Okay, wow…tax return and all associated schedules and forms completed, finally. That was pretty out of hand, I must say. If there were a contest for “most complicated tax return for a family at <150% FPL”, I think we’d be contenders.
In addition to the standard 1040 and W-2, my stack here includes a Schedule E, a Schedule EIC, a Schedule 8812, a Form 8965, and a Form 8379–plus a Schedule K-1 (I don’t send that one in, as the IRS already received a copy–but I did have to use the info it contained in multiple places on other forms). Not to mention the myriad worksheets I filled out.
We tried to use free software, but it basically started emitting smoke and melted down, so I had to just dive in manually. I’m wondering for next year: do the prices H&R Block quotes apply to all comers? Or would they jack up the cost for each additional wrinkle?
On the plus side, I was amused to learn that the IRS instructions for “Miscellaneous Income” include the following:
“Bribes. If you receive a bribe, include it in your income.”
Amusingly, this instruction lands alphabetically between “Below-market loans” and “Campaign contributions”.
And thanks (I learned, after Googling a bit) to a tantrum Eric Cantor pulled last year before flaming out in his party’s primary, there’s also this random-sounding mishmash: