Pre-Deployment Tips

You can take steps to protect your finances and credit while you’re protecting our country. Before you ship out on a military deployment, read these tips and talk with your family.

Get your financial house in order

Make sure your financial records are accurate and up-to-date. This means giving your husband or wife (who will be paying the bills for the next several months) all bank account and credit card numbers, a record of assets and outstanding debts, a list of typical expenses such as rent and utilities, and all phone numbers and addresses necessary for dealing with financial matters.

Consider granting a power of attorney

Granting a power of attorney to your spouse or another trusted family member will allow that person to handle financial matters in your absence. They’ll have the legal right to sign important papers and take other actions on your behalf. Military installation legal assistance offices can help service men and women set up a power of attorney.

Power of attorney gives the person considerable authority to spend your money and take on new debt in your name. If you aren’t comfortable granting that much control, the power of attorney can be limited to a specific area of your financial affairs. It can also be limited to a certain period of time. A limited power of attorney can be revoked by you at any time by filing notice with the county Register of Deeds.

Take care of taxes

Before deployment, decide how your taxes will be filed and who will file them. If your spouse will be taking on tax duty for the first time, make sure he or she has all necessary documents. The IRS also allows military personnel to file for an extension by using Form 2350.

Watch out for scams

Military spouses should be especially careful while their husband or wife is away on active duty. Beware of work-from-home scams and home repair scams. If you think that you have been hit by a scam, contact NC Attorney General Josh Stein’s office at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.

Guard your identity

There’s another threat that you may face while serving your country—the threat of identity theft. The risk of ID theft can be higher while you’re on active duty because it can be more difficult to watch over your credit. Take steps to protect your identity, like getting a free security freeze. A security freeze stops credit reporting agencies from releasing any information about you to new creditors without your approval. That can stop identity thieves from getting new credit in your name. An active duty alert is another way of getting protection against ID theft while you are away from your usual duty station.

Know your rights as a renter

State law sets a limit on the amount of rent owed by military personnel who end their leases early because of premature or involuntary discharge, or due to a permanent change in duty station that requires a move of more than 50 miles. Under the law, military personnel can break their lease by giving written notice to their landlord at least 30 days in advance of their move date. The notice must include a copy of their official military orders or a written verification signed by a commanding officer.