We are quickly closing in on the tax deadline, so those who haven’t already filed their taxes are probably starting to feel the pressure mount a bit. Sure, we still have a little more than a month to go, but it’s one of those things you hate to have lingering over your head.
I was starting to feel a little uneasy myself this weekend as my stack of financial papers on my desk was taunting me for the past month. Even though I have an accountant do my taxes, when you own a business and rental property there is still a lot of information to gather even before you can turn the paperwork over to an accountant. I was also putting it off a bit because I had a feeling we were going to come up owing money this year. Some income was up and some expenses down, and the quick math in my head led me to believe this was going to be the case.
Well, after putting all of my information together and with some rough numbers I ran them through the TurboTax Taxcaster program to see how bad the damage would be and to my surprise, it estimated a modest refund. Not wanting to leave things to chance I ran the tax estimator calculators at H&R Block and eFile.com and they were reporting refunds as well. The numbers were all different, but they were all within the same ballpark so that’s a good sign. I guess I underestimated the impact of having another child and leaving my full-time job to be self-employed would have on things. While I’m not a big fan of getting large tax refunds, it’s obviously better than coming up short and having to write a check. But at least now I’ll know for 2011 I can dial back my estimated tax payments a bit and put more money in my pocket every month.
I’m off to drop my taxes off with the accountant today, but while I’m doing that you can answer in the poll below. Of course, if you haven’t started yet and you’re looking for a way to begin, first see if you qualify for filing your taxes for free.
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Author: Jeremy Vohwinkle
My name is Jeremy Vohwinkle, and I’ve spent a number of years working in the finance industry providing financial advice to regular investors and those participating in employer-sponsored retirement plans.
