YIKES!!!! The Dreaded IRS Letter!
Posted: Sunday, June 07, 2009
by Sandra E. Graham
My Books and Articles
The mailman comes and goes, you smile and wave, wishing him a good day-until you see what he has left you. He's probably laughing all the way back to the Post Office!
The official emblem emblazoned with (no, not 666), but the next closest thing- IRS-sends icy fingers of fear doing a drum roll down your spinal cord.
Well, hey, why get so down before you even give it a chance? It could be good news, right? Right? Not likely! The IRS is not well known for sending out invitations to dinner parties or front row seats to an inauguration ball. So, you go right ahead and start sweating now, because you are just about to earn that right. You have just received your first (it is your first, right?) invitation to join the IRS in an all out audit of your underw-ah, I mean-your Tax Return files for last year, two years ago, or whenever they feel like rocking your boat. And you can't do diddlee-squat about it.
After finally getting up the nerve to open the letter, you find out that you still owe Uncle Sam $2475 in taxes from two years ago. How can this be??? You scratch your head, rub your face, groan, and just to keep from crying, you get angry. They can't do this to you!
You've filed your taxes using a reputable firm-at least, you think they're reputable, now you have your doubts.
Gathering all your paperwork (this came on Friday of all days so you have until Monday to stew) and your letter from the man' and place them near the front door so nothing can happen to them before Monday; you know, like a lightening strike, or an earthquake. Of course, there are other copies and you know in your heart that nothing short of a nuclear attack by North Korea could save you now-and probably not even that.
Monday finally arrives and you're down at the IRS office at 8:00 a.m. waiting for someone to open the door at 8:30 . The only time in your life that you've been early for anything and it's worse than the time you got called to the Principal's office in eighth-grade for stealing Tracy Lucas' homework. You don't want to be there, but you want to get it over with. Twenty five hundred dollars will wipe out your savings account and you and the family had been so looking forward to that long-planned vacation to Disney World this summer. All these thoughts go around in your head as you pace back and forth in front of the door with matching emblems to the one on your letter-at least there's no doubt that you're at the right place-you laugh; it comes out more of a little-girl-giggle.
The door opens. You're first in line so you grab the seat in front of the nearest desk and shove the stack of papers and the letter across the desk; afraid to speak, afraid you will sound as frightened as you feel. The lady doesn't look up. It's as though she understands what you are going through. Opening the letter she reads to herself for a few minutes, then rifles through your entire file return paperwork. Finally she speaks.
"Why did you file separate returns?"
You frown. "Well, the tax preparer said it was the best way. They tried it both ways."
"Well, they were wrong. Do you mind if I re-file this for you as joint?"
"Do anything that might help."
She took all the paperwork and went to the back. After about fifteen minutes she came back. She had re-figured our return and now it turns out that the IRS still owes us $271
And she offers to file an amended return for us so that we owe nothing and will actually get money back. Can you believe it???? The IRS actually helping someone. Incredible!
I left the IRS office that day with a new respect for the people who take our money so freely every year. There is a God!
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Top-level comments on this article: (5 total)Wow, what a story! So glad this turned out well for you. Bet you fired your CPA!You got that right! Probably lost a lot of money over the years using these people.Thanks for reading and commenting.Sandra
Hi Sandra.Gee, and IRS story with a happy ending. Who woulda thought?Glad it turned out well and thanks for the vivid descriptions ... I think. I could feel my own palms starting to sweat.Hugs,DianneThanks, Dianne. Until you receive one of those letters, you just can't imagine the feeling.Sandra
Oh man - I was holding my breath for you! Great story, very funny, but most importantly, a great ending!! woo-hoo! Hugs, TeresaThanks, Teresa. Any good ending with the IRS is a GREAT ending.Have a wonderful weekend.Sandra
Hi Sandra.Great article. As I was reading, I was optimistic that the end result will be positive and it was, thank goodness.Best regards,NenitaThanks for reading and commenting, Nenita.Have a great weekend.Sandra
Great article. Well done.The IRS sounds bad enough. Have you heard about HM Revenue and Customs? Well that’s the British equivalent. Not only do they loose your details if they give you too much money (which is their fault) they send you a bill for between a few hundred to tens of thousands.Sounds as though they are very closely related. No one wants to get a letter from the IRS. It is Always bad news and if it works out to your favor, that is certainly not what they had in mind when they sent out the letter.Thanks for reading and commenting, Connor.Sandra
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