figure out what the hell happened to that big fat tax return check I was supposed to get...

This afternoon I deposited the checks and celebrated with a delicious burrito! The checks were mailed from Philly, so they took no time to get here… Yay! I get to mark this one done!

Today I got a form letter informing me that I’m getting all of my money back with interest. I totally feel like I’ve won some secret government lottery, even though it’s actually my money they’re returning to me…

I’m going to check this one off when I get the actual checks in hand, but I’m thrilled!

Finally! I got a letter today that says I’m in the queue, and I should be recieving another letter in a month and possibly a check in 4-6 weeks, just in time for me to do my return in January…

While I’m on the whole update kick, I did get that form letter last month, but no check yet. My mother said that it will probably take them a while to do this, and I’m hoping I get my 2005 taxes back before I pay my 2006 ones. I’m glad I have this as a goal, since it slips my mind quite a bit—I just don’t obsess over the IRS enough, aparently…

I got a “we’re working on it” note in the mail from the IRS. Aparently they have to do more “research”. Sigh. At least they didn’t send me a rejection letter…

I sent in my forms last week, so I should hear back from them sometime in July, hopefully with a tasty refund [knock on wood]. While I’m waiting, I have two companies who owe me cash money—Room and Board and the Quicken people. I’ve called both of them only to be told to call back later. I should get onto that…

I called the IRS this morning and the woman was extremely helpful. I’ve found out that I don’t need to file the quarterly taxes for myself the way I’ve been doing it. [Lesson #1—I am not my own employee.] She’s going to send me a series of forms that will undo the damage I’ve done and give me back all of the cash I’ve sent them in error. She also showed me a good resource on their website and told me the right way to file my taxes for my 1099 employees in the future.

Such a relief! If these forms work the way she described it, I’m going to get a big chunk o’ cash back – - more than I anticipated… I need to sit down and go through this website that she recommended. Unlike the people at the bank, she believed that I was doing a good job on my taxes and that I was perfectly capable of doing them myself – - I just needed better advice. She recommended that I see an accountant for a checkup, but didn’t think that I needed to see someone who would do all of my taxes for me.

Yay! It’s funny how I could totally morph the title of this goal after that one 30-minute phone call… Once I get these new forms in hand and out the door, I may do just that.

I’m glad I have this as a goal because I still don’t know what happened to my tax return. Should I write a letter now, or should I wait until other people get their federal tax return? Surely the rush season is over. I’m not sure what the next step is—I sent in another form for them after I talked to them a few months ago, but I knew they were going to get slammed with work in April… It would be nice to get my thousand bucks back…

I still haven’t definitely heard from the IRS, but here I am filling out my Q1 taxes. I felt like I’m throwing good money after bad. I’m not convinced that the IRS is going to link together my two numbers, so this cash may just disappear into the government’s craw next year. If the IRS were a vendor, I would just not buy from them until I got this whole thing straightened out…

The IRS called and left a message last night. The woman on the phone said I was “confused” but offered help in getting my refund. I’m trying to get in touch with my mom before I call, because, a) she’s an accountant and b) she’s my mom. In either case, she’s clearly the one to fix things before I call, right?