Next week we Americans have to have either filed our income tax paperwork, or filed for extensions. I don't want to get into a discussion of relative tax rates, but I am interested in how this is handled in other parts of the world? Here in the U.S. I have to wait for about a month after the first of the new year in order to get the forms, called W2s or 1099s, etc, before I can fill out my paperwork. I generally buy a $20 software program, which I need a new one every year because of changes in the laws, to prepare the paperwork. I have to have records or receipts of expenses on hand in order to fill it out. The entire process, not counting time spent finding or arranging the records, probably takes about two to three hours. It's a little more complicated for my family because my wife has a small business. All in all it's a pain in the butt.

How does this compare to what you folks in other countries have to go through? About the same, easier, harder, or what?

I do mine as soon as I get the W-4. Do it with the software and file electronically. Pretty quick, and painlessly for a single old fart. I get the return in a few days, usually a week, althought they tell you to allow two weeks. Direct Deposit of course.
So simple even a caveman could do it.

Mine are done ASAP..... I just pay the tax guy the $40-50 bucks...... He files Electronically for the refund.... and Mail if it's an I Owe situation.......

Am I safe to say that you don't use H&R Block? It cost me $200 to file with the good folks at Block. I do have a complicated preparation due to all of the medical expenses we have due to my child's Muscular Dystrophy. The only way I can feel better about the preparation fee is knowing I can claim it next year.

Patrick

I use the Taxcut program (H&R Block software) that costs about $15 at the PX. I am able to download my W2 through the military online pay system (DFAS) around the third week of January. My start date normally depends on when the 1099s get mailed from the banks. They normally come by the middle of the month as well.

Takes me about ½ an hour and I normally get between $3000-5000 back. Sometimes I splurge and submit it electronically, but usually I just mail the form in and get my refund around mid February.

Having a BBA in Banking & Finance, I cringe at the thought of paying someone to do my taxes. Although I buy the software, I also do the calculations manually and come to within a dollar of the Taxcut figure. This is based on the method the IRS and the program use when rounding figures to the nearest dollar amount.

The wife handles all that...
Guys I work with get huge refunds and think they didn't pay anything. They take their returns to H&R Block, pay the $350 for the return and the rapid refund. They tell me "I got a $4,500 check." I ask them how much the government withheld and half of them don't know what I am talking about.
Shaun
/We try to break even on state and federal
//No sense in loaning the government money interest free

Not from another country...although certain states give that impression I guess. We filed for an extension...

Yep.... I use a "Individual" Accounting/bookkeeping/Tax guy....... I can't see spending what H&R charges...... not when he does the same thing..........

I'm still a student and make less than even most college students with jobs, so the process takes about an hour for me.

Kinda sad though that no one from other countries have posted yet.

Jeff

They cringe at the sound of TAX worse than we do.
I understand the UK is going to add a VAT to breathing.

This is one area I'm lucky. I used to do my own taxes for years and go through all the headache even with the software. My brother is a C.P.A. (Certified Public Accountant) and finally said, Why don't you just give it to me to do? D'oh!
Haven't looked back since.

I've just submitted my taxes online over here in Singapore. What a relief! It's just tedious since I work freelance and have to keep track of my varied income sources. Over here we declare our income and receive the tax bill in 3 months' time. It's a big pain when you're living from hand to mouth or in my case, itching to spend the spare cash i put aside for the tax bill on more models... but seriously the tax system here is simpler than in australia. I still have AUD$50 owing to me from the Australian Tax Office from 2003 when I left, but the effort needed to claim that is just not worth it. good luck to guys trying to get this done this weekend.

My wife usually handles the taxes as she has more write-offs than I. We've used H&R Block, then a family friend who went into the preparation business. This year, we changed and did it ourselves via TurboTax Online. My company actually worked out a deal with Intuit and provides the software, either online or downloaded, for free as we have to file in whatever states and localities we've worked in throughout the year.

It wasn't particularly easy or fast, but I'm satisfied with the experience to go that route again next year, especially given the lessons we learned this year.

Oh yeah - I told that when filing electronically, you'll receive your refund on the 2nd Friday after you file. So, file Monday, get it the Friday after next.

- Frank

I don't thinkt there's one person in Finland who likes paying taxes, but they've at least got one thing right about them.
Pre-filled paperwork

You get the forms and such pre-filled with the latest data the tax folks have. Then, if there has been changes, you fil the forms to report them and send them back, otherwise, you don't have to do a thing.