Free, plain-English guides to the tax rules that matter to active duty, National Guard and Reserve, and veterans, each tied to an official source.
Pick your component below, or jump to the free reservist travel calculator.
Pick the page that matches your service status. Each hub lists the rules that apply to you, the official source behind each one, and the guides that go deeper.
Tax rules for service members on active duty, with each claim tied to IRS Publication 3.
Drive more than 100 miles to drill? The travel deduction survived the 2017 tax law and works without itemizing.
What follows you after service, each with its official source.
For National Guard and Reserve members who travel more than 100 miles from home for duty. Free, runs in your browser, nothing is sent to us.
Enter the totals for the tax year. Amounts are capped at the federal per diem rate for your duty location — look yours up free at GSA.gov. Defaults below use the standard CONUS rate. We don't sell your data.
Meals are limited to 50% per IRS rules. Your actual savings depend on your full return. This is an estimate — see the disclaimer below.
After you have your numbers, you still have to file them. FreeTaxUSA is the one filing service this site is an affiliate of, and the link in this box is an affiliate link. The disclosure sits directly above it, and nothing on this site depends on your using it.
Free federal filing that supports Form 2106 / Schedule 1 adjustments, so you can claim the deduction you just calculated. Budget-friendly for active duty, Guard and Reserve members, and veterans. FreeTaxUSA lists Form 2106 and the reservist travel deduction on its military page.
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Claim your deduction — free federal filing →Four numbers worth knowing, each from an official source. Your own savings depend on your tax bracket, so use the calculator above for the reservist deduction.
Reviewed weekly. Each item on the news page shows the date it was checked against its primary source.
Not sure which hub you need? These pages answer the questions we hear most. Every guide links its IRS or agency source, and the full list is on the all guides page.
IRS Publication 3 covers the PCS moving expense deduction (Form 3903), the combat zone exclusion, the election to include nontaxable combat pay for the Earned Income Tax Credit, and Roth TSP. MilTax offers free filing software and support for the military.
Yes. A member of a reserve component who travels more than 100 miles from home overnight for reserve duty can deduct unreimbursed travel on Form 2106 and Schedule 1, line 12, whether or not they itemize. Use the calculator on this page.
No. IRS Publication 525 says not to include in income any veterans' benefits paid under any law administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and lists disability compensation and pension payments for disabilities among the amounts that are not taxable.
Military OneSource says MilTax software and expert consultations are free for active-duty service members, eligible family members, survivors and recent veterans up to 365 days from their separation or retirement date. FreeTaxUSA, the filing service this site is an affiliate of, offers free federal filing.
Every rule starts from the agency that sets it: IRS Publication 3, Publication 525, Publication 596, Military OneSource, GSA per diem rates and the VA. The full list is on our sources page; the editorial policy explains how pages are written and corrected.
Each page here is built from the primary source for its topic: IRS publications and instructions for tax rules, GSA for per diem, DFAS for pay, Military OneSource for MilTax and the VA for veterans' benefits. Figures are checked against the current published source and dated on the page, so you can see when a number was last confirmed. Examples use invented people and are labeled that way. The sources page collects the references, and the editorial policy describes how corrections are made.
Last updated: October 21, 2026. Tax law and rates change, so confirm current figures with the IRS before you file.