Average Jane Files Her Taxes

Today is Tax Day. I filed my taxes yesterday. I know enough people who’ve worked for the IRS to know that
there’s a secret grace period of about a week, but I’m too chicken to take advantage of it. For me, not having to line up at the post office with my forms in my hand is a great triumph.

Unfortunately my triumph was short lived. When I sorted through the mail I received yesterday, there was an envelope from my late grandparents’ bank. In it was a Form 1041, Schedule K-1 from my grandmother’s trust with instructions to include the amount listed on my 2006 federal income tax return. 2006. The one that’s due today.

The letter was dated April 7th and it was postmarked April 12th, so there’s no question that they completely dropped the ball and had no intention of getting it to me in a timely manner.

I suppose I have no choice but to file an amended federal tax return. I don’t know if it’ll affect my state returns (I file two because I work in one state and live in another), but that would be a huge pain. I’ll almost certainly end up having to pay back some of my federal refund, which makes me very unhappy.

My plan is to fax the form to my accountant (she shouldn’t be too busy today, right?) and let her deal with it after her post tax day break.

In the timeless words of Roseanne Roseannadanna, "Well, Jane, it just goes to show you, it’s always something."