I think my caseworker from the IRS was confused when I told her I’d been thinking about her, but the truth was, I had. She called this afternoon with what were the details in what would be the final round of 20 months of negotiations concerning my 2009 tax returns.
We started with the IRS claiming I owed them $5,000, and we ended at $1,500. Once they got a hold of my bank statements they really went to town, and most of that $1,500 is refunds of downpayments I paid on property, that I had no paperwork for.
This advice goes to everyone who has non-W2 income coming in, which is primarily freelance income but could also include payments from Google AdSense, AirBNB, or money your friends paid you back: If you don’t keep a separate account for that income and you get audited, be prepared to get boarded. You’ll have to explain everything.
The weirder things that happened during this process:
The first IRS lady was absolutely certain that the first-time homebuyer credit I had gotten had expired, and couldn’t be claimed. I emailed her a couple news articles to change her mind.
The IRS requiring a transcript from my college, which I graduated from in ’99, to prove my student-loan interest deduction was reasonable.
The mistakes I made:
At the end of the process (i.e. today), if I had declined the IRS’ final offer, we would have met in a courtroom next month. I took the first number at face value without negotiation. Never take the first number.
It’s one of the more favorite of the skype chats I’ve had at work. The “Thunderdome” referenced is the Denver Post’s parent corporation newsroom — many of them are here in Denver for tomorrow’s Presidential Debate.
me: In other, real news, Thunderdome people are here in the newsroom
me: Met Ryan B., National Politics editor, today.
me: He’s 50 feet tall and made out of fire.
me: Took all of us on a tour of the third astral plane.
Josh K: oh that is cool
Josh K: the editors that have supernatural powers are pretty cool
me: agreed. hadn’t been to the third plane before
me: was way different than the second and fifth.
me: more chimeras.
I knew a cat who would do that. It was the most adorable thing ever. What were they trying to do? Where did they think that would get them? Why the sink?
You are my favorite live band. I saw you play twice in Winston-Salem North Carolina, and those shows were unforgettable. Then I moved to Denver, where I’ve lived for almost five years. I haven’t seen you play in five years. Will you come to Denver?
Sincerely,
Joe
Dear non-Oneida people reading this letter: Please click this link and go to the Oneida website. If enough people click this link the Oneida website people will notice it, tell the band about it, and then the band will read the letter and then consider including Denver in their next tour. Yes, it will be so.
So, I’ve been playing a lot more chess lately. Now that I’m playing more, I’m more comfortable taking risks, and I’m losing more, and I’m winning more too.
