Ask a CPA

The Reserve Officers' Training Corps. (ROTC) provides students with money for college. Generally, the arrangement is, in exchange for the college education, the student must make a commitment to join the armed services after graduation. After graduation, students become commissioned officers in the Marine Corps, Army, Navy or Air Force. ROTC scholarships pay for tuition, fees and books for all four years of college. Lesser programs are available for students who want to make lesser commitments.

Veteran status is needed for Federal financial aid purposes when determining dependency status. A veteran is a former member of the US Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines or Coast Guard) who served on active duty and was discharged other than dishonorably, meaning: received an honorable or medical discharge. You are a veteran even if you serve just one day on active duty, (not active duty for training before receiving your DD-214 and formal discharge papers). In order for a veteran to be eligible for VA educational benefits, they must have served for more than 180 consecutive days on active duty before receiving an honorable discharge. There are exceptions for participation in Desert Storm/Desert Shield and other military campaigns.) ROTC students, members of the National Guard, and most reservists are not considered veterans. Since the 1995-96 academic year, a person who was discharged other than dishonorably from one of the military service academies (the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the Naval Academy at Annapolis, the Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs or the Coast Guard Academy at New London) is considered a veteran for financial aid purposes. Cadets and midshipmen who are still enrolled in one of the military service academies, however, are not considered veterans. According to the US Department of Education's Action Letter #6 (February 1996), "a student who enrolls in a service academy, but who withdraws before graduating, is considered a veteran for purposes of determining dependency status". Having a DD-214 does not necessarily mean that you are a veteran for financial aid purposes. As noted above, you must have served on active duty and received an honorable discharge.

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Yes, Each of you qualifies for the income tax exclusion for your respective military pay.

If your total assets at the end of the year is less than $10 million and Schedule M-3 is not filed Mail return to Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Cincinnati OH 45999. If your total assets at the end of the year is more than $10 million and Schedule M-3 is filed Mail return to Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Ogden, UT 84201 Form 1065, less than $10 Million -Dept of the Treasury, IRS, Cincinnati OH 45999-0011- Form 1065, $10 Million or more-Dept of the Treasury, IRS, Ogden, UT 84201-0011

If you are not electronically filing and if you are filing and not enclosing a check or money order then file at the IRS Center Fresno CA 93888-0002: if you are filing and enclosing a check or money order then the address is IRS Center PO Box 802501 Cincinnati OH 45280-2501

Yes. The combat zone includes the airspace over it, so you are serving in the combat zone. See Q&A-2 above for a discussion of the amount of your military pay that is excluded.

Yes, if you serve in a combat zone as an enlisted person or as a warrant officer (including commissioned warrant officers) for any part of a month, all your military pay received for military service that month is excluded from gross income. For commissioned officers, the monthly exclusion is capped at the highest enlisted pay, plus any hostile fire or imminent danger pay received.

Your service branch must certify your entitlement on the Form W-2 it provides you. If you believe you are entitled to the exclusion, but it is not reflected on your Form W-2, ask your service branch to issue a corrected Form W-2.