It's tax time! My spouse took two days off of work last week to do ours, after I spent a few weeks organizing everything. You might wonder why it takes so long. He also does our kids' taxes. That's nine forms all together with federal, state and regional. Here, you also pay income taxes to your city of residence, on top of the taxes taken out for your city of employment. What a racket!
Is anyone else outraged by the price of tax software? I think when we started buying it, we paid about $20. This year, the cheapest I could find was $45. The government can't just provide this online? To add insult to injury, we were not able to submit our returns online this year. Something about not accepting W2's with certain boxes. Another $20 down the drain on a printer cartridge, printing all this out, plus copies. Honestly, if we all added up the costs of just doing our taxes alone, we could probably band together and feed a third world country. What a waste this all is.
So I head to the post office yesterday to send in all my large brown envelopes. My husband insists on getting some sort of proof of mailing, just in case the trusty USPS fails to deliver, or the IRS conviently loses our return. In years past, I remembered it costing only a few dollars. As I stood in line, I scanned the wall above the counters, looking for prices and explanations of services, but found neither. When I went to the window, here was the conversation (and please picture the long line of folks behind me, because there is only ever one postal employee working at customer service at any one time):
USPS Employee: Next!
Me: I'd like to mail these first class and get the cheapest form of proof that I mailed them.
USPS: It will be $6.20 plus postage, which is $1.30 for each.
Me: No, I don't need a signature or anything. Just whatever is the cheapest receipt to show I mailed these.
USPS: (big sigh)...Everyone is looking for a cheap way to mail everything. There is a cost for service. It is $6.20.
Me: Well, last year, it was only about $2.
USPS: Here are the forms.......fill out both sides of the labels and then fill out the receipts on one side. You have some work to do......Next!
Was that rude, or am I just sensitive? I took the forms and got back in my car thinking, what the hell was that? When I returned home, I went online to the official website. Here's what I found:
Tracking, including date and time of delivery......$0.90
Signature Confirmation.........................................$2.70
Certificate of Mailing............................................$1.20
I printed off the info and went back to the post office today, armed with their own website. Unfortunately, rude fellow was not there. Rather than argue, I just asked for the Certificate of Mailing and left.
They can cry into their mailbags about diminished earnings.
BRAVA for posting this because, yes, I had the worst time thing year doing my taxes.
ReplyDelete" To add insult to injury, we were not able to submit our returns online this year. Something about not accepting W2's with certain boxes."
That's the SAME problem I had as well. I used one of the IRS's free online tax software, but they kept rejecting my taxes, saying that I neglected to fill in certain W2 boxes (which I hadn't because I checked). FINALLY, I ended up using Turbo Tax online for FREE (because I made under the amount that was listed).
Honestly, this was the worst year I've ever experienced doing my taxes.
And let's not even get into how I feel about the U.S. Postal Service. I'm glad to hear it's bad there too, because I was beginning to think it was just in Philly. They are understaffed, SLOW, and RUDE.
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I had no idea you could file online through TurboTax for free! I suppose it's not for people who need the long form? But at least it's a help to some people and I'll have to make sure my oldest knows this because I think this is the last year Dad is doing it for her!
DeleteI had to pay for TurboTax, but it's worth the cost to me to be able to file easily and on-line.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if there is a geographical difference, but the post offices in this area are all staffed by very nice, helpful people. All of them. I often balk at the cost myself, but my understanding from what I've read about it is that compared to other countries we get off cheaply and out postal system is probably the best one going.
I found this: http://money.cnn.com/2012/02/06/news/economy/postal_service/index.htm
I've always thought it was the least expensive route, but sometimes the aggravation is not worth it. The funny thing is, I just went back to check, and my very first post was a complaint about the USPS. The ones in our area are awful.
DeleteGood for you, Bijoux. Stand up to these losers.
ReplyDeleteI feel a little guilty since I've been going to our family accountant for years. He even sends out a return envelope so I can mail him all my stuff. It costs more, but I'd rather be safe than be in Leavenworth.
The rudeness at the post office is not surprise, I'm sorry to say, but you do run into helpful people sometimes. I tend to use the machines if I can.
Most people we know use accountants. I'm married to someone who won't pay for something he can do himself, even if the stress takes weeks off his life.
DeleteI'm just glad I can buy stamps at the grocery store!
Ha ha, i did the daughters taxes 2 years each while teaching 'em how, since then it's all theirs. Have never had a situation that would disallow online filing though, what's with that? According the the instructs there should be no restriction.
ReplyDeleteand yeah, most tax software includes'free' online filing. That's part of the deal with them being accessible through the IRS site.
Trust me when I say it may have been Charlie at fault, not the USPS. I knew a USPS employee and she would tell us about the required training, including reprimands for up-selling customers. It was actually refreshing in a way. Our locals are usually really good about getting the best bang for the least buck. Maybe you need to move? ;)
Sadly, I've been to three of the closest post offices to me and they are all the same as far as only one employee working at the windows. This was just the first time one of them tried to intentionally rip me off. I think they are really sweating the job security.
DeleteJust glad I don't have to fill in tax returns. All my tax is deducted from my earnings and that's that. We also have better post offices here. Always two, sometimes three counter staff, and they're always very helpful and they'd never overcharge. It's the luck of the draw, I guess - some of our other public services are dreadful....
ReplyDeleteSo you just pay a flat tax rate? Must be nice! I agree that it's the luck of the draw; the libraries and national parks have always seemed very well managed here.
DeleteI pay a flat rate tax of 20% on anything over and above my personal tax-free allowance for the year, which is about £9,000.
DeleteAnd then they wonder why the postal system is going down the toilet. It is so much easier to use FedEx or UPS and most of the time you don't have to deal with attitudes either. Bah. That kind of stuff bugs me.
ReplyDeleteSnail mail is going to be a distant memory soon enough, for sure.
DeleteHi Bijoux,
ReplyDeleteWhatever happened to the idea of "public service"? I don't know but with attitudes like that, it is not surprising if people take their biz to the private places.
Excuse my ignorance but Tax software? Here in France, people just fill out their returns. They get a much later filing due date the the people in paper.
I have the easy task; I put our return in an enveloppe, seal it and "walk it" over on foot to the Treasury during their biz hours. T get exercise in and save a stamp :)
Nice to have heard from you today. Happy weekend!
P.S. I meant " ... people just fill out their returns ONLINE.
ReplyDelete:)
The whole process is just way too complicated!
DeleteWe were going to H&R Block when having more to claim and extra forms but for the last couple years hubby has been using their software at home. I don't know how much it is but less than going to their office, I'm sure. He had a few complaints this year but I can't remember what they were. I think it ended up going thru. I know we're only getting a pittance back anyway now that the kids are grown. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteDon't even get me started on the horrors of the USPS. Yowsa! I hear ya!
Lol, I know.......Newman was my favorite villain on Seinfeld and I loved it when Jerry realized Newman was behind some misdeed and he'd go, "Newman!!!"
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