I'm sure everybody knows about the economic stimulus checks that are supposed to be mailed in May. Turns out we're not getting one, so I don't much care. However, my grandma is eligible for one provided she files a token tax return showing her non-taxable retirement income
Being the sick and twisted person that I am, I actually kind of enjoy the challenge of doing taxes, so I'm quite familiar with most of the forms and such. Yes, I volunteered to do grandma's return so she could get her $300 check. Mom sends me the documentation, I do the return and file online through one of the free programs. Done.
Except the next day I get an email saying her return had been rejected by the IRS because the date of birth listed doesn't match their information from Social Security. I call Mom and confirm I have the right date. According to the email we should call Social Security and get it fixed there, but it could take up to four weeks. We don't have four weeks, and we're not sure it's worth $300 to deal with them anyway. So we decide to just print the return, have her sign it, and mail it in.
Except when I went to print it, the entire second page, as well as all of the instructions, prints in gibberish. One line reads Zpvs! gf ef s bml uby! I don't think the IRS will accept that. I think I'm about to print off a blank form and do it by hand. Geez. This shouldn't be so difficult!
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5 comments:
I think you should send in that form. Then tell them it's your native language.
Oooh. Doghouse has a good idea.
IRS: taking our money and then making us pay for it again with forms and complexity.
Bleah.
Moo!
You remember the same thing happened to me when I filed my parents return???? Well... good luck with that. My mom has been on the phone first, then in person twice to both the SS office and the IRS office and both offer no help. They keep pointing her to the other office.
FRUSTRATING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I do remember that. Seems to be routine. Grandma's 82, we're not going through that. If they won't take the paper return, she just won't get the $300. She won't know the difference, she never did understand why we had to do one in the first place. I'd give her $300 before I made her deal with SS over this. They're just evil. But since the instructions for the "stimulus payment only" returns said she could estimate her income, I don't think they'll look that close!
You may want to get it straightened out now, even if it is a hassle. You don't want more of this crap down the road.
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