Have You Done Your Taxes?

This series is brought to you by TurboTax Federal Free Edition.

On Sunday we checked in with some folks to ask about TAXES (dun, dun, dun). Here’s what they said! PS What about you? How are you doing? You doing okay?

Cord Jefferson, works at GOOD
“I started doing them on TurboTax a couple months ago and stopped when I was 90 percent done. I always have to do that kind of stuff in parts, with time to breathe and decompress in between. Right now, I’m
in Long Beach to watch the Long Beach Grand Prix with my older brothers. They’re into indy car racing; I’m into drinking beer while wearing earplugs. Haven’t really thought about taxes, but I suppose that tomorrow I’ll clench my jaw, log back in, and finish up. This is probably the last year I’ll do them myself. I think I started doing them myself back in the day because I was embarrassed to admit to someone else how little I was making, which is a stupid reason to do something. Back to beer!”

Jennifer Pan, works at Verso books
“I did my taxes a week ago, holla. I’m getting $200 back from the US government. It was going to be closer to $300, but some of that is going to the state of New York, to which I apparently owe $70, and the rest of the difference is going to TurboTax for telling me that.

“Also, every year, at the section that asks if you’re legally blind, I get kind of excited and wonder if I am, in fact, legally blind and therefore able to claim some kind of deduction, forgetting that I go through this every year and, upon reading the criteria, always rediscover that, despite the thickness of my glasses, I am not legally blind.”

Bryan Rogers, works at a tech startup
“Pfft, you can guess the answer to this. I did my taxes in January, the day after I got my W-2 from my employer. Used TurboTax online for the eigth year in a row. Super easy and fast. Didn’t stress at all and spent my refund on travel to Central America. I didn’t even know it was tax day tomorrow. I’m on a train from Seattle to Portland, having a cocktail. Enjoy your taxes!”

Tyler Coates, works at BlackBook
“I’m driving back to NYC from Virginia. I’m currently at a Sheetz somewhere in Pennsylvania. I HAVEN’T DONE MY TAXES YET! I started them over a month ago, saw that I had to pay, got angry, and then put it off. This is the first time I’ve waited until the very last minute to file and I AM SO ASHAMED. Also mad because I have to pay.”Natasha Vargas-Cooper, works for herself
“Did my taxes last week with the help of a boozey homosexual and his 7 yorkies (professional accountant my family has used for years). I found out that during this past year, living purely on freelance money, I made just a couple thousand dollars above the poverty line. So I guess I’m depressed, a little.”

Angela Serratore, works for higher knowledge
“I … don’t do taxes. Rather, I didn’t this year and probably won’t next because I’m a student with no taxable income! OR ANY INCOME AT ALL, WHOOPS GUESS I SHOULDN’T HAVE GONE SHOPPING TODAY!!!!!!!”Bennett Madison, works for teen angst
“This time I’m slightly less panicked than usual because I had a day job last year and no freelance income, which makes everything easier/cheaper — it always seems so unfair that freelancers have such giant insult heaped upon injury at tax time.”In the coming year I actually am getting a bunch of freelance $$ and have actually started doing that thing everyone is always talking about where you save receipts. We shall see if it’s worth it.”Name Withheld, works for himself
“I haven’t done my taxes in years.”Chris Graffeo, works as a med student
“This year — as has been my way for a number of years now — I did my taxes while drinking heavily after the first day of a ski trip that I take with my father and one of my oldest and dearest friends every winter. The scene is a cozy mountain motel room, a very large yet shockingly-dipped-into bottle of Evan Williams, and me and TurboTax versus the clock of inevitable inebriation and exhaustion that will surely bring down upon me the fury of misfiling, audit, or just plain resignation to Doing Them (Much) Later. As I’m sure you’ve surmised, I emerged victorious once again (barely!), which I suppose is to say I’m relieved? Or maybe just PO’d I had to pay them at all, yargh!”

Eric Spiegelman, works for himself
“My tax attorney handles all that for me. I filed in January. Going for a bike ride today. Oh God, this makes me sound like such a douche.”

Amy Merrick, works for herself (and for beauty)
“Wait? What are taxes?”

Greg Barto, works for TechCrunch
“You know that feeling when you think you owe someone thousands of dollars, but in reality they owe you thousands dollars, and you find out at the last minute? That happened to me, and that someone is the US Government.”

Janet Paskin, works for The Wall Street Journal
“My taxes have been done for a month. I always do them as early as possible because then you get your refund faster, I think. To be fair, by ‘doing my taxes,’ I mean I take my W2 and about 50 1099s to a CPA and pay him $200 to figure it out. I feel a little guilty admitting that. I have written a lot about personal finance and I feel I should probably get some geeky thrill out of doing it myself.”Also, if I took my own advice I should also adjust my withholding and not get a refund at all, because that’s ‘like making an interest-free loan to the government,’ as any/every tax nerd will tell you. It turns out I don’t care about either of those things. I get my geeky thrills elsewhere and I like getting a refund. You’re welcome, government. The pleasure was mine.”

Nozlee Samadzadeh, works for Food52 + The Morning News
“I spent 2011 in a fulltime freelance job. It shouldn’t have been a surprise when I owed the government every bit of my savings come April, but well, yeah. I spent a day depressed that I wouldn’t have any after-work drinks with friends, new shoes, or casual $3 avocado purchases until I got paid again. But you know what’s free? The entire internet. Any movie! Most books! Practically any article, and every single mommyblog! Suddenly, I was rich.”

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