A taxing experience
Why, oh, why does the government put us through this every year?
Well, I just finished doing Pat’s and my taxes for 2006. The process was complicated by the fact that the computer upon which we were running the tax-filing software crashed last night. We had completed and printed out Tadpole’s returns, but not ours. So I spent most of today with a pencil and calculator grinding through the numbers. There were two forms that we needed but the library where Pat picked up forms didn’t have, so we had to go to the big IRS office – fortunately, it’s not too far from where I work – to get those forms.
Matters were complicated further by Pat’s employer, who mysteriously placed $60 worth of dependent-care benefits that he didn’t know about on his W-2 form. Since we no longer even have an eligible dependent for the purposes of paying for care, that was an added bit of frustration. Finally, on one of the forms we had picked up at the IRS office was the information about how to treat that number – we add it in one place, and then we subtract it in another as a benefit that was forfeited or deferred.
Now, at least the numbers that I get on the tax forms, both state and federal, are the same as the computer had before it crashed. This is good news.
Oh, and there was yet another complication – I had hoped to find some way to revive the computer, but that was out of the question because the power was out. The power company said it would be restored sometime between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., so it should be back by the time I get home. Meanwhile, I’ve been at the office all afternoon.
Anyhow, I’m now longing for some Maalox.
Well, I just finished doing Pat’s and my taxes for 2006. The process was complicated by the fact that the computer upon which we were running the tax-filing software crashed last night. We had completed and printed out Tadpole’s returns, but not ours. So I spent most of today with a pencil and calculator grinding through the numbers. There were two forms that we needed but the library where Pat picked up forms didn’t have, so we had to go to the big IRS office – fortunately, it’s not too far from where I work – to get those forms.
Matters were complicated further by Pat’s employer, who mysteriously placed $60 worth of dependent-care benefits that he didn’t know about on his W-2 form. Since we no longer even have an eligible dependent for the purposes of paying for care, that was an added bit of frustration. Finally, on one of the forms we had picked up at the IRS office was the information about how to treat that number – we add it in one place, and then we subtract it in another as a benefit that was forfeited or deferred.
Now, at least the numbers that I get on the tax forms, both state and federal, are the same as the computer had before it crashed. This is good news.
Oh, and there was yet another complication – I had hoped to find some way to revive the computer, but that was out of the question because the power was out. The power company said it would be restored sometime between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., so it should be back by the time I get home. Meanwhile, I’ve been at the office all afternoon.
Anyhow, I’m now longing for some Maalox.
posted by Carol Anne | 5:47 PM
2 Comments:
Update: Pat called to say the power was back on, and he and Tadpole had managed to get the computer working. This means all the work I did today has just duplicated what the computer did.
Now in addition to Maalox, I think I want some Advil too.
Murphy's Law says that the computer would start working perfectly as soon as you finished it.
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