Tax time, folks.
- Posted by Sharon McNary
- on January 13, 2009 7:47 AM
As soon as I pull our New Year’s Eve party decorations off the wall, generally around MLK Day, I start thinking taxes. The IRS is ahead of me by a few days with its ode to the letter F — as in fast and free.
On Friday, Jan. 16, the IRS rolls out “Free File” a selection of online tax filing options from the big name software companies. These are compact free versions of their tax programs that have been customized for people whose incomes or simplicity of filing qualifies them for the freebies. Check it out at www.irs.gov.
Derek Castro of San Antonio, Texas might be a good candidate for the free software. He started his first post-college full-time job in 2008. Now he’s wondering what his tax bill will be:
“Going from waiting tables to earning a decent salary is pretty shocking. I don’t know if I should even expect a tax (refund) this year. I hope so, though! Then, who doesn’t?”
I take my taxes to an accountant, but admire people who DIY. What’s your tax story this year? Share it witih Marketplace.
Multi-tasker Maurice Daly from Alexandria, Vir., writes that he does his taxes while watching sports on TV. “The sports keeps me from being driven insane by the hard-to-read instructions, and working on the taxes keeps me from being irritated by the constant interruptions for advertising.”
Finally, here’s John Carpenter, a retiree from La Mesa, Calif. His charitable giving apparently triggered an audit, but the IRS got more than it expected from Carpenter:
“After about an hour the IRS auditor was going to call it a wash. I told him no and insisted on being audited fully because if I owed, I pay my debts. I listened, picked the auditor’s brain and after six hours we found that Uncle Sam owed me money. Reluctantly the auditor showed me how to amend my returns for the last five years and I got $2825.00 for their effort.”
Actually, I’m exaggerating about how early the party decorations come down. I think it was Labor Day in 2008…