They're both equally painful. Why does the IRS make everything so horrifyingly complicated? In order to complete the 1040, I have to fill out Schedule C (for profit or loss from business) and Schedule SE (to calculate self-employment tax), then start working on 1040-ES (for 2011 estimated tax) to figure out a quarterly payment schedule for taxes that don't get withheld from my locum tenens gigs while making random guesses regarding what my total income in 2011 might turn out to be [Dear IRS, Are you aware that I am not psychic].
Don't even get me started on what constitutes allowable deductions for business expenses! I have read countless IRS publications & instruction booklets and wandered through confusing and ridiculously unhelpful worksheets & flow charts, and I still can't tell if my calculations are correct. The instructions tell me to divide line 9 by line 15, then multiply by 0.0239, then spritz with aerosolized frankincense and bake the whole thing in a front-loading crucible gas kiln at cone 04 for 8 days while doing the hokey pokey. Am I a minister, member of a religious order, or Christian Science practitioner? Am I a farmer or fisherman? Really?! This information is somehow crucial to sorting out the jumble of paperwork?! Hire a tax professional, you say? Yes, I really should have done that months ago but you've probably deduced by now that I am the world champion procrastinator when it comes to paperwork involving taxes. The idea of working the counter at McDonald's is starting to sound inexplicably attractive...
2 comments:
It's not too late! Go to H & R Block stat!!!
(from Julie)
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