Troops deployed to combat zones now can apply for tax refunds based on earned income tax credits and additional-child tax credits, explained Army Lt. Col. Janet Fenton, executive director of the Armed Forces Tax Council. The earned income credit, Fenton explained, primarily involves lower-income filers with children. The additional-child tax credit, she added, may provide refunds for children under age 17. Service members who want to apply for the credit refunds must file a federal tax return, Fenton noted. Enlisted troops serving in combat areas already have all of their military pay excluded from federal taxes, Fenton pointed out, while officers in combat zones can exclude up to $6,529 of their monthly pay.