Ask Joyce
Have a question about controlling clutter? Have you developed a terrific solution to one of the clutter problems that’s been discussed in this website?
Send me a question or suggestion at: JoyceAnderson@KneeDeepInClutter.com
TAX TIME
Help!As usual, it's income tax time and I'm running really late. How can I avoid
this last minute panic next year?
Thanks, Chris from Monroe, Michigan
Hi Chris,
April 15th is burned into our brains - taxes are due! So how come it keeps popping up as a big surprise? Avoidance tactic I guess. No one's going to say it's easy, but a touch of advanced planning can help make it a little more manageable.
First, get a folder with pockets and label it TAXES. Throughout the year, toss all tax information into the folder. Then whenever you're ready to start your taxes, even if it's April 14th, everything will be in one spot.
Next, start organizing your taxes in February.
- Label some business envelopes for the tax categories such as Wages, Interest Income, Property Taxes, Contributions, and so forth.
- Sort through the papers in your tax folder and put them into the correct business envelopes.
- Set up an appointment with the your tax person. Take the following items:
- Copy of last year's taxes
- Business envelopes with the current tax information
- List of any questions you have
- Paper and pen
- Tax discount coupon and check or credit card for payment
If you prepare your own taxes, you can jump in and do it all in one weekend, or you can work on federal taxes one week and state taxes another week. Since you have the information sorted into the business envelopes, it will be easier to tackle your taxes, whether you're doing it with a computer tax program or the old fashioned way with paper and pen.
Be sure to complete the cycle. After your taxes are done, file them in your permanent files so you can find them again. Plan on keeping tax information for at least seven years.
If necessary, set up a new tax folder for the current year. Before you know it, April 15th will be just around the corner - but this time you'll be ready!
Hope this helps.
Joyce