home on a temporary absence due to a special circumstance as time the child lived with you. Examples of a special circumstance include illness, school attendance, business, vacation, military service, and detention in a juvenile facility.

An adopted child in 2023, and that child was lawfully placed with you for legal adoption by you in 2023, or the child was an eligible foster child placed with you during 2023, the child is considered to have lived with you for more than half of 2023 if your main home was this child's main home for more than half the time he or she was adopted or placed with you in 2023.

A kidnapped child is treated as living with you for more than half of the year if the child lived with you for more than half the part of the year before the date of the kidnapping or following the date of the child's return. The child must be presumed by law enforcement authorities to have been kidnapped by someone who isn't a member of your family or your child's family. This treatment applies for all years until the child is returned. However, the last year this treatment can apply is the earlier of:

The year there is a determination that the child is dead, or

The year the child would have reached age 18.

If your qualifying child has been kidnapped and meets these requirements, enter “KC,” instead of a number, on line 6 of Schedule EIC.

In order to be classified as a qualifying child, your child must satisfy the joint return test. There are two parts to this test.

First, the child can't file a joint return for the year (unless the joint return is filed only as a claim for refund of income tax withheld or estimated tax paid).

Second, even if your child doesn't file a joint return, if your child was married at the end of the year, he or she can't be your qualifying child unless:

You can claim the child as a dependent, or

The reason you can't claim the child as a dependent is that you let the child's other parent claim the child as a dependent under the special rule for divorced or separated parents (or parents who live apart) described in Pub. 596 and the Instructions for Form 1040.

In order to be classified as a qualifying child, your child must have a valid SSN unless the child was born and died in 2023. If a child didn't have an SSN on or before the due date of your return (including extensions), you can't count that child as a qualifying child in figuring the EIC on either your original or an amended 2023 return, even if that child later gets an SSN. You can't claim a higher EIC credit amount on the basis of a qualifying child if:

Your qualifying child's SSN is missing from your tax return or is incorrect;

Your qualifying child's social security card says “Not valid for employment” and was issued for use in getting a federally funded benefit; or

Instead of an SSN, your qualifying child has:

An ITIN which is issued to a noncitizen who can't get an SSN; or

An adoption taxpayer identification number (ATIN), which is issued to adopting parents who can't get an SSN for the child being adopted until the adoption is final.

If you have more than one qualifying child and only one has a valid SSN, you can claim a higher EIC credit amount only for that one child.

For more information on the EIC, see Pub. 596.

Claiming the EIC if I Don't Have a Qualifying Child

If you don't have a qualifying child, you can take the credit if you satisfy all 11 of the following rules.

Your earned income and adjusted gross income must each be less than $17,640 ($24,240 for married filing jointly).

If you are married, see Pub. 596 for more details.

You can't be a qualifying child of another person. You automatically meet this requirement if you are claiming the EIC on a joint return.

You must be at least age 25 but under age 65 at the end of 2023. If you are married filing a joint return, either you or your spouse must be at least age 25 but under age 65 at the end of 2023. It doesn't matter which spouse meets the age test, as long as one of the spouses does. See Pub. 596 for more details.

You meet the age test if you were born after December 31, 1958, and before January 2, 1999. If you are married filing a joint return, you meet the age test if either you or your spouse was born after December 31, 1958, and before January 2, 1999.

If neither you nor your spouse meets the ages test, you can't claim the EIC. Enter “No” on the dotted line next to line 27 (Form 1040 or 1040-SR).

You can't be claimed as a dependent by anyone else on that person's return. You automatically meet this requirement if you are claiming the EIC on a joint return.

Your main home (and your spouse's, if filing a joint return) must be in the United States for more than half the year. Your home can be any location where you regularly live. You don't need a traditional home. (U.S. military personnel stationed outside the United States on extended active duty , discussed earlier, are considered to be living in the United States.)

You can't file Form 2555.

You choose to be treated as a resident alien for the entire year.

You (and your spouse, if filing a joint return) must have a valid SSN.

If you satisfy all 11 of these rules, fill out the EIC Worksheet in your tax form instructions to figure the amount of your credit.

For more information, see Pub. 596.

How Do I Figure My Earned Income?

When figuring your earned income for the EIC, you must know what counts as earned income as well as what doesn't count as earned income . Both categories of income are described below.

For purposes of the EIC, earned income generally includes the following.

Wages, salaries, tips, and other taxable employee pay.

Net earnings from self-employment.

Gross income received as a statutory employee.

Nontaxable combat zone pay if you elect to include it in earned income. See Can I treat my nontaxable combat zone pay as earned income? next.

You can elect to include your nontaxable combat zone pay in earned income for the EIC. If you make the election, you must include in earned income all nontaxable combat zone pay you received. If you are filing a joint return and both you and your spouse received nontaxable combat zone pay, you can each make your own election. In other words, if one of you makes the election, the other one can also make it but doesn't have to.

The amount of your nontaxable combat zone pay should be shown on your Form W-2 in box 12 with code Q. Electing to include nontaxable combat zone pay in earned income may increase or decrease your EIC.

Figure the credit with and without your nontaxable combat zone pay before making the election. Whether the election increases or decreases your EIC depends on your total earned income, filing status, and number of qualifying children. If your earned income without your combat zone pay is less than the amount shown below for your number of children, you may benefit from electing to include your nontaxable combat zone pay in earned income and you should figure the credit both ways. If your earned income without your combat zone pay is equal to or more than these amounts, you won't benefit from including your combat zone pay in your earned income.

$7,840 if you have no qualifying children.

$11,750 if you have one qualifying child.

$16,510 if you have two or more qualifying children.

The following examples illustrate the effect of including nontaxable combat zone pay in earned income for the EIC.

Example 1—Election increases the EIC.

Gray and Jaidyn are married, were born in 1988, and will file a joint return. They have one qualifying child. Gray was in the Army and earned $15,000 ($5,000 taxable wages + $10,000 nontaxable combat zone pay). Jaidyn worked part of the year and earned $2,000. Their taxable earned income and AGI are both $7,000. Gray and Jaidyn qualify for the EIC and fill out the EIC Worksheet in the Form 1040 instructions and Schedule EIC.

When they complete the EIC Worksheet without adding the nontaxable combat zone pay to their earned income, they find their credit to be $2,389. When they complete the EIC Worksheet with the nontaxable combat zone pay added to their earned income, they find their credit to be $3,584. Because making the election will increase their EIC, they elect to add the nontaxable combat zone pay to their earned income for the EIC. They enter $3,584 on line 27 and they enter $10,000 on line 1i of their Form 1040. They also enter the amount of their nontaxable pay and enter “NCP” in the space to the left of line 27 on Form 1040.

Example 2—Election doesn't increase the EIC.

The facts are the same as in Example 1 , except Gray had nontaxable combat pay of $30,000. When Gray and Jaidyn add their nontaxable combat pay to their earned income, they find their credit to be $1,771. Because the credit they can get if they don't add the nontaxable combat pay to their earned income is $2,389, they decide not to make the election. They enter $2,389 on line 27 of their Form 1040.

When figuring your earned income for purposes of the EIC, don't include any of these amounts.

Basic pay or special, bonus, or other incentive pay that is subject to the combat zone exclusion (unless you make the election described earlier under Can I treat my nontaxable combat zone pay as earned income ).

Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH).

Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS).

Any other nontaxable employee compensation.

Interest and dividends.

Social security and railroad retirement benefits.

Certain workfare payments.

Pensions or annuities.

Veterans' benefits (including VA rehabilitation payments).

Workers' compensation.

Unemployment compensation.

Alimony and child support.

There are certain instructions you must follow before the IRS can figure the credit for you. See IRS Will Figure the EIC for You in Pub. 596.

Credit for Excess Social Security Tax Withheld

Most employers must withhold social security tax from your wages. If you worked for two or more employers in 2023 and you earned more than $160,200, you may be able to take the credit for excess social security tax withheld. The maximum amount of social security tax that should have been withheld for 2023 is $9,932.40. You are eligible for the credit for excess social security tax withheld only if you had more than one employer. You should use the Credit for Excess Social Security Tax Withheld Worksheet to figure your credit.

If any one employer withheld more than $9,932.40 in social security taxes in 2023, you can't take a credit for the excess social security tax withheld over $9,932.40 by that employer. The employer should adjust the tax for you. If the employer doesn't adjust the overcollection, you can file a claim for refund using Form 843, Claim for Refund and Request for Abatement.

If you are filing a joint return, you can't add the social security tax withheld from your spouse's wages to the amount withheld from your wages in determining whether you or your spouse had excess social security tax withheld. You must figure the withholding separately for you and your spouse to determine if either of you has excess withholding.

You can use the Credit for Excess Social Security Tax Withheld Worksheet to figure your credit for excess social security tax withheld on wages in 2023 only if you had no wages in 2023 from employers that were railroads. If you worked for a railroad employer in 2023, see Do I figure my credit differently if I am a railroad employee? next.

Credit for Excess Social Security Tax Withheld Worksheet

If you work for a railroad employer, the discussion in this section doesn't apply to you. Your railroad employer must withhold tier 1 railroad retirement (RRTA) tax and tier 2 RRTA tax. See chapter 2 of Pub. 505 for more information.

Enter the credit on Schedule 3 (Form 1040), line 11.

If you claimed a first-time homebuyer tax credit for a home purchased after April 9, 2008, and before May 1, 2010, you must generally repay the first-time homebuyer credit over a 15-year period in 15 equal installments. For your 2023 (and later) tax returns, the repayment requirement will only apply to a home you bought during that time period.

For more information, see Form 5405, Repayment of the First-Time Homebuyer Credit, and its instructions.

Forgiveness of Decedent's Tax Liability

Tax liability can be forgiven if a member of the U.S. Armed Forces dies:

While in active service in a combat zone (see Combat Zone Related Forgiveness , later);

From wounds, disease, or injury received in a combat zone (see Combat Zone Related Forgiveness , later); or

From wounds or injury incurred in a terrorist or military action (see Terrorist or Military Action Related Forgiveness , later).

When there is tax forgiveness, the following occurs.

If the tax being forgiven hasn't yet been paid, it may not have to be paid.

If the tax being forgiven has been paid, the payment may be refunded.

Combat Zone Related Forgiveness

Combat zone related forgiveness occurs when an individual meets both of the following criteria.

Is a member of the U.S. Armed Forces at death.

Dies while in active service in a combat zone, or at any place from wounds, disease, or injury incurred while in active service in a combat zone.

Except as limited in Deadline for Filing a Claim for Tax Forgiveness , later, forgiveness applies to:

The tax year death occurred, and

Any earlier tax year ending on or after the first day the member served in the combat zone in active service.

In addition, any unpaid taxes for years ending before the member began service in a combat zone will be forgiven and any of those taxes that are paid after the date of death will be refunded.

The beneficiary or trustee of the estate of a deceased servicemember doesn't have to pay tax on any amount received that would have been included (had the servicemember not died) in the deceased member's gross income for the year of death.

These rules also apply to a member of the Armed Forces serving outside the combat zone if the service:

Was in direct support of military operations in the zone, and

Qualified the member for special military pay for duty subject to hostile fire or imminent danger.

The date of death for a member of the Armed Forces who was in a missing status (missing in action or prisoner of war) is the date his or her name is removed from missing status for military pay purposes. This is true even if death actually occurred earlier.

Terrorist or military action related forgiveness occurs when an individual meets both of the following criteria.

Dies from wounds or injury incurred while a member of the U.S. Armed Forces in a terrorist or military action.

Any earlier tax year in the period beginning with the year before the year in which the wounds or injury occurred.

Any multinational force in which the United States participates is considered an ally of the United States.

Army Private John Kane died in 2023 of wounds incurred in a terrorist attack in 2022. His income tax liability is forgiven for all tax years from 2021 through 2023.

How Do I Make a Claim for Tax Forgiveness?

How is tax forgiveness claimed.

If the decedent's tax liability is forgiven, the personal representative should take the following steps.

The form filed to claim the tax forgiveness depends on whether a return has already been filed for the tax year.

File a paper Form 1040 or 1040-SR if a tax return hasn't been filed for the tax year. Form W-2 must accompany the return.

File a paper Form 1040-X if a tax return has been filed. A separate paper Form 1040-X must be filed for each year in question.

Properly identify the return by providing the conflict or action on which the claim for tax forgiveness is based.

All returns and claims must be identified by writing “Iraqi Freedom—KIA,” “Enduring Freedom—KIA,” “Kosovo Operation—KIA,” “Desert Storm—KIA,” or “Former Yugoslavia—KIA” in bold letters on the top of page 1 of the return or claim.

On Forms 1040, 1040-SR, and 1040-X, the phrase “Iraqi Freedom—KIA,” “Enduring Freedom—KIA,” “Kosovo Operation—KIA,” “Desert Storm—KIA,” or “Former Yugoslavia—KIA” must be written on the line for total tax.

If the individual was killed in a terrorist action, write “KITA” on the front of the return and on the line for total tax.

Include an attachment with a computation of the decedent's tax liability before any amount is forgiven and the amount that is to be forgiven. For computations when the decedent has filed joint returns or the spouse has filed as married filing separately, see below.

Only the decedent's part of the joint income tax liability is eligible for the refund or tax forgiveness. To determine the decedent's part, the person filing the claim must:

Figure the income tax for which the decedent would have been liable if a separate return had been filed,

Figure the income tax for which the spouse would have been liable if a separate return had been filed, and

Multiply the joint tax liability by a fraction. The top number of the fraction is the amount in (1) above. The bottom number of the fraction is the total of (1) and (2) above.

If the decedent's legal residence was in a community property state and the spouse reported half the military pay on a separate return, the spouse can get a refund of taxes paid on his or her share of the pay for the years involved. The forgiveness of unpaid tax on the military pay would also apply to the half owed by the spouse for the years involved. See Community Property , earlier, for a discussion of community property.

Form 1310 must accompany the return unless the person filing the return is:

A surviving spouse filing an original or amended joint return, or

A personal representative filing an original Form 1040 or 1040-SR for the decedent and a court certificate showing the appointment as personal representative is attached to the return.

The death certification must come from the proper agency.

For military and civilian employees of the DoD, certification must be made by the Department on DD Form 1300, Report of Casualty.

For civilian employees of all other agencies who are killed overseas, certification must be a letter signed by the Director General of the Foreign Service, Department of State, or his or her delegate. The certification must include the deceased individual's name and SSN, the date of injury, the date of death, and a statement that the individual died as the result of a terrorist or military action. If the individual died as a result of a terrorist or military action outside the United States, the statement must also include the fact that the individual was a U.S. employee on the date of injury and on the date of death.

If the death certification required in Step 5 has been received but there isn't enough tax information to file a timely claim for refund, file Form 1040-X with Form 1310 by the deadline. Include a statement saying that an amended claim will be filed as soon as the necessary tax information is available. File the amended Form 1040-X as soon as you get the needed tax information.

If a member of the Armed Forces dies, a surviving spouse or personal representative handles duties such as filing any tax returns and claims for refund involving tax forgiveness. A personal representative can be an executor, an administrator, or anyone who is in charge of the decedent's assets.

Deadline for Filing a Claim for Tax Forgiveness

Whether a credit or refund is requested, generally, the period for filing the claim is 3 years from the time the return was filed or 2 years from the time the tax was paid, whichever expires later. If the decedent's return was filed before it was due, it will be considered filed on the regular due date , usually April 15.

If the death occurred in a combat zone or from wounds, disease, or injury incurred in a combat zone, the deadline for filing a claim for credit or refund is extended using the rules discussed later under Are There Filing, Tax Payment, and Other Extensions Specifically for Those in a Combat Zone or a Contingency Operation .

A return requesting tax forgiveness must be filed at the following address.

Filing Returns

This section discusses the procedures members of the Armed Forces should follow when filing their federal income tax returns. These same rules apply when the return is filed on behalf of a member of the Armed Forces, for example, by a tax preparer or by a surviving spouse or personal representative. Special rules apply when filing returns for those involved in a combat zone or a contingency operation. See Are There Filing, Tax Payment, and Other Extensions Specifically for Those in a Combat Zone or a Contingency Operation , later.

For federal tax purposes, marriages of couples of the same sex are treated the same as marriages of couples of the opposite sex. The term “spouse” includes an individual married to a person of the same sex. You must select married, or married filing separately, as your filing status.

If you have entered into a registered domestic partnership, a civil union, or other similar relationship that isn't considered a marriage under state (or foreign) law, you aren't considered married for federal tax purposes. You must select single (or head of household, if eligible) as your filing status. For more details, see Pub. 501.

Where To File My Return

Electronic filing ( e-filing ) of your tax return.

You are encouraged to e-file your return. Eight in 10 taxpayers get their refunds faster by using direct deposit and e-file . You may be eligible to e-file your 2023 federal income tax return free through Free File. Go to IRS.gov/Efile for more information on e-filing and Free File.

If you e-file your return, there is no need to mail it.

A tax return for forgiveness of decedent's tax liability , discussed earlier, must be filed on paper. For the address where those returns should be filed, see Where To File a Return Requesting Tax Forgiveness under Forgiveness of Decedent's Tax Liability , earlier.

If you choose to file a federal income tax return on paper and you aren't claiming tax forgiveness on the return, send your federal tax return to the Internal Revenue Service Center for the place where you live. The Instructions for Form 1040 give the address for the Service Centers. If you are overseas and have an APO or FPO address, file your return with the Internal Revenue Service Center listed for an APO or FPO address.

Sgt. Kane, who is stationed in Maine but whose permanent home address is in California, should send her federal return to the Service Center for Maine.

When To File My Return

Most individuals must file their tax returns by the regular due date . You may be eligible for an extension. Some extensions are automatic, some aren't. See Extensions of Deadlines To File Your Tax Return, To Pay Your Taxes, and for Other Actions , later.

For calendar-year taxpayers, the regular due date is April 15 of the following year. If April 15 falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, your tax return is considered timely filed if it is filed by the next business day that isn't a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday. For 2023 tax returns, the regular due date is April 15, 2024.

When Is the Latest I Can Pay My Tax?

You should always pay your tax by the regular due date for filing your return. An extension of time to file doesn't mean you have an extension of time to pay any tax due. You must estimate your tax due and pay it by the regular due date for the return unless you qualify for one of the extensions described in Can I delay my payment of income taxes? next. You don't have to send in any payment of tax due when you file Form 4868. However, if you pay the tax after the regular due date, you will be charged interest from the regular due date to the date the tax is paid. You may also be charged a penalty for paying the tax late unless you have an explanation meeting reasonable-cause criteria for not paying your tax when due. (If you have an explanation meeting the criteria for reasonable-cause, include it with your return.)

You can pay your taxes by authorizing an electronic funds withdrawal from your checking or savings account. For the various ways to electronically pay your taxes, see your tax return instructions or go to IRS.gov/Payments . Or you can mail a Form 1040-V with the payment. See Form 1040-V and its instructions at IRS.gov/Form1040V .

If you are a member of the Armed Forces, you may qualify for an extension of time to pay income tax that becomes due before or during your military service.

If you serve in a combat zone, have qualifying service outside a combat zone, or are outside the United States in a contingency operation, you may be eligible for the extension discussed in Are There Filing, Tax Payment, and Other Extensions Specifically for Those in a Combat Zone or a Contingency Operation , later.

If you don't meet the criteria detailed in Are There Filing, Tax Payment, and Other Extensions Specifically for Those in a Combat Zone or a Contingency Operation , you may still be able to extend the time to pay your tax. See Can I Get an Extension To Pay My Tax if I Am Not in a Combat Zone or a Contingency Operation , later.

Extensions of Deadlines To File Your Tax Return, To Pay Your Taxes, and for Other Actions

In this section, we discuss extensions of the deadlines for tax return filing, tax payments, and other actions. We discuss extensions related to combat zone service and contingency operations, and those not related to combat zone service and contingency operations.

Can I Get an Extension To File My Return if I Am Not in a Combat Zone or a Contingency Operation?

Are there filing, tax payment, and other extensions specifically for those in a combat zone or a contingency operation, can i get an extension to pay my tax if i am not in a combat zone or a contingency operation.

If you aren't in a combat zone or a contingency operation, you may still be eligible for an extension of time to file your return. Different rules apply depending on whether you live inside or outside the United States.

Getting an Extension if I Am Inside the United States

If you are inside the United States, you can receive an automatic 6-month extension to file your return by the regular due date of your return, you either file Form 4868 or pay any part of your expected tax due by credit or debit card. You can file Form 4868 electronically or on paper. See Form 4868 for details.

This extension of time to file is automatic, and you won't receive any notice of approval. However, your request for an extension will be denied if it isn't made timely. The IRS will inform you of the denial.

Enter the amount you paid with your request for the extension on Schedule 3 (Form 1040), line 10.

Getting an Extension if I Am Outside the United States and Puerto Rico

If you are outside the United States and Puerto Rico, there are two automatic extensions that apply to you and a third extension that is discretionary.

If you are a U.S. citizen or resident alien, you qualify for an automatic 2-month extension of time without filing Form 4868 if either of the following situations applies to you.

If you use this automatic extension, you must attach a statement to the return showing that you are described in Situation 1 or 2 above.

A married couple filing a joint return is given the automatic 2-month extension if one of the spouses met the requirement under Situation 1 or Situation 2 above.

For married persons filing separate returns, only the spouse who satisfies the criteria in Situation 1 or Situation 2 qualifies for the automatic 2-month extension.

You can request an additional 4-month extension by filing Form 4868 by June 15, 2024, for a 2023 calendar-year tax return. Check the box on line 8. This will extend your due date to October 15, 2024, if you are a calendar-year taxpayer.

In addition to the 6-month extension (automatic 2-month and additional automatic 4-month extensions), you can request a discretionary 2-month additional extension of time to file your return to December 15, 2024, if you are a calendar-year taxpayer.

To request this extension, you must send the IRS a letter explaining the reasons why you need the additional 2 months. Send the letter by the extended due date (October 15, 2024, if you are a calendar-year taxpayer) to the following address.

You won’t receive any notification from the IRS unless your request is denied.

The postponements for filing, tax payment, and the other actions listed in For Which Actions Are My Deadlines Extended , later, such as collection and examination actions, are specifically for persons in the Armed Forces in combat zones or contingency operations. As noted in some of our earlier discussions, these postponements are referred to as “extensions of deadlines.”

What Type of Service Will Qualify Me for These Extensions?

You will qualify for these extensions if either of the following statements is true.

You serve in the Armed Forces in a combat zone or you have qualifying service outside of a combat zone.

You serve in the Armed Forces on deployment outside the United States away from your permanent duty station while participating in a contingency operation. A contingency operation is a military operation that is designated by the Secretary of Defense or results in calling members of the uniformed services to active duty (or retains them on active duty) during a war or a national emergency declared by the President or Congress.

See Combat Zone Defined , earlier, under Combat Zone Exclusion , for the beginning dates for the Afghanistan area combat zone, the Kosovo area combat zone, the Arabian Peninsula combat zone, and the Sinai Peninsula, and the beginning and ending dates for the former Yugoslavia.

Time in a missing status (missing in action or prisoner of war) counts as time in a combat zone or a contingency operation.

Deadlines are also extended if you are serving in a combat zone or a contingency operation in support of the Armed Forces. This applies to Red Cross personnel, accredited correspondents, and civilian personnel acting under the direction of the Armed Forces in support of those forces.

Spouses of individuals who served in a combat zone or contingency operation are entitled to the same deadline extensions with two exceptions.

The extension doesn't apply to a spouse for any tax year beginning more than 2 years after the date the area ceases to be a combat zone or the operation ceases to be a contingency operation.

The extension doesn't apply to a spouse for any period the qualifying individual is hospitalized in the United States for injuries incurred in a combat zone or contingency operation.

How Much Extra Time Do These Extensions Give Me?

Your deadline for filing your return, paying your tax, claiming a refund, and taking other actions with the IRS is extended in two steps.

First, your deadline is extended for 180 days after the later of the following.

The last day you are in a combat zone, have qualifying service outside of the combat zone, or serve in a contingency operation (or the last day the area qualifies as a combat zone or the operation qualifies as a contingency operation).

The last day of any continuous qualified hospitalization (defined later) for injury from service in the combat zone or contingency operation or while performing qualifying service outside of the combat zone.

Second, in addition to the 180 days, your deadline is extended by the number of days that were left for you to take the action with the IRS when you entered a combat zone (or began performing qualifying service outside the combat zone) or began serving in a contingency operation. If you entered the combat zone or began serving in the contingency operation before the period of time to take the action began, your deadline is extended by the entire period of time you have to take the action. For example, you had 3½ months (January 1–April 15, 2023) to file your 2022 tax return. Any days of this 3½-month period that were left when you entered the combat zone (or the entire 3½ months if you entered the combat zone by January 1, 2023) are added to the 180 days when determining the last day allowed for filing your 2022 tax return.

Captain Margaret Jones, a resident of Maryland, entered Saudi Arabia on December 1, 2021. She remained there through March 31, 2023, when she departed for the United States. She wasn't injured and didn't return to the combat zone. The deadlines for filing Captain Jones' 2021, 2022, and 2023 returns are figured as follows.

You generally have 3 years from April 18, 2023, to file a claim for refund against your timely filed 2022 tax return. This means that your claim must normally be filed by April 20, 2026. However, if you serve in a combat zone from November 3, 2025, through March 23, 2026, and aren't injured, your deadline for filing that claim is extended 349 days (180 plus 169) after you leave the combat zone. This extends your deadline to April 5, 2027. The 169 additional days are the number of days in the 3-year period for filing the refund claim that were left when you entered the combat zone on November 3 (November 3, 2025–April 20, 2026).

The hospitalization must be the result of an injury received while serving in a combat zone or a contingency operation. Qualified hospitalization means:

Any hospitalization outside the United States, and

Up to 5 years of hospitalization in the United States.

Petty Officer Leonard Brown's ship entered the Persian Gulf on January 5, 2022. On February 15, 2022, Petty Officer Brown, a resident of Maryland, was injured and was flown to a U.S. hospital. He remained in the hospital through April 21, 2023. The deadlines for filing Petty Officer Brown's 2021, 2022, and 2023 returns are figured as follows.

The actions to which this deadline extension provision applies include:

Filing any return of income, estate, gift, employment, or excise tax;

Paying any income, estate, gift, employment, or excise tax;

Filing a petition with the Tax Court for redetermination of a deficiency, or for review of a Tax Court decision;

Filing a claim for credit or refund of any tax;

Bringing suit for any claim for credit or refund;

Making a qualified retirement contribution to an IRA;

Allowing a credit or refund of any tax by the IRS;

Assessment of any tax by the IRS;

Giving or making any notice or demand by the IRS for the payment of any tax, or for any liability for any tax;

Collection by the IRS of any tax due ( Note. As a result of section 309 of Public Law 114-113, item 2 under How Much Extra Time Do These Extensions Give Me , earlier, discussing continuous qualified hospitalization doesn't apply when figuring the period for the IRS to take collection actions for taxes, even those assessed before the law was enacted); and

Bringing suit by the United States for any tax due.

If the IRS takes any actions covered by these provisions or sends you a notice of examination before learning that you are entitled to an extension of the deadline, contact your legal assistance office. No penalties or interest will be imposed for failure to file a return or pay taxes during the extension period.

Other actions to which the deadline extension provision applies are listed in Revenue Procedure 2018-58, available at IRS.gov/irb/2018-50_IRB#RP-2018-58 .

If you are a member of the Armed Forces or a commissioned officer of the Public Health Service or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, you may qualify for an extension to pay (that is, defer or delay payment of) income tax that becomes due before or during your military service. To qualify, you must:

Be performing military service, and

Notify the IRS that your ability to pay the income tax has been materially affected by your military service (defined later).

You will then be allowed up to 180 days after termination or release from military service to pay the tax. If you pay the tax in full by the end of the extension period, you won't be charged interest or penalties for that period.

This exception doesn't apply to the employee's share of social security and Medicare taxes.

If a deferment is granted, the statutory collection period is suspended during your military service, plus an additional 270 days after the day following military service.

The term “military service” means the period beginning on the date on which you enter military service and ending on the date on which you are released from military service or die while in military service. If you are a member of the National Guard, your military service will include service meeting all three of the following criteria.

Under a call to active service authorized by the President or the Secretary of Defense.

For a period of more than 30 consecutive days under section 502(f) of title 32, United States Code.

For purposes of responding to a national emergency declared by the President and supported by federal funds.

If you have a current payment agreement (such as an installment agreement), you must make a written request for an extension of time to pay the tax to the IRS office where you have the agreement.

If you don't have a current payment agreement, you must wait until you receive a notice asking for payment before you request an extension of time to pay the tax. Once you have received a notice, you must make a written request for an extension of time to pay the tax to the IRS office that issued the notice.

In either case, your request must include:

Social security number,

Monthly income and source of income before military service,

Description and amount of expenses incurred because of military service if current monthly income is greater than monthly income before military service,

Current monthly income,

Military rank,

Date you entered military service, and

Date you are eligible for discharge.

The IRS will review your request and advise you in writing of its decision. Should you need further assistance, go to IRS.gov/UAC/Tax-Law-Questions for a wide selection of resources.

If the deferment is denied, no more than 6% interest (unless the applicable interest rate is below 6%) per year will be charged while you are in active military service. The reduced rate applies regardless of whether the military service materially affects your ability to pay. To substantiate the claim for reduced interest rate, you must provide the IRS a copy of your orders or reporting instructions detailing the call to military service. You must do so no later than 180 days after the date of your termination or release from military service.

Tax Returns of Aliens

For tax purposes, an alien is an individual who isn't a U.S. citizen. An alien is in one of the three categories discussed below: resident , nonresident , or dual-status . Placement in the correct category is crucial in determining what income to report and what forms to file.

Most members of the Armed Forces are U.S. citizens or resident aliens. Under peacetime enlistment rules, you generally can't enlist in the Armed Forces unless you are a citizen or have been legally admitted to the United States for permanent residence. If you are an alien enlistee in the Armed Forces, you are probably a resident alien. If, under an income tax treaty, you are considered a resident of a foreign country, see your base legal officer. Other aliens who are in the United States only because of military assignments and who have a home outside the United States are nonresident aliens. The U.S. territories have separate taxing rules. Residents of the U.S. territories should contact the applicable territory taxing authority with their questions.

If you have questions about your alien status or the alien status of your dependents or spouse, you should read the information in the following paragraphs and see Pub. 519.

Resident Aliens

Generally, resident aliens are taxed on their worldwide income and file the same tax forms as U.S. citizens.

You are considered a resident alien of the United States for tax purposes if you meet either the “green card test” or the “substantial presence test” for the calendar year (January 1–December 31).

If you do not meet either the green card test or the substantial presence test for the calendar year 2023, you may be able to choose to be treated as a U.S. resident for part of 2023 if you:

Did not meet either the green card test or the substantial presence test in 2022,

Did not choose to be treated as a resident for part of 2022, and

Meet the substantial presence test for 2024.

A nonresident alien spouse can be treated as a resident alien if all the following conditions are met.

One spouse is a U.S. citizen or resident alien at the end of the tax year.

That spouse is married to the nonresident alien at the end of the tax year.

You both choose to treat the nonresident alien spouse as a resident alien.

Both you and your spouse must sign a statement and attach it to your joint return for the first tax year for which the choice applies. Include in the statement:

A declaration that one spouse was a nonresident alien and the other was a U.S. citizen or resident alien on the last day of the year;

A declaration that both spouses choose to be treated as U.S. residents for the entire tax year; and

The name, address, and taxpayer identification number (SSN or ITIN) of each spouse. If the nonresident alien spouse isn't eligible to get an SSN, he or she should file Form W-7, Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. For more details regarding this statement and on making this election, see Nonresident Spouse Treated as a Resident in chapter 1 of Pub. 519.

Once you make this choice, it applies to all later years unless one of the following situations occurs.

You or your spouse revokes the choice.

You or your spouse dies.

You and your spouse become legally separated under a decree of divorce or separate maintenance.

The IRS ends the choice because you or your spouse kept inadequate records.

If the choice is ended for any of these reasons, neither spouse can make the choice for any later year.

If you and your nonresident alien spouse don't make this choice, the following restrictions apply.

You can't file a joint return. You can file as married filing separately, or head of household if you qualify.

The nonresident alien spouse generally doesn't have to file a federal income tax return if he or she had no income from sources in the United States. If the spouse has to file a return, see Nonresident Aliens below. The nonresident alien spouse isn't eligible for the EIC, the credit for the elderly or disabled, or any education credit if he or she has to file a return.

A similar choice is available if you are married at the end of the tax year and all of the following conditions are met.

The other spouse was a nonresident alien at the beginning of the tax year and is a resident alien at the end of the tax year (is a dual-status alien for the tax year).

You both choose to treat the other (dual-status) spouse as a resident alien.

If this choice is made, the dual-status alien spouse will be treated as a resident alien for the entire year. This choice applies only to the election year. See Nonresident Spouse Treated as a Resident in Pub. 519.

See What are the tax consequences of being a dual-status alien? below, and the Instructions for Form 1040-NR for more information.

Nonresident Aliens

You are a nonresident alien if you are an alien who doesn't meet the requirements discussed earlier for being classified as a resident alien.

If you are required to file a federal tax return, you must file Form 1040-NR, U.S. Nonresident Alien Income Tax Return. See the Instructions for Form 1040-NR for information on who must file and filing status.

If you are a nonresident alien, you must generally pay tax on income from conducting a trade or business in the United States or other income from sources in the United States. Your income from conducting a trade or business in the United States is taxed at graduated U.S. tax rates. Other income from U.S. sources is taxed at a flat 30% (or lower treaty) rate. For example, dividends from a U.S. corporation paid to a nonresident alien are generally subject to a 30% (or lower treaty) rate.

Dual-Status Aliens

You are a dual-status alien if you are both a nonresident and resident alien during the same tax year. This usually occurs in the year you arrive in or depart from the United States.

If you are a dual-status alien, you are taxed on income from all sources for the part of the year you are a resident alien. Generally, for the part of the year you are a nonresident alien, you are taxed only on income from sources in the United States. See the Instructions for Form 1040-NR for more information.

Signing Returns

Generally, you must sign your return. If you e-file your tax return, you must sign the return electronically using a personal identification number (PIN). If you are filing online using software, you must use a Self-Select PIN. If you are filing electronically using a tax practitioner, you can use a Self-Select PIN or a Practitioner PIN. See Electronic Return Signatures in your tax return instructions.

If you are overseas or incapacitated, you can grant a power of attorney to an agent to file and sign your return.

If you are acting on behalf of your spouse, see Do both my spouse and I have to sign our joint return , later.

A power of attorney can be granted by filing Form 2848. These forms are available at IRS.gov/Form2848 or at your nearest legal assistance office. While other power of attorney forms can be used, they must contain the information required by Form 2848.

In Part I of the form, you must indicate that you are granting the power to sign the return, the tax form number, and the tax year(s) for which the form is being filed. Attach the power of attorney to the tax return. Follow the Instructions for Form 2848 for properly completing the form.

Generally, joint returns must be signed by both spouses. However, when a spouse is overseas , in a combat zone , in a missing status , incapacitated , or deceased , one spouse may sign for the other when the conditions described below are met. Otherwise, a power of attorney may be needed.

If one spouse is overseas on military duty, there are two options when filing a joint return.

One spouse can prepare the return, sign it, and send it to the other spouse to sign early enough so that it can be filed by the due date.

The spouse who expects to be overseas on the due date of the return can file Form 2848 specifically designating that the spouse who remains in the United States can sign the return for the absent spouse.

If your spouse is unable to sign the return because he or she is serving in a combat zone or is performing qualifying service outside of a combat zone, and you don't have a power of attorney or other statement, you can sign for your spouse. Attach a signed statement to your return that explains that your spouse is serving in a combat zone.

The spouse of a member of the Armed Forces who is in a missing status in a combat zone can still file a joint return. A joint return can be filed for any year beginning not more than 2 years after the end of the combat zone activities. A joint return filed under these conditions is valid even if it is later determined that the missing spouse died before the year covered by the return.

If your spouse can't sign because of disease or injury and he or she tells you to sign, you can sign your spouse's name in the proper space on the return, followed by the words “by [your name], Husband (or Wife).” Be sure to sign your name in the space provided for your signature. Attach a dated statement, signed by you, to your return. The statement should include the form number of the return you are filing, the tax year, the reason your spouse couldn't sign, and that your spouse has agreed to your signing for him or her.

If one spouse died during the year and the surviving spouse didn't remarry before the end of the year, the surviving spouse can file a joint return for that year, writing in the signature area “Filing as surviving spouse.” If an executor or administrator has been appointed, both he or she and the surviving spouse must sign the return filed for the decedent.

How To Get Tax Help

If you have questions about a tax issue; need help preparing your tax return; or want to download free publications, forms, or instructions, go to IRS.gov to find resources that can help you right away.

After receiving all your wage and earnings statements (Forms W-2, W-2G, 1099-R, 1099-MISC, 1099-NEC, etc.); unemployment compensation statements (by mail or in a digital format) or other government payment statements (Form 1099-G); and interest, dividend, and retirement statements from banks and investment firms (Forms 1099), you have several options to choose from to prepare and file your tax return. You can prepare the tax return yourself, see if you qualify for free tax preparation, or hire a tax professional to prepare your return.

Your options for preparing and filing your return online or in your local community, if you qualify, include the following.

Free File. This program lets you prepare and file your federal individual income tax return for free using software or Free File Fillable Forms. However, state tax preparation may not be available through Free File. Go to IRS.gov/FreeFile to see if you qualify for free online federal tax preparation, e-filing, and direct deposit or payment options.

VITA. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax help to people with low-to-moderate incomes, persons with disabilities, and limited-English-speaking taxpayers who need help preparing their own tax returns. Go to IRS.gov/VITA , download the free IRS2Go app, or call 800-906-9887 for information on free tax return preparation.

TCE. The Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program offers free tax help for all taxpayers, particularly those who are 60 years of age and older. TCE volunteers specialize in answering questions about pensions and retirement-related issues unique to seniors. Go to IRS.gov/TCE or download the free IRS2Go app for information on free tax return preparation.

MilTax. Members of the U.S. Armed Forces and qualified veterans may use MilTax, a free tax service offered by the Department of Defense through Military OneSource. For more information, go to MilitaryOneSource ( MilitaryOneSource.mil/MilTax ).

Also, the IRS offers Free Fillable Forms, which can be completed online and then e-filed regardless of income.

Go to IRS.gov/Tools for the following.

The Earned Income Tax Credit Assistant ( IRS.gov/EITCAssistant ) determines if you’re eligible for the earned income credit (EIC).

The Online EIN Application ( IRS.gov/EIN ) helps you get an employer identification number (EIN) at no cost.

The Tax Withholding Estimator ( IRS.gov/W4App ) makes it easier for you to estimate the federal income tax you want your employer to withhold from your paycheck. This is tax withholding. See how your withholding affects your refund, take-home pay, or tax due.

The First-Time Homebuyer Credit Account Look-up ( IRS.gov/HomeBuyer ) tool provides information on your repayments and account balance.

The Sales Tax Deduction Calculator ( IRS.gov/SalesTax ) figures the amount you can claim if you itemize deductions on Schedule A (Form 1040).

IRS.gov/Help : A variety of tools to help you get answers to some of the most common tax questions.

IRS.gov/ITA : The Interactive Tax Assistant, a tool that will ask you questions and, based on your input, provide answers on a number of tax topics.

IRS.gov/Forms : Find forms, instructions, and publications. You will find details on the most recent tax changes and interactive links to help you find answers to your questions.

You may also be able to access tax information in your e-filing software.

There are various types of tax return preparers, including enrolled agents, certified public accountants (CPAs), accountants, and many others who don’t have professional credentials. If you choose to have someone prepare your tax return, choose that preparer wisely. A paid tax preparer is:

Primarily responsible for the overall substantive accuracy of your return,

Required to sign the return, and

Required to include their preparer tax identification number (PTIN).

The Social Security Administration (SSA) offers online service at SSA.gov/employer for fast, free, and secure W-2 filing options to CPAs, accountants, enrolled agents, and individuals who process Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, and Form W-2c, Corrected Wage and Tax Statement.

Go to IRS.gov/SocialMedia to see the various social media tools the IRS uses to share the latest information on tax changes, scam alerts, initiatives, products, and services. At the IRS, privacy and security are our highest priority. We use these tools to share public information with you. Don’t post your social security number (SSN) or other confidential information on social media sites. Always protect your identity when using any social networking site.

The following IRS YouTube channels provide short, informative videos on various tax-related topics in English, Spanish, and ASL.

Youtube.com/irsvideos .

Youtube.com/irsvideosmultilingua .

Youtube.com/irsvideosASL .

The IRS Video portal ( IRSVideos.gov ) contains video and audio presentations for individuals, small businesses, and tax professionals.

You can find information on IRS.gov/MyLanguage if English isn’t your native language.

The IRS is committed to serving taxpayers with limited-English proficiency (LEP) by offering OPI services. The OPI Service is a federally funded program and is available at Taxpayer Assistance Centers (TACs), most IRS offices, and every VITA/TCE tax return site. The OPI Service is accessible in more than 350 languages.

Taxpayers who need information about accessibility services can call 833-690-0598. The Accessibility Helpline can answer questions related to current and future accessibility products and services available in alternative media formats (for example, braille, large print, audio, etc.). The Accessibility Helpline does not have access to your IRS account. For help with tax law, refunds, or account-related issues, go to IRS.gov/LetUsHelp .

Form 9000, Alternative Media Preference, or Form 9000(SP) allows you to elect to receive certain types of written correspondence in the following formats.

Standard Print.

Large Print.

Audio (MP3).

Plain Text File (TXT).

Braille Ready File (BRF).

Go to IRS.gov/DisasterRelief to review the available disaster tax relief.

Go to IRS.gov/Forms to view, download, or print all the forms, instructions, and publications you may need. Or, you can go to IRS.gov/OrderForms to place an order.

Download and view most tax publications and instructions (including the Instructions for Form 1040) on mobile devices as eBooks at IRS.gov/eBooks .

IRS eBooks have been tested using Apple's iBooks for iPad. Our eBooks haven’t been tested on other dedicated eBook readers, and eBook functionality may not operate as intended.

Go to IRS.gov/Account to securely access information about your federal tax account.

View the amount you owe and a breakdown by tax year.

See payment plan details or apply for a new payment plan.

Make a payment or view 5 years of payment history and any pending or scheduled payments.

Access your tax records, including key data from your most recent tax return, and transcripts.

View digital copies of select notices from the IRS.

Approve or reject authorization requests from tax professionals.

View your address on file or manage your communication preferences.

With an online account, you can access a variety of information to help you during the filing season. You can get a transcript, review your most recently filed tax return, and get your adjusted gross income. Create or access your online account at IRS.gov/Account .

This tool lets your tax professional submit an authorization request to access your individual taxpayer IRS online account. For more information, go to IRS.gov/TaxProAccount .

The safest and easiest way to receive a tax refund is to e-file and choose direct deposit, which securely and electronically transfers your refund directly into your financial account. Direct deposit also avoids the possibility that your check could be lost, stolen, destroyed, or returned undeliverable to the IRS. Eight in 10 taxpayers use direct deposit to receive their refunds. If you don’t have a bank account, go to IRS.gov/DirectDeposit for more information on where to find a bank or credit union that can open an account online.

Tax-related identity theft happens when someone steals your personal information to commit tax fraud. Your taxes can be affected if your SSN is used to file a fraudulent return or to claim a refund or credit.

The IRS doesn’t initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text messages (including shortened links), telephone calls, or social media channels to request or verify personal or financial information. This includes requests for personal identification numbers (PINs), passwords, or similar information for credit cards, banks, or other financial accounts.

Go to IRS.gov/IdentityTheft , the IRS Identity Theft Central webpage, for information on identity theft and data security protection for taxpayers, tax professionals, and businesses. If your SSN has been lost or stolen or you suspect you’re a victim of tax-related identity theft, you can learn what steps you should take.

Get an Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN). IP PINs are six-digit numbers assigned to taxpayers to help prevent the misuse of their SSNs on fraudulent federal income tax returns. When you have an IP PIN, it prevents someone else from filing a tax return with your SSN. To learn more, go to IRS.gov/IPPIN .

Go to IRS.gov/Refunds .

Download the official IRS2Go app to your mobile device to check your refund status.

Call the automated refund hotline at 800-829-1954.

Payments of U.S. tax must be remitted to the IRS in U.S. dollars. Digital assets are not accepted. Go to IRS.gov/Payments for information on how to make a payment using any of the following options.

IRS Direct Pay : Pay your individual tax bill or estimated tax payment directly from your checking or savings account at no cost to you.

Debit Card, Credit Card, or Digital Wallet : Choose an approved payment processor to pay online or by phone.

Electronic Funds Withdrawal : Schedule a payment when filing your federal taxes using tax return preparation software or through a tax professional.

Electronic Federal Tax Payment System : Best option for businesses. Enrollment is required.

Check or Money Order : Mail your payment to the address listed on the notice or instructions.

Cash : You may be able to pay your taxes with cash at a participating retail store.

Same-Day Wire : You may be able to do same-day wire from your financial institution. Contact your financial institution for availability, cost, and time frames.

The IRS uses the latest encryption technology to ensure that the electronic payments you make online, by phone, or from a mobile device using the IRS2Go app are safe and secure. Paying electronically is quick, easy, and faster than mailing in a check or money order.

Go to IRS.gov/Payments for more information about your options.

Apply for an online payment agreement ( IRS.gov/OPA ) to meet your tax obligation in monthly installments if you can’t pay your taxes in full today. Once you complete the online process, you will receive immediate notification of whether your agreement has been approved.

Use the Offer in Compromise Pre-Qualifier to see if you can settle your tax debt for less than the full amount you owe. For more information on the Offer in Compromise program, go to IRS.gov/OIC .

Go to IRS.gov/Form1040X for information and updates.

Go to IRS.gov/WMAR to track the status of Form 1040-X amended returns.

Go to IRS.gov/Notices to find additional information about responding to an IRS notice or letter.

You can now upload responses to all notices and letters using the Document Upload Tool. For notices that require additional action, taxpayers will be redirected appropriately on IRS.gov to take further action. To learn more about the tool, go to IRS.gov/Upload .

You can use Schedule LEP (Form 1040), Request for Change in Language Preference, to state a preference to receive notices, letters, or other written communications from the IRS in an alternative language. You may not immediately receive written communications in the requested language. The IRS’s commitment to LEP taxpayers is part of a multi-year timeline that began providing translations in 2023. You will continue to receive communications, including notices and letters, in English until they are translated to your preferred language.

Keep in mind, many questions can be answered on IRS.gov without visiting a TAC. Go to IRS.gov/LetUsHelp for the topics people ask about most. If you still need help, TACs provide tax help when a tax issue can’t be handled online or by phone. All TACs now provide service by appointment, so you’ll know in advance that you can get the service you need without long wait times. Before you visit, go to IRS.gov/TACLocator to find the nearest TAC and to check hours, available services, and appointment options. Or, on the IRS2Go app, under the Stay Connected tab, choose the Contact Us option and click on “Local Offices.”

The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) Is Here To Help You

TAS is an independent organization within the IRS that helps taxpayers and protects taxpayer rights. TAS strives to ensure that every taxpayer is treated fairly and that you know and understand your rights under the Taxpayer Bill of Rights .

The Taxpayer Bill of Rights describes 10 basic rights that all taxpayers have when dealing with the IRS. Go to TaxpayerAdvocate.IRS.gov to help you understand what these rights mean to you and how they apply. These are your rights. Know them. Use them.

TAS can help you resolve problems that you can’t resolve with the IRS. And their service is free. If you qualify for their assistance, you will be assigned to one advocate who will work with you throughout the process and will do everything possible to resolve your issue. TAS can help you if:

Your problem is causing financial difficulty for you, your family, or your business;

You face (or your business is facing) an immediate threat of adverse action; or

You’ve tried repeatedly to contact the IRS but no one has responded, or the IRS hasn’t responded by the date promised.

TAS has offices in every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico . To find your advocate’s number:

Go to TaxpayerAdvocate.IRS.gov/Contact-Us ;

Download Pub. 1546, The Taxpayer Advocate Service Is Your Voice at the IRS, available at IRS.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1546.pdf ;

Call the IRS toll free at 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676) to order a copy of Pub. 1546;

Check your local directory; or

Call TAS toll free at 877-777-4778.

TAS works to resolve large-scale problems that affect many taxpayers. If you know of one of these broad issues, report it to TAS at IRS.gov/SAMS . Be sure to not include any personal taxpayer information.

LITCs are independent from the IRS and TAS. LITCs represent individuals whose income is below a certain level and who need to resolve tax problems with the IRS. LITCs can represent taxpayers in audits, appeals, and tax collection disputes before the IRS and in court. In addition, LITCs can provide information about taxpayer rights and responsibilities in different languages for individuals who speak English as a second language. Services are offered for free or a small fee. For more information or to find an LITC near you, go to the LITC page at TaxpayerAdvocate.IRS.gov/LITC or see IRS Pub. 4134, Low Income Taxpayer Clinic List , at IRS.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4134.pdf .

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PCS Advances, Entitlements and COVID 19 Stop Movement Guidance

Advances for active duty service members.

Advance travel payments may be authorized for the below entitlements if the Member is not a Government Travel Charge Card (GTCC) holder or an advance is not specifically prohibited in the orders.

If an Army member is a card holder, an advance travel payment may only be authorized for DLA. The GTCC must be used for all other PCS travel expenses. For additional information, please see this memo .

COVID 19 Stop Movement Guidance - click for info

Pcs entitlements for active military service members.

When completing a PCS move, you will in-process with your local pay office who will help answer any of your entitlement questions.

Monetary Allowance in Lieu of Transportation (MALT) Plus (Per Diem) Temporary Lodging Expense Dislocation Allowance Personally Procured Moves Dependent Travel   Advance Payments  

PCS Entitlements for Separating or Retiring Military Service Members

Monetary Allowance in Lieu of Transportation (MALT) Plus (Per Diem) Dependent Travel Personally Procured Moves (PPM) Advance Payments

Per Joint Travel Regulations (JTR) , we cannot process your travel voucher until the date you are placed on the retirement list or the discharge date on your military orders.  

Form Completion

Make sure your claim is complete and correct before you send it in!  If you include a valid e-mail address in box 6e of your DD1351-2, we will send you updates.  Don’t forget to keep a copy of your submission.

Follow these tips:

• Use SmartVoucher – This guides you step-by-step through a series of questions and upon completion, it will generate a completed DD Form 1351-2 travel voucher.
• Follow the How to Complete the DD1351-2 Guide
• Use the  Military Permanent Change of Station or Separating/ Retiring from the Military checklist to make sure you complete all the required information.
• Review your specific entitlement under the "PCS Entitlements" above.

Link here to access all the necessary forms for your Military PCS

ATTENTION customers submitting casualty PCS travel vouchers:

Submit your travel voucher packages to [email protected]

or mail to:      DFAS-IN/Casualty Travel (JFA)      8899 E. 56th St.      Indianapolis, IN  46249  

Have DTS questions? Click here

Deducting Reserve Expenses

• Post author By John Cooney, CFP®, EA
• Post date May 29, 2020

Understanding when you can deduct Reserve expenses

What is the regulation, what service members can claim the expense deduction.

• Test 1: Were you employed as an Armed Forces Reservist who traveled more than 100 miles from your tax home to complete Reserve related duty? (For IRS purposes, a Reservist is a member of the Military Reserves, National Guard, or Public Health Service)
• Test 2: Did you have job-related business expenses?
• Test 3: Are your deductible expenses more than the total of your reimbursements for those expenses?
• If you can answer yes to all three of these questions, then you are eligible to claim your expenses on your tax return.

What Expenses Can You Claim?

Vehicle expenses.

• If you regularly drive over 100 miles to your Battle Assembly, you can claim vehicle expenses
• The rate you can claim (For 2019) is 58 cents per mile driven
• 100 miles times .58 = $58
• $58 X 2 (round trip) = $116
• Alternatively, instead of claiming the miles, you do have the option to claim actual expenses
• For example, if you spent a total of $5,000 on vehicle expenses and the percentage of overall miles driven for reserve duty versus all miles driven is 1%, you could claim $50 as vehicle expenses for the year
• $5,000 times 1% = $50
• It is important to note that if you are using the standard mileage rate, you must do so in the first year you use the vehicle for reserve travel, you can always switch to the actual expense method in later years

Parking Fees, Tolls, and Transportation that didn’t Involve Overnight Travel

• If you drove to and from military duty on the same day without staying overnight, you can deduct parking fees, tolls, and transportation costs, to include train, bus, etc.

Travel Expenses for Overnight Stays

• These expenses include lodging, airfare, car rental, etc.
• Do not include meals in this category
• You can include incidental expenses, which covers items such as fees and tips; instead of tracking actual incidental expenses, you can use the alternate method of $5/day, but you can only use this alternate method if you are claiming no meal expenses for the same day
• You can deduct meal expenses for travel that keeps you away from your tax home overnight
• You can use actual expenses or claim the standard meal allowance, which for most locations is $51/day, but may change based on the specific location of duty
• Even if you are using the standard allowance, you still must keep records showing the time, place, and purpose of your travel
• For deduction purposes, you will be able to claim 50% of expenses related to qualified meals

How Do You Claim the Deduction?

• To claim the expenses on your tax return, you will need to file IRS Form 2106 with your return
• You will use Form 2106 to report your expenses, reimbursements, and to calculate the total amount you can deduct
• Once you or your tax preparer have completed Form 2106, it will give you a value that you can ultimately transfer to your 1040, reducing your tax liability for the year

Best Practices

• Trying to figure out your expenses for the previous year when you do your taxes will be a time consuming and frustrating experience
• To make this easy, you must build a process for tracking these expenses as you incur them, to help with this, I’ve shared a tracker that you can easily update and adapt to fit your specific needs here
• Document, document, document…keep your receipts, they are your way of proving to the IRS that you incurred them and that you are accurately reflecting them on your return
• For example, the mileage rate you can claim and be reimbursed for on your IDT local voucher is 17 cents per mile, in contrast with the 58 cents per mile you can claim on Form 2106
• You can’t “double-dip!” If the military reimburses you for those expenses, keep track of that as well as you will need to report the reimbursements on Form 2106

Deducting Reserve Expenses Example

Do you have questions about your reserve pay expense deductibility contact one of our advisors for a free consultation, contact an advisor.

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The Complete Guide to Hotels with a Military Discount

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Traveling can be expensive, especially when you factor in the cost of transportation, food and lodging. Add to this that saving for a vacation can become overwhelming. One silver lining for those in the armed forces: There are many military discount hotel offerings.

This includes options from major chains, such as Marriott and Hilton, as well as dedicated websites that’ll save you money. Let’s take a look at what hotels with military discounts are out there.

Are there military discounted hotels?

Yes, there are several options when it comes to hotels with military discounts.

Most major hotel chains will either specify a percentage discount. For example, Wyndham’s is up to 15%. Others will allow members to search online for discounted rates. For instance, both Hilton and Marriott’s military discount allows this.

» Learn more: Allegiant is the absolute best airline for veterans

Hotels with military discounts

Most hotel chains will offer a military discount of some type.

Best Western.

Choice Hotels.

Caesars Resorts.

Extended Stay America.

MGM Resorts.

Red Roof Inn.

Searching for discounts is usually simple. You’ll simply want to navigate to the hotel’s website and look for the military rate in the search bar.

Military members can get the annual fee waived on The Platinum Card® from American Express . This gets active duty members access to even more luxe travel benefits, including lounges. Terms apply.

Marriott, for example, has a drop-down that lets you select pricing for members of the government and military.

You’ll want to look carefully at the rules for the military rate you choose. Some are available only to those traveling on orders.

Others apply specifically to active duty service members and aren’t valid for use by veterans. You’ll generally be asked to provide identification when you check in to verify your eligibility for the rate.

» Learn more: Military travel discounts you won’t want to miss

Other discount hotels for military

If you’re not particularly loyal to one hotel chain, it may instead make sense for you to book alternative vacation accommodations. These include hotels, resorts and even vacation rentals.

American Forces Travel

Only available to active duty military, guard, reserve, retired military and those with Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) privileges, American Forces Travel allows you to search for a variety of hotels at once.

This is a useful option if you’re looking for military discount hotels near you and want to see what’s available.

You’ll need to verify your eligibility before entering the site, which is done using your social security number. Once in, you can book hotels, rental cars, flights, cruises, event tickets and more at specially negotiated rates.

Armed Forces Vacation Club

The Armed Forces Vacation Club allows active duty military and veterans to book resorts and cruises for deeply discounted rates. It’s free, but the best discounts are offered to those who sign up for their premium membership.

How good are the deals? Think “a week in a two-bedroom condo at a resort in the Bahamas for $409” good. There are some limitations around dates, but if you’re flexible this can be a great deal.

Hotels.com is an online travel agency that, like American Forces Travel, allows you to search for a wide variety of hotels at once. Hotels.com uses ID.Me to verify your military status. Once you’re registered, you’ll score an 8% discount on all your hotel bookings.

» Learn more: 0% APR and waived fees: Credit card benefits for active duty military

Hotels for military only

You’ve probably heard of those much-lauded military resorts in the Alps, Hawaii and even South Korea. If not, let’s talk about them, plus other options for properties catering specifically to military members.

Base hotels

Nearly all military bases offer hotels for service members. Although priority is usually given to those who are moving or Temporary Duty Station (TDY), you can still book rooms for other reasons.

This can be especially good at some awesomely located bases, such as Naval Base Coronado in San Diego, California. It hosts the Navy Lodge North Island, which sits beachfront on one of California’s best coasts.

You can also check MWR listings for local resorts, cottages and cabins. Naval Base Coronado, for example, also offers 20 two-bedroom beach cottages for rent.

Pointes West Army Resort is another option. Located lakefront in Appling, Georgia, this resort rents out three-bedroom cabins for just $125 per night.

» Learn more: Best credit cards for active-duty military

Armed Forces Recreation Center resorts

The MWR maintains four distinct resorts only available to members of the military. All active duty service members qualify to book these properties, as do retirees and certain eligible veterans.

Dragon Hill Lodge : Located in Seoul, South Korea. 

Edelweiss Lodge and Resort : Located in Garmisch, Germany.

Shades of Green at Walt Disney World Resort : Located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Hale Koa Hotel : Located in Honolulu, Hawaii.  

Availability and rates for these resorts will depend on where you’re staying, so it’s best to check out the Armed Forces Recreation Center website for booking options.

Both Shades of Green and the Hale Koa Hotel are available to veterans with service-connected disabilities under the Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act of 2018.

Military discount hotel options recapped

If you’re a member of the armed forces and want to travel, you’ll be glad to know that there are plenty of military discounts on offer. These include savings at big hotel chains such as Hyatt, Hilton and Marriott.

However, you’re also entitled to specialty discounts — and even exclusive resorts — as a service member. Do yourself a favor and check out all available options, crunch the numbers and then enjoy your savings as you sip a strawberry daiquiri in your beachfront accommodations.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

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