Every year when the taxman cometh once again, and I always felt like an April fool. Next Tuesday it is time to pay our income taxes once again, and every year I say I am going to do my own taxes. I usually put it off and put it off, and then I find myself crunching numbers and realizing that I better just take everything to the accountant because I don't have the time or energy to get it done by tax day.
Surprising Myself
This year I surprised myself and resolved to do my own taxes, and I was going to do it early for a change. Besides saving the accountant's fee – I mean, doing taxes is a poor excuse for picking a man's pocket every 15th of April – I was going to use an online program instead of filling out paper forms. This way I could finish everything and submit the forms electronically.
Following My Father's Lead
I remember my father sitting at his desk in his home office with tax forms all over the place, hunkering down and doing his taxes under the light of his green banker's lamp. No one dare go near that room as he kept tapping numbers into his calculator while mumbling under his breath.
As I got older and had to do my own taxes, I would sit with my father, and he would help me fill out the forms. As a student with a part time job, my taxes were fairly easy to do. But, as the years passed, and I eventually had a family and a full time job, things got more complicated. More forms were required, more time was expended, and the idea of going to an accountant seemed like an easy way out albeit an expensive one.
I Take a Stand
So, this year I took a stand and changed things. Once I had received all my tax documents – either by mail or online – I sat down at my laptop and got to work. I don't want this to be an advertisement for any one tax service, and I'm certain you are aware of the famous ones like H & R Block and Turbo Tax. There are many others out there as well and even free options. Even the ones that you have to pay a fee for are considerably cheaper than the old accountant. I suggest that you check them out and find one that works best for you.
Remarkably Easy
I found the service I chose to be remarkably easy. The reason why I went to the accountant in the first place was because I was daunted by having the right forms and filling them all in and using a calculator. Doing my taxes online was a revelation. I spent one weekend, didn't have to leave home with folders of paperwork, and I was able to submit my tax forms online on a Sunday night.
The next day I got text messages telling me that the IRS and New York State had accepted my forms. I received my federal refund in five days, and my NYS refund came a week later, both directly deposited in my checking accountant.
A Less Onerous Experience
I know that no one one is happy about paying taxes, but doing my taxes online and submitting them electronically is the best thing I have done this year. After all those years of suffering through tax season, I no longer feel like an April fool. I just wish I had realized this sooner rather than later.
I highly suggest that you think about doing your taxes online and submitting them electronically. It makes an onerous experience less so, and you'll be happy with how quickly you get your refunds. It even makes the taxman seem a little less the villain than as he is depicted in George Harrison's famous song.
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