Taxes = High Anxiety

[Hound dog]

Yeah, I know. They do for anyone. But this is the first time I've done them in 28 yrs.

And husband's papers are still a mess. (yes, they really are that bad, wading through literal years of papers scattered everywhere.....I find stuff in the oddest places) The holiday didn't help, nor does the fact that husband's birthday is in 5 days and I've been riding the grief roller coast for a week and a half.

My appointment with the accountant is at 3pm. Ok. I have the w2 from SS, I have some tax form from the house. I have a tax form for the retirement fund payout. What I don't have is a w2 for his unemployment. I *thought* they sent it......but if they did, it's not here. And I put all those papers together knowing I'd need them, and I found them all together in the same place. I doubt seriously I'd have randomly put the unemployment one (I dunno if I should've received one or not) somewhere else. But to be certain.......I checked the other desk and nope.

I am not fretting too bad. I suppose she can get a copy. Bugs me though as I was careful with that stuff.

I did tell her there are back taxes owed. What I couldn't tell her is how much is owed, what got filed and didn't, and to whom it's owed. I did find some of those we got in the mail.......but I have no clue which ones husband might have paid. She did say we'd take care of 2011 first since of course the deadline is coming up, then we'd tackle any back taxes, get them straightened out, and set up payments.

She comes highly recommended and seemed really nice on the phone. She also only lives like 4 blocks from me. (due to the address I'm assuming she's working out of her home)

But I can't help it, I'm a nervous wreck.

I wouldn't have waited so long.......except 1. I've been dreading this like you seriously wouldn't believe (and yeah I know putting it off didn't help) and 2. time got away from me, which is a common thing for me these days. I'll pay the monthly bills, then it seems like a few days pass and its time to pay them again and I'm like wth where did the month go?

I hope she can straighten out the mess husband left me with..........and I hope and pray I don't owe as much as I'm scared to death I might.

Where I'm going to squeeze monthly tax payments into my already way too tight budget I don't have a clue.

 

[AnnieO]

I understand. Only too well.

Last year, husband's unemployment forms were emailed to him. He lost the email - but was able to find it again. I don't have his form for this year either. I also don't have his business taxes - not back from the CPA yet. Drives me NUTS that we have not filed on time for YEARS. Fortunately we also don't OWE - we got $69 back last year... Would have gotten nothing if it hadn't been for the IVF & medical bills!!!

 

[keista]

Did you have income last year? On the back taxes years, did you have any contributing income? If not, you may be able to file injured spouse. If you are able to do that any taxes he owes would have to come from whatever estate he left and if I remember correctly, there wasn't anything there.

You can always file for an extension. You would still have to pay what you owe by the 16th, but you could estimate that and then have additional time to get the paperwork together. Not always recommended since it becomes license to procrastinate, but due to your circumstances, may be a valid choice.

 

[Hound dog]

I haven't had any income for 8 yrs. And that was just as a temp for the holidays.....that sort of went on a few months extra.

Thanks. I'll ask her. It's worth a shot. Because he did them on the computer for the past 8 yrs I never saw anything because I didn't even need to sign it. When I had to sign it, you betcha I checked everything twice.

And yeah........they probably sent it to his email because he did everything online for unemployment. Only we don't know his password and there is no way to get into it and find out. Same with past tax forms........he had a password and no one knew it but him, and he never used the same ones. ugh

 

[DammitJanet]

Ummmm...lisa...passwords are normally saved on the computer unless you have wiped that computer. If you go into options and passwords and ask it to show passwords, it will most likely show the password to that site. Or you can normally get it to send it to his email if you know the password for that.

But...the unemployment isnt a w2, its a 1099. Maybe you are looking for the wrong form number.

 

[InsaneCdn]

Passwords... would only show if the person was trusting enough to allow the system to store passwords and auto-login. It wouldn't work on my computer... I log in manually, to every single site, with about 45 different passwords. Yes, I keep track of them all, in my head. Nobody out there knows any of them.

But... I don't do taxes on-line, or any other business transactions.

Getting passwords by email works - IF you have the password for the email accounts.

 

[Hound dog]

I don't have any of husband's passwords. He got a bit paranoid in the last 2 or so years and we never shared stuff like that anyway. (he never knew mine either) And he never saved them on the computer as he was always worried about Travis getting into his important stuff. Now why the boy would want to is beyond me.....

She seems nice enough. She said we can file without the unemployment form that IRS will just adjust it when they get it and to count on owing them. Oh well, gee, I'm sitting there thinking.......guess I owe everyone something might as well be them too. omg I did claim Travis as a dependent. (he IS) She said something about if he's disabled docs feel he's too disabled to work then we can get more back.......I told her I'd rather not go that route. Everytime someone told me something like that it hinged on whether or not he was getting disability, which he isn't yet. Maybe it would cost me some refund.....but yeah. There are no deductions really because I have had no extra cash to pay on any of the medical bills.

She's going to check the injured spouse thing.......it appeared to take her by surprise. And in the morning it seems I'll be calling everyone and their uncle state and fed and explaining the situation and that I have an accountant working on the back taxes and maybe they can clarify what he has/hasn't filed and what the totals for each one are. Now that ought to be interesting because this is just so much greek to me as it is. Even back when I filed my own they were simple and straight forward and I handed them over to the accountant my mom used and she did them no sweat.

Guess maybe I'll have more answers tomorrow. I'll just have to pray they're better answers than I'm expecting.

 

[keista]

If Travis is a dependent, then he's a dependent. Doesn't matter if he's disabled or not. What matters is how much money he makes. Without checking, I can tell you it's about $5,000. If he makes less than that, and you support him, you can claim him as a dependent. More good news is that if you were able to claim him in the past and didn't you can file amended returns.

Glad she's looking into injured spouse for you. I don't know all the details of how it works, but do know it exists and may offer you some relief. My friend claims it (actually her husband does) so that their refunds don't all get taken to pay her student loans.

 

[Hound dog]

Well, I'm certainly an "injured spouse" because this couldn't be much of a bigger mess. Ummm, maybe it could, but to ME it couldn't be much a bigger mess. And I dunno if husband claimed Travis the last couple of years or not. I do know I remember arguing with him about it. Because he kept saying he couldn't, when I knew he could because we did it when katie and kayla were living with us (she had no income) and when Nichole and Aubrey were here (she also had no income, or not enough to matter). And I couldn't figure out why on earth he believed he couldn't. It didn't make sense when he'd done it before. Finally I threw up my hands and told him Fine, you wanna lose that portion of a possible refund, then go ahead. Because I couldn't convince him.

I'm sitting her psyching myself up to call the IRS and request our tax forms for 2009 & 2010. I think I'll ask for 2008 just to make sure I have all I need. This one doesn't bother me too much.....I at least know he filed these and am pretty certain he doesn't owe them anything.

Next comes the state, which according to the accountant includes both the state and school tax, to find out what he filed and when and how much is owed. There is a slim chance that if he didn't file.....(at least with the school part)......and I file it now because he was unemployed, I won't owe anything except late fees. Notice I said "slim". I'm not counting on it. This one downright scares me, I'll be honest. I am somewhat sure that our tax return went to pay for state.......no clue what amt that would be or which years.

Then comes local. The city tax. I don't have a phone number for them so I may just do it while I pay my water bill. (same building) Then I could talk to someone in person and explain.

Ok, guess I have a question. Writing this here made me think of it.

Is contacting state and local going to do me any good if I don't have the income info that is on those tax forms for those previous years? Because without that.....I can't really give them much info as per income and such.

Good grief, when did taxes get so confusing? Used to be just state and federal.......now it seems it's everyone and their uncle on top of it.

I tell you, the more I dig into this disaster, the more I wonder just how long he was sick and I was too busy to have it register. These are areas he normally took care of and was anal retentive about......I wouldn't have thought to double check him really. It just amazes me he let it get into such a mess. Nor does it make sense. If I'd realized........it might have tipped me off that something was not quite right with him.

So I'm sitting her psyching myself up wishing I had anxiety medications............and hoping that whatever they tell me doesn't become a jumbled mess of words (think Charlie Brown wha wha hwa ect ) and I can get it written down. If I keep myself calm I should be ok.

 

[Marcie Mac]

With unemployment here, we have the option of taking taxes out of it or not and that would determine how it is reported, as a W2 or a 1099

Marcie

 

[donna723]

Lisa, could you maybe contact his former employers and get copies of his W2 forms from when he was working during those years? That would at least give you some income figures to start withfor those prior years.

 

[DaisyFace]

Hound--

I think it's good that you are working with a tax professional on this....that way, it doesn't matter if YOU don't understand...SHE will...

And these things happen, it will be OK!

(((hugs))))

 

[AnnieO]

Lisa - when you request federal forms - request ALL the paperwork. That will include W-2s, etc.

I did this for the year before XH and I divorced, because I left in July and ended up having to file married separate - I left in July 2001, but we didn't actually legally divorce until June 2002. So after I filed, I ended up having to request everything with my SSN on it. And he did not file - I had always done the taxes (same as now, except I make sure husband knows what's what - he always just took his to H&R Block until I convinced him I was capable, for the year before we married). Ohio came after me for XH's taxes but I was able to prove 1) we were separated and 2) he was in Oklahoma. Not even Ohio.

 

[busywend]

She should be able to sign right onto the unemployment website. I could when I was with H&R Block.

Don't worry so much. Nothing bad will happen to you, well except maybe owing money. Which is annoying to say the least. but, there are ways to set up payments. The injured spouse thing might save you. Make sure you feel like she understands that one.

 

[Hound dog]

Well, that was less painful than I thought it would be............. (thank heaven)

Called IRS. She's sending me all the tax forms from '08-'10, AND copies of all wages forms for those years. I should get them in 7-10 days. Very helpful nice lady. And I don't owe them anything. (yay!)

Called state........only it was actually the state attn general.......another very nice lady. Explained the situation. And I'm ok now that I've picked my jaw up off the floor. husband did file all taxes for all years, he just didn't bother to pay many of them (some of it was paid by refunds which is what has kept the amt total down) For school district he didn't pay 07-10 (OMG!). For state taxes he didn't pay 08 or 2010. I owe them 2k (combined amt for state and school taxes). BUT I explained I'm not working but am trying to find work.......and she said that is fine, no worries. Just call her back when I have a job and she'll help me set up an affordable payment plan.

Sooooooo, since I was on a roll. I looked up and find the number for the city. I figured I might as well bite the bullet. He did not file for 08 or '10. So I explained I will be filing as soon as I get income info from the IRS and she said that's fine. Now if he was unemployed those years.......I will only owe 25.00 late fees for each of them. And I won't know what I possibly owe them until it's filed.

Feeling a bit better now. whew.

 

[AnnieO]

WOOHOO!!!

Owing is still a PITA, but they do have some helpful people I'm glad you got those people.

 

[keista]

Glad you were able to deal with a bunch of that. As much as it sux to owe money, sounds like it's less than you thought and now you're no longer agonizing wondering what it all is (except city).