Information Overkill

Tax time. Those two words are enough to bring a grown man simpering to his knees. And not in the good way either.
Imagine what those two words do to a single mom who had a bunch of changes happen last year........

Changes like; bought a house, took on a second job, had 2 kids graduate high school, one went to college, another child turn the dreaded 17.

I bought stock and sold it, then bought it again. I had a 401K.... And a few other little details.

Details that added up to a very uneasy feeling about where I stood with my taxes. If I have one weakness, government forms that involved accounting jargon would be it. Show me a 1040 and watch me dumb up.

I'm good on the name, rank, serial...er Social Security number part. But after that, it starts to get blurry. Questions like 'Earned Income Credit.' huh? I did earn an income, am I getting like brownie points for it? Alternative minimum tax.... This sounds good... I mean....minimum tax is good, right? Right?

And I don't have a clue as to what to do with the "additional child tax credit" question. But I'm thinking if it has anything to do with having another baby, I'll be avoiding that line all together. Oh yea.

So... I spent all day Sunday going thru the piles of paperwork that I've meant to file one day.... and I pulled out all the 'legal' looking papers I could find. I heard somewhere(?) that I could deduct something something when I closed on my house, so I grabbed the mortgage statements, closing documents, W2's, 1099's, year end bank statements, Son#2'sW2's, car information, and anything else that just plain looked legaleze with year end numbers and went to see a tax professional. Oh ya.. information overkill.

Two hours later, and $200 poorer (for the moment), I had my taxes filed and the HUGE relief that I was in for a refund. I specifically made sure that we checked the box that said "If we're wrong, XX Company will discuss the return with the IRS ." For an extra $27.00, of course.

Now, I've spoken with the IRS, personally. A few times. And live to tell about it, but frankly, I'd have paid $27 hundred bucks to somebody to do that for me. Sigh... I still won't rest easy til the money is in the bank.

But that was just the best $200 I've spent in a long time.