Did you feel that? That…ghostly pinch?
It's that time again. Tax time. The time of year where we all start
worrying whether we should be brave enough to actually claim our home office or
we should, for this month alone, pretend that room at the end of the long,
shadowy corridor doesn’t exist. Time to start sifting through receipts. What
the heck happened to the receipt for the new keyboard? Why did I keep a receipt
for Trader Joe’s? Hey, I never heard back from that agent about the Paris
thing!
Tax time.
Once upon a time tax time meant refund time. I used to do my
taxes early. I couldn’t wait to get that money back! But those days are behind
me now and every year my tax bill gets higher and higher and my accountant and
I argue more and more. How can forty percent possibly be right? The math HAS to
be wrong! How can I owe this tax if this tax is more money than I have?
And so it goes. It always ends the same. Me borrowing
against my no-interest-credit- cards to pay my taxes during the lean spring
months. This year I have decided to look at paying my taxes as contributing to
my favorite charity. My taxes buy a lot of stuff I consider important, so…good.
I’m glad about that.
Which doesn’t change the fact that tax season is VERY
painful.
But here are a few sites and tips that might help you get
through it. My own personal experience? Keep accurate and complete records. Don’t
wait until April to start adding stuff up. And last but not least, stay informed
about changes to the tax code. (Also -- I hire a professional to do my taxes
because this is NOT my strength.)
What about you? Do you have any useful tax tips? Have you
formed an LLC or incorporated? Heck, have you filed your taxes yet?
Twitter: @JoshLanyon
