Gosh I started this thread way back nearly two months ago. Little did I realize then what was coming. For a fossilized tax filer like me this was an unusually difficult filing year. It will be better a year from now, of course, if I’m still around and filing a year hence. Hope I am.
Anyway, it was all the changes that got me good this time. Until now, even filing my antiquated paper return, things went quickly because I had the past year’s return to act as a guide. Not this time!
Undeterred, I believed I could nevertheless “rise to the challenge”. And I did. Except it took a much longer time than usual to accommodate to the changes. And I made mistakes, eventually corrected, because of being unfamiliar with the new forms.
It is clear the IRS is doing everything possible to discourage us fossilized paper return filers. They want us to e-file. Well, fiddlesticks. S’not gonna happen.
Most annoying though, this year, was their likely purposeful inefficient use of paper. I very nearly cut some of the forms in half, since most of several pages was left blank. But I gave in this time, and spent the money for extra postage instead. Clearly the IRS senses the monetary shortfall at the USPS and is doing its bit to help out.
Did come out decent on the tax itself, the amount I needed to pay. My income was way up compared with 2017, but my tax owed was quite a bit down. The refund check (yes, a paper check) will be sweet when it arrives, I hope, in May. I do not live in one of the several high (state) tax states targeted by Trump and the Republicans. We voted for Trump and he has now paid us back rather handsomely.
Anyway, bottom line, a difficult experience which could I suppose have been worse. Now I have to fill out my state tax return.