Tax Complexities For Seniors

[TXGunNut]

Just finished my third (and final!) tax return for the year and I think my BP will return to normal in a week or two. The one I just finished was for my mom. Won't go into specifics but I've spent hours locating and reading complex instructions; filling out worksheets; locating, populating and printing forms and another hour or so re-checking my calculations and re-reading all the complex instructions to make sure I understood them. That was on top of gathering all the pertinent data. In the end, only a very few numbers really mattered. All the other hoops were simply there to jump thru. Some larger print would have been nice.
It's a good thing her generation was better at math and reading comprehension than mine. Next generation better hit the books! Does it really have to be that complex? To make it all worse my new(ish) netbook and existing printer don't get along and my old laptop has developed a knack for aggravating me.
Rant over. I'm going to town to see my mom.:bigsmyl2:

[edler7]

I took the easy way out and married a woman who's daughter is a tax accountant. :mrgreen:

What frustrates me is I know those words are English, and I know what they mean...but when I put them together they are nothing but gobbeltygook. They make absolutely no sense to me. I can do the math if I could figure out what they wanted.

[MtGun44]

Strongly recommend TurboTax. Just answer questions and it will walk you
through it. My MIL was a professional tax preparer and my wife learned from
her. . . . . . and we switched to TurboTax years ago. Almost always save money
over doing it by hand, too.

[Blacksmith]

My favorite rant is every instruction refers to some other form number or instruction book none of which are readily available, to me being "online" doesn't count. Some IRS books are now available "online" only, Publication #17 for example, does that mean the government will buy me a computer or pay for my internet connection so I can complete my taxes? I started ordering printed copies from the government of things I might need based on the title in January added more as I saw additional references and did not receive everything, many of which I did not need, until after my taxes were already filed. At least now I have plenty of paper for starting fires.

[725]

The tax code is for the benefit of politicians. The buy their friends with tax breaks (our money) and stick it to the rest of us. Makes me so mad I can't stand to do the taxes. I leave it to the wife. She's learned that the less I know the easier it is to live with me. Poor girl.

[KAF]

EZ taxes...Any kind of income, gov supplied or earned....$00000 x .15= tax liability done

[MT Gianni]

Another Turbo Tax user for federal returns. State of MT has a free site, IMO all should have a free elec return.

[Charley]

Used H&R Block's software this year, works decently. One son is in the investment/financial business (American Funds), and one works for the IRS. Taxes weren't tough to figure, just no fun to cut the check to pay them. As for state taxes, move to Texas (not really, we have enough foreigners), or Florida. I'd rather pay a consumption tax (sales tax) than an income tax.

[rr2241tx]

TX, I feel your pain! Between the Infernal Revenue Disservice and the accountant there's a lot of days I get to work for free each year. Don't understand why I don't get to count that as charity donation. Looks like if you use TurboTax you can pay your taxes or not pay your taxes as you see fit and still be eligible to hold a cabinet level government job, so I've been thinking I'd make a pretty good Secretary of the Army. I mean, I like guns and all. Plus, I'm completely unqualified!

[TXGunNut]

I've done TurboTax and H&R Block, like them both. Just feel better muddling thru on hers, data gathering is generally the hardest part. It just ticks me off to spend over an hour chasing down, downloading and reading (and re-reading, and re-reading) all the instructions to fill out a form that has no impact on the end result.
Mailed her return and mine today and heard something pretty funny from the lady behind the counter. Seems the PO where I conduct my daytime business is changing to a new computer system tomorrow! Silly twit who picked that date needs to be behind the counter tomorrow when all the folks show up to mail their tax returns "certified" like my accountant taught me to do.
And no, you can't ask why this accountant doesn't do my mom's taxes, lol.