filing taxes by hand -- felt like going to Sears to buy pants
When my copy of Turbo Tax finished cranking back in January, it announced that I owed $3 in Maryland state and local income tax.
$3.
Turbo Tax wanted something like $30 to electronically file my Maryland return, and then if I'd wanted to pay the $3 by credit card, another $30 or so in transaction fees.
That felt ridiculous. So I decided to file my return the old fashioned way. And I put it off until yesterday.
I'd emailed the Turbo Tax PDF of my Maryland return to my work account. I printed it out at work, and read the instructions. Doh, I needed to staple my W-2 to the return, and that was back at home. Sigh.
Wait, I could go find a copy of my W-2 online and print it out, yeah! I did that. I dutifully stapled, wrote a check for $3, stapled that, signed the return. I was ready for the Post Office!
On my way home -- I'd left work early at 1pm -- I stopped at the closest Post Office on Pennsylvania Avenue. There was a line, it wasn't moving, it wasn't even clear there was anybody working, we all kept twisting our necks to see where the clerks were.
Eventually a clerk came out and said they were closed until 2pm. She wasn't even nice about it. So, I left, but others just stayed in the useless line as though they hadn't understood her.
The Friday before Tax Day, the Post Office in downtown DC decides to close for an extended lunch break??? I was sort of pissed off about it. Felt momentarily like I should become a Trump supporter.
After taking the Metro to Wheaton and my car, I decided to try my home Post Office. There were three clerks working the counter, and only three people ahead of me, it moved quickly. I paid $6.70 for Priority Mail for my tax return, and 30 cents to park at the meter across the street. $7 to mail my $3. Was still cheaper than $63 to electronically file my $3.
The worst part, is that now I have to pay quarterly estimated taxes to Maryland because I failed to withhold enough. About $250 each quarter.
What I really need to do is update my withholding, I think that's called a W-4. Maybe I'll deal with that after I return from my public speaking engagement in NYC on Thursday.
$3.
Turbo Tax wanted something like $30 to electronically file my Maryland return, and then if I'd wanted to pay the $3 by credit card, another $30 or so in transaction fees.
That felt ridiculous. So I decided to file my return the old fashioned way. And I put it off until yesterday.
I'd emailed the Turbo Tax PDF of my Maryland return to my work account. I printed it out at work, and read the instructions. Doh, I needed to staple my W-2 to the return, and that was back at home. Sigh.
Wait, I could go find a copy of my W-2 online and print it out, yeah! I did that. I dutifully stapled, wrote a check for $3, stapled that, signed the return. I was ready for the Post Office!
On my way home -- I'd left work early at 1pm -- I stopped at the closest Post Office on Pennsylvania Avenue. There was a line, it wasn't moving, it wasn't even clear there was anybody working, we all kept twisting our necks to see where the clerks were.
Eventually a clerk came out and said they were closed until 2pm. She wasn't even nice about it. So, I left, but others just stayed in the useless line as though they hadn't understood her.
The Friday before Tax Day, the Post Office in downtown DC decides to close for an extended lunch break??? I was sort of pissed off about it. Felt momentarily like I should become a Trump supporter.
After taking the Metro to Wheaton and my car, I decided to try my home Post Office. There were three clerks working the counter, and only three people ahead of me, it moved quickly. I paid $6.70 for Priority Mail for my tax return, and 30 cents to park at the meter across the street. $7 to mail my $3. Was still cheaper than $63 to electronically file my $3.
The worst part, is that now I have to pay quarterly estimated taxes to Maryland because I failed to withhold enough. About $250 each quarter.
What I really need to do is update my withholding, I think that's called a W-4. Maybe I'll deal with that after I return from my public speaking engagement in NYC on Thursday.