The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) office is up and running on NAS Whidbey Island and as many as 11 volunteers are ready to help active duty Sailors, dependents, family members and retirees with their taxes until April 18.

Tax preparation is completely free and filed online so that Sailors can get their returns within two weeks.

Since it has opened its office on Jan. 18, the volunteers staffing VITA have helped about 1,200 people said Senior Chief Air Traffic Controller Chris Williams, Navy site coordinator of the VITA office. He anticipates VITA will help well over 2,000 people by April 18.

Williams, who has helped young Sailors of 18 years old along with a retired chief’s widow of 82, said it feels good to help out people as well as to save them some money. On average, he said people paid income tax preparers $130.

“Some people are working multiple jobs what with the economy like it is and with paid preparers charging $25 per W-2, that’s a lot for someone,” Williams said. “We also get Sailors coming in after trying to do taxes online without success. They call us up and say, ‘OK, I’m crying uncle here,’ and we help them out also.”

The other element that is indispensable to VITA, Williams said, is retired volunteers.

“They are the cornerstone and retired Navy officers Roger Pierce, Tom Glenn, Tom Ford have been here right from the start. Roger Pierce is our IRS expert,” Williams said. Pierce has been preparing tax returns for 10 years, six professionally and four as a VITA volunteer.

All the volunteers at professionally trained by the IRS and are certified tax preparers.

The VITA volunteers are available Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. They are located in the base Navy Operational Support Center (building 2793) or call them at 257-5952.