SOL4: Tax Time!

            I met with my tax preparer, JD, at H&R Block this afternoon. It took three hours to get through, much longer than usual because I had an RMD (required minimum distribution problem), and JD labored over the draft of a letter I would have to write to the IRS to request a penalty waiver. Along the way he seemed to think I’d gotten bad information from the company that held this particular retirement account, advised me to close it out, then backtracked and gave me a different suggestion.

         Once that problem got settled, and it turns out I won’t have to ask for the penalty waiver until my return for next year, things moved along smoothly. I’m getting a small refund from the feds, but have to pay  the state a more substantial amount—fortunately, I do have the money.

            Next JD printed out my copy of the return, which has already been filed electronically, and my estimated tax vouchers for both the feds and the state. Then he took scissors and carefully cut the excess paper off of the vouchers and the address labels, saying, “This is the part of my job I learned in kindergarten.” Then he put each label and voucher into its own envelope. “I’m a fairly methodical person," he said. "Perhaps not good in some situations, but good for this job.”

            I had to agree.

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