I am a contractor working for the U.S. Military in Afghanistan and I've been here since Feb of 2009. I have reviewed the sections of the tax code that pertain to my status and discovered that I am eligible for an automatic two month extension without penalty provided I supply the IRS with supporting documentation. I have been told by some of my co-workers that I can also take advantage of the provision for active duty military who are deployed to hostile fire zones that gives them a 180 grace period, beginning on the date of my return to CONUS, and that this provision is also free of penalty except for a single fee of $67. Am I, in fact, eligible for this provision seeing as though I am contracted to the military, but not an active duty military member?