A heart-stopping postal delivery card

[Monkeyleg]

Yesterday I was on the phone when the doorbell rang. When I was able to get to the door, I found one of those cards postal carriers leave behind for mail that requires a signature.

The card was for a certified letter from the IRS.

I've had two IRS audits in the last twenty or so years (plus one state of WI audit, and three audits by the WI unemployment compensation division). I'd rather have a colonoscopy without sedation.

For one IRS audit, I had to cancel all work for three days because the auditor kept calling me into my office with questions. On top of that, it required my wife and me to work the three weekends prior preparing for the audit.

The card said I could pick up the letter this morning after 9am. I sweated it all night.

The guy behind the counter handed me the letter, and I nervously opened it. Hallelujah! It was a $25 penalty for a payment that was missed. I could breathe again.

The letter was one of those final notices where they say they're going to seize property if they don't get a reply in X number of days. The weird thing is I never received any notice about this before.

I love taxes.

[bedlamite]

So if the IRS shuts down until further notice, and they don't start back up until after the deadline, do they start seizing property before you have a chance to pay it?

[RaspberrySurprise]

It's not so much the taxes as it is the IRS itself.

[Monkeyleg]

So if the IRS shuts down until further notice, and they don't start back up until after the deadline, do they start seizing property before you have a chance to pay it?

I don't know. They'll probably seize property but not send me the $4000 they owe me.

RaspberrySurprise, I know it's the IRS, but taxes in general really grate on me.

I really think that the IRS should have to reimburse people for lost income when they're audited, and people should be able to charge the IRS penalties when the IRS makes mistakes.

[RaspberrySurprise]

I really think that the IRS should have to reimburse people for lost income when they're audited, and people should be able to charge the IRS penalties when the IRS makes mistakes.

I agree, but you know, and I know, that that has about as much chance of ever happening as I do of flying to the moon naked.

[GigaBuist]

A couple days after my wedding I headed back to the family business to pull out the last of our rental stuff and return it.  When I walked through the room that we had to lock my dog in during the wedding (good story there) he smelled of dog pee and the bleach solution we used to clean it up. Not pleasant.

I asked my dad who the new woman was working in there.  Tax auditor.

So, here she is, sitting in a room that smells of dog pee and bleach and here I am walking around with, I kid you not, a t-shirt that says 'TAXES SUCK' in giant block letters.

None of that was planned, but I bet she thought we were the biggest jerks in the world.

[Jim147]

You make estimated quarterly taxes so the can't stick you with an underpayment penalty.

The tax isn't really due yet but if your late with an estimated payment they stick you with a penalty?  

I paid them about $5000 in December to have them send it back to me in march. 

I'm ready for a flat tax.   

jim

[grampster]

I prefer the Fair Tax to the flat tax.

[Monkeyleg]

You make estimated quarterly taxes so the can't stick you with an underpayment penalty.

The tax isn't really due yet but if your late with an estimated payment they stick you with a penalty?  

I paid them about $5000 in December to have them send it back to me in march. 

I'm ready for a flat tax.   

jim

It's more than that, really. I made a $25 error on the 2010 941 Reconciliation form, so I owed them an additional $25. I paid it online using their online payment service, but forgot that I had two accounts with them--one that went through my old bank in WI, and the second one that goes through my new bank in AL. I mistakenly made the $25 payment to the account tied to the WI account, and it "bounced" because I'd closed out that account.

When I got a notice about the payment bouncing, I made another payment through the online account for the new bank, but I never got a notice about the $25 penalty for the "bounce" from my closed out account.

I wonder how much of my property they would have seized for a $25 late penalty fee?

[Perd Hapley]

  Tax auditor.

So, here she is, sitting in a room that smells of dog pee and bleach and here I am walking around with, I kid you not, a t-shirt that says 'TAXES SUCK' in giant block letters.

Well played.

[KD5NRH]

I wonder how much of my property they would have seized for a $25 late penalty fee?

Send them a gallon of gasoline.  If you ship UPS ground it should be about right by the time it gets there.  If you select Saturday delivery, they may end up owing you change by Monday.