By Mark Harvey
Heads up! This is one of those annoying columns that will require that you keep it, so you might as well go get the scissors and the refrigerator magnet that says, “Don’t analyze enthusiasm,” now, because you’re going to want both.
To begin, I know that if we listen long enough to people who want us to listen long enough, we begin to get a bit confused about who is or isn’t paying taxes, or at what rate, or whether corporations are people or people are corporations or whether people might want to incorporate in order to become people who might not have to pay taxes, or … I know. And if we stop listening long enough, here’s where we’ll end up: Most of us have to pay taxes or — at least — deal with the reality of a tax return.
This is a realization which rarely cheers us up at this time of year, so we’ve placed Valentine’s Day squarely in the middle of February, and characterized it with chocolate, as an incentive to continue with your life.
Corporate status aside, taxes are looming directly ahead, so who’s coming galloping to our rescue (again!) with real help? Right: TAX-AIDE, (That’s the “William Tell Overture” you’re hearing in the background.)
For those of you who have only recently joined the species, TAX-AIDE are the good folks who come to our rescue at this time every year by providing free, skilled tax preparation and e-filing and, thus, saving us from ourselves.
These are volunteers who get to read copious amounts of tax stuff, then go to classes, then take a test administered by the IRS to see if they really learned all the tax stuff that they had to read and listen to in classes, and then they get to give away major portions of their lives — for free — to help us.
They must like us. And we certainly like them.
TAX-AIDE is sponsored by the IRS and AARP. You do not have to be a member of AARP to partake. In fact, you don’t even have to be an elder. You can just be a regular tax-paying or tax-return-filing person of any age. So much for prioritization.
Now, look: If you have income from rental properties, complicated business returns, mega-bucks, own property in nine different states, have lots of investments or have long since incorporated yourself, give these folks a break, huh? For the rest of us, here’s the deal.
Bring a photo ID, Social Security cards for you, spouse and dependents, W-2s, 1099s, 1095s (health insurance documentation) and any other stuff necessary to get the tax return job done, your 2015 tax return and bank account routing and account numbers, if you want a refund deposited directly, wait for it to be Feb. 1 — next Wednesday — then go for it. Here’s another hint. These folks are crazy-busy in early February, so you might want to either mellow out until March or bring a sandwich and some good-natured patience.
OK, ready? This is the part that you need to cut out and stick on the refrigerator
• Aberdeen Timberland Library, Mondays and Wednesdays, 12:30-4:30 p.m.; also, the third Saturday in February and March, 12:30-4:30.
• McCleary Timberland Library, first and third Thursday (3-7 p.m.) and Saturday (10 a.m.-3 p.m.) of each applicable month; also, the second Thursday in April, 3-7 p.m.
• Ocean Shores Library, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.
• Raymond Timberland Library, second and fourth Saturdays of each applicable month, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Ocean Park Timberland Library, Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Feel free to thank these folks, because except for migraines, that’s all they’re getting out of doing this.
Just a couple more things:
• The IRS blessed TAX-AIDE with new tax-preparation software this year, which means that will NOT be able to look up your data from last year’s return. One thing this means is that you will have to bring a Social Security card (or Social Security Benefits Statement) for every person on your return.
• Many of us have received at least one threatening phone call, or e-mail or social media contact from a fake IRS “representative.” The IRS will never, ever, EVER do any of those — they’re scams! Now, we’re hearing that some of these scams are even appearing in snail-mail, which IRS DOES use, so it’s even more deceptive. If you get a nasty, threatening missive from what appears to be the IRS and you just aren’t sure, you can bring it with you to TAX-AIDE and they’ll help you sort it out.
OK? That’s it. Good luck!
And if you’re still hearing the “William Tell Overture,” try humming the theme song from “M*A*S*H*.”
Mark Harvey is the director of Information and Assistance for Olympic Area Agency on Aging. He can be reached atharvemb@dshs.wa.gov or 532-0520 in Aberdeen, (360) 942-2177 in Raymond or (360) 642-3634. FACEBOOK: Olympic Area Agency onAging-Information & Assistance.
