So I just e-filed my taxes today. Cha-ching! 
I honestly shouldn’t be this excited to get back money that was mine to start with. :smack:
You got all the required info this early? We usually have to wait at least until mid-February.
This is the U.S. We just stand out in the company lobby with a gun until a receptionist brings us the forms.
Are you kidding? I stood there with my gun until she brought me the refund check.
Wow! I havent’ even gotten any of my statements yet! Once I do, I’m pretty prompt on the filing though.
My payroll W2 was available on the 4th, but I still have to wait for the mortgage tax statements. Bah.
How early is it? When does the financial year end?
For an individual, the fiscal year runs Jan 1 to Dec 31. Federal (and state and sometimes even local, for simplicity and convienence) taxes must be postmarked by April 15, although it possibly to file for an extension.
Oh, I should add that all tax forms (W-2s, which are the salary statements and various 1099s, which are everything from interest to capital gains to gambling winnings are the most common) must be mailed by Jan 31. It is the responsibility of the employer, the brokerage, and so on to get those forms out.
So it’s not spectacularly early then. The Australian financial year ends 30 June and I usually have my tax return lodged by mid-July.
Of course, if you don’t itemize or have any other income than your salary or wages, then there’s not a whole lot you need in any case.
I am quite excited too. This is the first full year of my mortgage and I’ve paid a boatload in interest, which is all tax-deductible.
I have SUCH exciting plans for my returns - paying down my credit card! Woohoo!!
My favorite time of year! I got my W-2s on Friday and my efile went through this morning- only a few more days now! This year I’m getting a new computer and couch.
I love tax refund time!
Whee! It’s tax day!
Except, for us, it’s the day to mail the 2006 fourth-quarter estimated tax payments. Whee.
(What is this “refund” you people are always talking about?)
Preach it, brother. Silly W-2 employees.
Ah, to live the sweet life of a consultant. Juggling a half dozen different clients at once, sending invoices, bitching at people to get paid on a semi-regular basis, filing four tax returns a year instead of one, paying out the ass for health insurance. Yep, we sure do have it made. 
I’m going to bung my refund into my savings account. Or buy a camera. Or upgrade my computer. One of the three.
I just doubled my contribution to my Registered Retirement Savings Plan as well, from 10% to 20% of gross. If I can keep that level of contributions up, and nothing else changes, I’ll have an even bigger refund next year.
But things may change. I may end up in the situation of friedo and InternetLegend: doing all my own taxes as an self-employed consultant.