US Returns
Monday 8PM-10PM
- After four months of building dread, finally drag myself in front of the computer and fire up TurboTax
- Run through 50 screens of income, deductions, foreign residency tests, “making work pay” credits, and more fun stuff
- Run it again because I’m paranoid
- Cookie break
- Google “US tax returns 2010 expatriate Spain” for a while before figuring I’ve done the best I could
- Get set to e-file, then discover that I can’t (no clear reason given)
- Save a PDF of my return and log out
- Watch Stewart and Colbert to detox
Tuesday 7PM-8PM
- Print out PDF, write check, address envelope
- Have sudden paranoid feeling, begin Googling “US tax returns 2010 expatriate Spain”
- Stare at tax treaties until cross-eyed
- Throw hands in the air
- Stuff return into envelope, seal, to be mailed certified sometime later this week
- Cookie reward
Total Time: 3 hours (plus 4 months of procrastinating/dreading, plus 20 minutes of standing in line at the post office)
Total Cost: TurboTax fees
Spanish Returns
Tuesday 8PM-8:15PM
- Go to government website
- Receive access key by text message on my phone
- Download a draft of my return in PDF format and review the figures that have been entered there by the agency
- Approve the proposed tax amount
- Provide bank account number for payment
- Log out
Total Time: 15 minutes
Total Cost: zero