Oh, my friend... I chuckled like crazy through your lament/rant, but I'm so, so sorry for your torture - especially because, while I could be wrong, I think there's such an easy answer for this!
I'm always surprised to learn that people still go to accountants or pay anyone to do their taxes, when the internet has made it so easy for us to do it ourselves, with all the expert help we need, right at our fingertips and in the comfort of whatever seating arrangement we choose at home - and the best part, in my view - without ever having to actually speak to anyone!
You can go directly to TurboTax online, use their screening tool to pick the package that looks like it's going to work for you - without worry because of it turns out you need a different package, everything you need will seamlessly be popped up for you without needing to back out it start over.
Now click "start".
You'll be guided every little step of the way.
By the way it's SO much easier to use your documents to plug in the info, manually, than to struggle with screenshots or photos. I promise.
When you hit a point where you realize you're missing something, no worries. Log out, and when you've taken however long of a break you want to find the missing info and get a snack or take a nap or a walk, then log back in and click on "start where I left off".
So easy!!
Anywhere in the process, if you find you want to talk to one of their experts after all, you just click on the little icon to do that.
At the wonderful, glorious end, when you've comfortably reviewed as much or as little of the mess as you like, TurboTax will tell you the total of what it costs to provide their service, and you can choose to accept their fee (I'm always very happy to pay whatever by that point) or choose to log out and start over elsewhere.
One of the best things is the following year, having a lot of your info instantly imported to the next year's tax forms - yay!!
For people with lower income, see free filing affiliate links on IRS dot gov.
(By the way, the first few years that I did this, and I'm talking 30 years ago, I worried like crazy. I would do the whole process with 3 or 4 different tax programs, looking for confirmation that it was "right". Believe me, I've done the worrying for you! It's so reliable that the IRS links a bunch of companies for you, right on the IRS website.
That said, two of the biggest, TurboTax and HR Block, are no longer IRS affiliates. You can Google to read why, I don't want to explain and possibly get it wrong.)
And right about now it's time for you are to meet up with your lovely Annette, may it go smooth and easy and pain free from here! 🩷
My husband always did the taxes; he had a Ph.d in Math and was good in arithmetic. I have yet to figure out how to do percentages and long division. And he was very impatient, a bad teacher. So he did the taxes until he died -- some 10 years. My adventures with Turbo Tax and my older daughter the first year after his death will go undiscussed. For 3 years I was gouged by experts who couldn't be bothered to understand what was my predicament (I have a portfolio of invested money by Schwabb, a legacy from my parents). Finally through the OLLI at Mason where I teach and a course called How to do your Taxes I learned a little about what all the rectangles meant -- I began to realize why my father each year would become enraged at how much he had to pay. But through them I discovered AARP does anyone's taxes for free if there is an office nearby. The first year took them 4 hours. You might say luckily I have never made any money on my 2 books. The people put notes in explaining everything -- I have an autistic daughter who lives at home but makes a good income. She comes with me with her forms.
We arrive at the library we go to where AARP can found as the door's open and get out around noon (mine now takes 2 hours + -- but we are waiting in a line too). The whole thing makes me so nervous that this year for the first time I discovered I was writing down wrong information about when my husband died. No one ever caught it.
That’s why you marry an accountant (like my stepmother), or have an accountant as a parent.
Unless you prefer free legal or medical advice.
Oh, my friend... I chuckled like crazy through your lament/rant, but I'm so, so sorry for your torture - especially because, while I could be wrong, I think there's such an easy answer for this!
I'm always surprised to learn that people still go to accountants or pay anyone to do their taxes, when the internet has made it so easy for us to do it ourselves, with all the expert help we need, right at our fingertips and in the comfort of whatever seating arrangement we choose at home - and the best part, in my view - without ever having to actually speak to anyone!
You can go directly to TurboTax online, use their screening tool to pick the package that looks like it's going to work for you - without worry because of it turns out you need a different package, everything you need will seamlessly be popped up for you without needing to back out it start over.
Now click "start".
You'll be guided every little step of the way.
By the way it's SO much easier to use your documents to plug in the info, manually, than to struggle with screenshots or photos. I promise.
When you hit a point where you realize you're missing something, no worries. Log out, and when you've taken however long of a break you want to find the missing info and get a snack or take a nap or a walk, then log back in and click on "start where I left off".
So easy!!
Anywhere in the process, if you find you want to talk to one of their experts after all, you just click on the little icon to do that.
At the wonderful, glorious end, when you've comfortably reviewed as much or as little of the mess as you like, TurboTax will tell you the total of what it costs to provide their service, and you can choose to accept their fee (I'm always very happy to pay whatever by that point) or choose to log out and start over elsewhere.
One of the best things is the following year, having a lot of your info instantly imported to the next year's tax forms - yay!!
For people with lower income, see free filing affiliate links on IRS dot gov.
(By the way, the first few years that I did this, and I'm talking 30 years ago, I worried like crazy. I would do the whole process with 3 or 4 different tax programs, looking for confirmation that it was "right". Believe me, I've done the worrying for you! It's so reliable that the IRS links a bunch of companies for you, right on the IRS website.
That said, two of the biggest, TurboTax and HR Block, are no longer IRS affiliates. You can Google to read why, I don't want to explain and possibly get it wrong.)
And right about now it's time for you are to meet up with your lovely Annette, may it go smooth and easy and pain free from here! 🩷
😂😂😂
My husband always did the taxes; he had a Ph.d in Math and was good in arithmetic. I have yet to figure out how to do percentages and long division. And he was very impatient, a bad teacher. So he did the taxes until he died -- some 10 years. My adventures with Turbo Tax and my older daughter the first year after his death will go undiscussed. For 3 years I was gouged by experts who couldn't be bothered to understand what was my predicament (I have a portfolio of invested money by Schwabb, a legacy from my parents). Finally through the OLLI at Mason where I teach and a course called How to do your Taxes I learned a little about what all the rectangles meant -- I began to realize why my father each year would become enraged at how much he had to pay. But through them I discovered AARP does anyone's taxes for free if there is an office nearby. The first year took them 4 hours. You might say luckily I have never made any money on my 2 books. The people put notes in explaining everything -- I have an autistic daughter who lives at home but makes a good income. She comes with me with her forms.
We arrive at the library we go to where AARP can found as the door's open and get out around noon (mine now takes 2 hours + -- but we are waiting in a line too). The whole thing makes me so nervous that this year for the first time I discovered I was writing down wrong information about when my husband died. No one ever caught it.
You can sure write compellingly about things I don't want to read about...Hillary's destruction, Berniebros, piles of clutter, math, deadlines, taxes.
I am now going to bake cupcakes.