# Epic tax return finally done!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epic-tax-return-finally-done/716629>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [April 2, 2015, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epic-tax-return-finally-done/716629 "2015-04-02T16:07:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epic-tax-return-finally-done/716629/1 "2015-04-02T16:07:05Z")

</div>

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:

> [@](#):
>
> This fund helps pay for Presidential  
> election campaigns. The fund reduces  
> candidates’ dependence on large contributions  
> from individuals and groups and  
> places candidates on an equal financial  
> footing in the general election. The fund  
> also helps pay for pediatric medical research.