Yes, this post is about taxes. Yes, it's a lame pun. But you love it. You do. Don't you?
I have not looked at the Goofy household's taxes yet. Yes, I'm fully aware that it's April 1st. 14 days left.
About two months ago, I mustered up the energy to put all the tax-related documents in one big pile on my home office desk. I think there is a thin layer of dust on that pile now, 'cause I haven't touched it since.
I used to LOVE to do taxes. The more complicated, the better. Selling stock? Cool. Short-term or long-term? Self-employed. Neato. Let's find some good deductions for the Schedule C. There was one year where I had Schedules A through D, along with my 1040. I was so proud to have figured them all out as I added extra postage to mail the "book" that the Goofy tax return.
This changed a few years ago when a good friend got a job at H&R Block, doing taxes. She was allowed to do some tax returns for free, to keep her skills up (and I assume get her friends hooked on the Block system). She did this for two years, then this past fall, she quit.
Arg! I have to remember how to do taxes again. Now I am cursing the home-based business, the two partnerships, the stock sales, the 1099 issues. I refuse to have someone do them for me. I know how to do them myself, and it seems ridiculous to me to PAY someone to do something it...especially since my return at Block would have cost about $500, was I paying.
So wish me luck as I venture forth to into familiar, yet scary territory. Hopefully I will emerge with little or no mortal wounds.
2 comments:
Um, you ARE at least using one of the on-line programs, right? Block's is very good and the McRancid household uses TurboTax. You'd be fine with either one.
I just gather all my business paperwork into one envelope, my personal paperwork into another envelope and dump them at my accountant's office. It costs about as much as H&R Block (and tax preparation expenses are deductible, incidentally) and I don't have to sit there while someone laboriously enters everything. If I've missed something, she calls and asks for it. Easy peasy!
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