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Taxes are a reminder of what you've done and where you're going
The Advocate
Tax day is upon us.
Rather than focusing on the stress that tax preparation produces, why not take an alternative outlook on what our tax forms mean.
You may be thinking your tax forms mean merely what you owe or what you are about to receive, but if you take a closer look you will see they are a strong indication of where you've been and where you plan to go.
If this is your first time preparing your own taxes, you may be confused about the process, but take a moment to truly appreciate yourself. No one is claiming you as a dependent this year! You have stepped out from beneath the shadow of your caregivers. You can now proudly claim adulthood, independence. This is scary or sad for some, but most people finally on their own are proud and excited about a new horizon. The path to adulthood is a tumultuous one; there is hangover from the stresses of making decisions in this new life. Luckily, preparing taxes for you alone is generally pretty easy. If you are newly married or had a child in the past year, you may have more of a struggle to face.
In the past, taxes were a breeze: one tax form for one person. Filling out a new form can sometimes be daunting. You have to care for this new form as much as, if not more than, your old single-filer form. It can be difficult trying to make your two life forms, for yourself and new companion or dependent, come to a compromise. Sometimes your new form really bugs you — this is normal, don't be alarmed. If your new form is making you crazy, feel free to put it in a drawer and take a breather. I am speaking figuratively, of course, especially if your new form is a child and not a spouse. Seriously though, get a sitter, take a walk or just make it clear that the next two hours are solo, quiet time and no one is to invade your temporary vacation. This will help you restrain from ripping your form to shreds.
Going from preparing your own taxes for free online to paying $300 to a stranger to sort out all the middle work is a big step, one you may resent. But inviting a professional to help you solve the confusion that comes with filing multiple forms will help you in the long run, because, let's face it, you have been doing your own taxes for far too long. Keeping secret the struggle of filing at the last minute will only contribute to your mounting stack of troubles. Asking for help is the first step to recovery.
There are some exciting forms that come with moving forward in life, and even though they may cost you some time and money, it is pretty impressive to file them. Property tax is a bummer but hopefully you and your growing family will be paying on your new home for years to come.
Filing with dependents, spouses, W-2s, and houses all seem like enough — but toss in a statement of tuition paid over the past year and you have one heavy file. The person carrying that file definitely feels that weight but remember that you won't always be filing as a student.
Eventually you will no longer need to file that form, and at that time you may be filing with a brand new W-2 and might even be entering a new income bracket!
One day you will be reminiscing fondly of the days you included your tuition costs in your taxes. All those late nights of compiling the cost of books and estimating your student tax credits will be a distant and pleasant memory.
Taxes are a necessary pain, but they are also a yearly reminder of everything you've accomplished. New forms come and go, but try to focus on the growth in your return and know that everyone has a price to pay when it comes to taxes.
The Advocate reserves the right to not publish comments based on their appropriateness.