The tax prep lament, rant, brag, and help thread.

1. 61

   paradigmsearchposted 9 years ago

   I'll start...
   
   The Lament - Pain in the neck as usual.
   
   The Rant - PayPal should be shot. They used to be easy. The old days of just easily displaying an ASCII report and pasting it into a spreadsheet are gone.
   
   The Brag - I had only intended to just start my taxes this morning. But I ended up totally completing Schedules C and SE. Happy Camper Day. Next is figuring out the worthy Earned Income Credit.
   
   The Help - Start early; obstructions abound.
   
   As to PayPal... Once done dealing with the report generator date range, download "all activity" as tab-delimited. Then just click on the downloaded file. Highlight and past into spreadsheet; everything will nicely parse out. Sort by types. Then can Sum the Payments Received (or whatever).
   
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   If this thread doesn't disappear into oblivion, maybe it can be our community tax thread this year; or not. Hopefully, folks can ask questions and get answers here . And by all means do brag, rant, and lament as well.
   
   Speaking of Q&A... No, you will not get 1099's or whatever from HubPages, PayPal, etc.

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2. 61

   paradigmsearchposted 9 years ago

   The Lament - And so it goes...
   
   The Rant - G@d d@mned Adobe. Went to proof and print page 2 of the 1040. All the G@d d@mned data was gone! I have loathed Adobe for years for more reasons than I can count. Now this.
   
   The Brag - Fortunately, I'd already printed everything else after a couple days. The only page I will have to redo is just the one.
   
   The Help - The IRS uses adobe. When you have completed the form, proof and print the sucker right then and there. Even though your work has previously been there alive and well for days, that is no guarantee the data won't suddenly disappear the next time you bring up the form; Adobe is Adobe.
   
   As to help, here is another interesting note...
   
   The IRS can, does, and will routinely change the amount you have written on your payment check when they happen to disagree with your calculations. Their stated reason is to avoid all the additional procedures and correspondence to get whatever the problem is straightened out. Unfortunately, for those of us who live on the edge, this could result in all your other checks bouncing, along with the resulting fees from your bank and intended check recipients.
   
   So, when practical, pay using a money order.
   
   And if anybody here even thinks about defending or making excuses for Adobe, consider yourself shot in advance.

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3. 80

   Marcy Goodfleischposted 9 years ago

   The Adobe hitch is one I had not heard of - sorry to hear there are yet more issues with tax time.
   
   Two of my forms (W-2 forms?) have errors.  One employer sent out forms to everyone with several fields showing 'zero' rather than the amounts that needed to be entered. Then they sent email messages and letters telling us we would get corrected forms, which have now arrived.  I'm curious what might have happened in cases where someone just collects their mail & fills out their 1040 or whatever as soon as possible and doesn't pay attention.  And, I am just about positive this will create problems when we all file our federal forms.
   
   The other error was by the university where I teach, which is based in Missouri but has campuses all over the country. I don't live in in that state, so I don't pay their taxes, but the main office submitted state income tax reports to Missouri for those of us who live in my state.  My state doesn't even have an income tax. I have no idea what will happen when I file my forms this year - I guess Missouri will come looking for me and ask why I haven't filed their state forms (I can't remember the last time I even drove through that state). Based on the other error, they'll have to get in line behind the Big Dogs.
   
   On the positive side (and I am trying to focus on this), I am thankful I have an income, thankful for shelter and food, and thankful for all the other blessings in my life.

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   1. 61

      paradigmsearchposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      If you need a place to hide, drop me a note.
      
      Same here.

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   2. 89

      Millionaire Tipsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      If you paid Missouri taxes, you should be able to get a refund from them.

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         Marcy Goodfleischposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I don't think any money was submitted to them - only a report of what I earned, and since it went to wherever they report state income tax liability, it will appear to Missouri that I now OWE them money.  Not real happy about the prospect of how confused this could become.

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         1. 38

            ChristinSposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            I live in Illinois but worked in Missouri (years ago) and you do have to file taxes in both states - but I physically worked over there.  I never owed MO any money and usually had money returned to me, but taxes were being taken out of my checks.
            
            I don't know why you would have to pay taxes to a state you didn't even step foot in.  Definitely a good question to ask a tax expert.  Could it be they are required by the state to provide that information and are simply copying it over to you.  It would be more for their tax purposes since they are based there.  When you are a business you have to report all wages paid etc. to the state you're based in. 
            
            Taxes are so interesting... yes that is a hint of sarcasm lol. 
            
            I am still waiting on a 1099 tax form from a client of mine.  By law she was to have that mailed by the end of January and I have not seen it yet.  When I email her I don't get a reply, so until she does what she's required to do I have to sit here and wait.  I'm growing frustrated and haven't even started doing the actual taxes yet.  sigh.

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4. 78

   Sam Montanaposted 9 years ago

   Marcy, who reported your earnings to your state...PayPal? With all the state tax fraud going on now, I am worried that anything is ever going to be correct.

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      Sam Montanaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Okay, I see the rest of the story. For some reason when I first read this, it did not show me your entire post. I wonder why since I clicked on more.

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      1. 80

         Marcy Goodfleischposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         The university where I teach reported that in error - it's in Missouri (great place to teach, all great people, but mistakes happen).  They sent out corrected information, so it's been addressed at that end, but you know how state and federal bureaucracies are.  I have visions of demands for payment, or demands that I prove I was NOT employed in that state.

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5. 61

   paradigmsearchposted 9 years ago

   Well, I see that HP has yet again shunted  one of my help-everyone threads into oblivion. Oh, well.

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6. 61

   paradigmsearchposted 9 years ago

   It bothers that this thread is not main.

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7. 61

   paradigmsearchposted 9 years ago

   no

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