Comments on: 4 Tips to Avoid Stress This Tax Season

By: Peter

Peter — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 17:06:14 +0000

I tend to procrastinate most years, waiting until right before the deadline. This year, however, I actually filed with more than a week to spare. It was a nice feeling knowing I wouldn’t be scrambling the night before taxes were due, trying to get everything in order.

I always file electronically, and this year I used turbo tax for the first time. I was very happy with it, and since I was a bit more organized this year with my deductions/income/etc it wasn’t as difficult as I anticipated it would be!

By: Cedric D'Hue

Cedric D'Hue — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:00:29 +0000

Hi Jason,

Great post and comments. Another way to not procrastinate (remain diligent) is to draft next year’s tax forms while preparing last year’s tax return. For example, I will use 2009 forms for my 2009 taxes and then use another set of 2009 forms to “estimate” 2010 taxes. When I need to do the 2010 tax return, I will revise my estimates; no need to start from scratch. This two year system works well when your income, credits, and deductions don’t change much from year to year. This system also helps you keep an eye on your taxes throughout the year, not just at tax time.

By: The Rat

The Rat — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:50:14 +0000

I think procrastination is a great tip to think about. I decided to organize all my tax stuff over the past two days and I feel very relieved now that it’s over. As a blogger, it’s sometimes hard to get away from the routine of things but taxes are important and it’s best to get them out of the way before it gets under your skin.

Nice post!

By: Learn Save Invest

Learn Save Invest — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:03:25 +0000

I think the “dont procrastinate” suggestion is the best one. When it comes to tax season, people just seem to keep putting it off. The best thing is to get organized, and get your taxes taken care of asap. Plus, if you’re eligible for a refund, you get it faster. The money may as well be in your hands, instead of the government’s!

Great post.

By: Jason Topp

Jason Topp — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:51:22 +0000

Arthur – I think a phone call to my legislator’s office would increase stress dramatically, but I get what you’re sayin!

By: Arthur @ FinancialBondage.org

Arthur @ FinancialBondage.org — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:39:43 +0000

How about 1 tip to avoid tax related stress?

Call and write your elected officials and tell them you want the fair tax and abolish the IRS

By: Derek @ ChristianCommonCents

Derek @ ChristianCommonCents — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:13:59 +0000

I use turbo tax to help with my e-filing and it has been great. I know people who spend hundreds of dollars to get their taxes done. Mine cost just a small fraction of that and only took a few hours to do myself. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this for someone with a very complicated return, but it will work just fine for most people.

By: Darren

Darren — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:50:23 +0000

Jason,

These are all great tips to get your taxes done! As you suggested, I usually file mine online for free, and I’m doing it again this year. Not having to pay for postage is a good thing. The other great thing about filing online is that they may find certain credits or deductions that you may have overlooked. I didn’t know that I was eligible for the Making Work Pay Credit, but the online program that I used automatically determined that I was eligible. After looking through the instructions for the 1040, I confirmed that this was the case.

The other tip that helps me is having all my documents together in one place. This helps speed up the process of completing the different sections and forms. I found that it can get pretty stressful if I’m not as organized as I should be!