The State of Income Tax (oh wait, I mean, my state income tax)

[rowyn]

Action Log:
4/14/10
Work
ZOMG still need to do MO tax return and it's April 14th well I've got 13 minutes before I need to get to work so:

Activity	Time Spent
Finding the right page from which to get the correct tax form:	30 seconds
Filling out wrong form because my desktop browser didn't download the entire page of links	1 minute
Getting desktop computer to load link for and save correct tax form	4 minutes
Filling out tax form*	14 minutes
Locating slightly mildewed envelope in basement with which to mail tax form	1 minute
Caring that my state taxes will be mailed in a slightly mildewed envelope	2.1 seconds
Emailing tax return to myself at work to print	30 seconds
Figuring out which pages of the 16-page form I needed to print	2 minutes
Re-printing document because the pdf has its own embedded print function you need to use to print, which also helps determine which forms you have to print	2 minutes
Addressing envelope and putting in mail	3 minutes
Total time spent dealing with state tax return	00:28:02.1

Additonal factoids
Number of minutes late to work	11
Net Refund from Missouri	$5

Five dollars? Really, Missouri Department of Revenue? Really? I'd tell you to keep it but you'd just send Guido after me.

Conclusion: doing the state taxes took a little longer than I expected, mostly not because of things the state did. Even so, at less than 30 minutes, it's not really worth paying extra to have a program do them for me. Especially since a program doesn't take zero time, either (though it would take considerably less, especially if it can e-file. I couldn't see a way to e-file on Missouri's website, although I'm pretty sure it's possible.)

Anyway: really truly done with taxes for 2009 now, this time for sure.

* Missouri changed the way they handle the pdf this year: now their 1040 pdf contains 16 pages of different forms, including all kinds of forms that it auto-completes in case they matter, but they don't. I spent a few extra minutes navigating the additional forms to make sure they didn't matter.

Comments

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

The Federal government lets you tell them to keep it (as pre-payment for next year), but you have to fill out the appropriate form and then report it on next year's taxes.

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

Caring that my state taxes will be mailed in a slightly mildewed envelope

*comforts poor Rowyn* };)