Homer Simpson does his taxes at the last minute…
Homer: “Quick! We need more deductions! OK Marge, if anyone asks, you require 24-hour nursing care, Lisa’s a clergyman, Maggie is seven people, and Bart was wounded in Vietnam!”
Bart: “Cool!”
Later, 5 seconds to deadline, he tosses his return into a mail cart as the cage doors are slamming shut. The cart is marked For Severe Audit.
There’s a lesson here folks, and it’s that the Simpsons used to be really funny.
Also, it’s tax time, and getting late in the game. The deadline for filing your return is April 17th. So here, courtesy of the money page at USNews.com, are some last-minute tax filing tips:
- File an extension. This has always confused me. They say you can put it off for 6 months, but you still have to pay by 4/17. If you don’t do your return, how do you know how much you owe?
- Make tax-deductible IRA contributions. Right up until 4/17.
- File electronically. With my luck, my broadband would go out that night!
- Even when rushing, do a careful review. Duh.
- Don’t forget this year’s newest forms. If you need any of the new forms, you should have started earlier!
- Get organized for next year. Or just marry someone organized, like I did.
- Enjoy tax-day freebies. Companies like Bruegger’s are giving away tax-time treats that day. So Google that!
So, even at the last minute, there are ways you can avoid mistakes, penalties and audits. Check out the info behind the bullet points at the original article. And happy tax time!