Federal efficiency: oxymoron or bad joke?
For years, the federal government has been trying to get Carolyn to sign on with the E.F.T.P.S. (Electronic Federal Tax Payment System) program where businesses can pay their taxes online, including 940 unemployment tax, 941 employee withholding tax, and 1040ES estimated tax. Several years ago when the program first began, I signed her up online, received a special P.I.N., and was able to log onto the site. The next time I tried to enter the site, it claimed she was not registered and for her to go through the enrollment process again. Screw 'em, I said. As of January 01, 2011, the government no longer takes mailed deposits to the tax accounts; they require it to be done online via EFTPS. For the past two months, we have been trying to enroll once more. They sent her a temporary PIN which would not get her online but would allow her to go to her bank, get a notarized document with the bank checking account number and bank routing number to mail back to the IRS. She did that. Soon, she got another letter saying she did the first one wrong (she did not do it wrong) and they enclosed another form to go to the bank for the same notarized info. She did that. Tuesday, she got another letter from the IRS saying she had done it wrong (again, she did not do it wrong) and they enclosed another form to go to the bank, be filled out, and notarized. This time she did the correct procedure of shredding and trashing it. Now, we are sitting on more than $2,000 that was due to be paid by the end of January and as we hold it, the IRS is charging penalties and interest out the gazoo. A person busts her ass to try and do things correctly, earn a living, help two employees earn a living, and is rewarded by being dumped on by every tax authority in this great nation of ours. Phooey!
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Carolyn began drawing her Social Security retirement early last year but she made a little more from working than what the government allows, so they withheld four of her checks at the end of 2010 and beginning of 2011. In January, she received a letter saying they were going to keep four more of her checks for this year because she estimated she would make about the same as last year. Then she loses the big church account, and we go to the SS office and try to refile an income estimate for 2011. They tell us to send them a copy of 2011's 1040ES (estimated income and taxes) from our 2010 income tax forms and they would get her checks started back this month (March). I sent the form in, and they sent back a letter wanting to know why she sent it; they need the whole 1040 form with all schedules included. They will use it to decide if she should get the checks started back now or in June. They say they will go by last years income to decide what to pay her this year. I don't anywhere near have the 2010 taxes finished but I am going to cobble something together and send them which I know will be wrong and even if it is correct, she still will not get another penny of SS until June. Why do they send out a form in October asking her to estimate what she will make the next year and why does it say she can change her estimate at any time by contacting the SS office? It is all bureaucratic bullshit! Someday, she may get the four checks for this year refunded, but we need the money right this minute. It is a mucked up fess! Double Phooey!
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Hope your Thursday is better than mine.
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For years, the federal government has been trying to get Carolyn to sign on with the E.F.T.P.S. (Electronic Federal Tax Payment System) program where businesses can pay their taxes online, including 940 unemployment tax, 941 employee withholding tax, and 1040ES estimated tax. Several years ago when the program first began, I signed her up online, received a special P.I.N., and was able to log onto the site. The next time I tried to enter the site, it claimed she was not registered and for her to go through the enrollment process again. Screw 'em, I said. As of January 01, 2011, the government no longer takes mailed deposits to the tax accounts; they require it to be done online via EFTPS. For the past two months, we have been trying to enroll once more. They sent her a temporary PIN which would not get her online but would allow her to go to her bank, get a notarized document with the bank checking account number and bank routing number to mail back to the IRS. She did that. Soon, she got another letter saying she did the first one wrong (she did not do it wrong) and they enclosed another form to go to the bank for the same notarized info. She did that. Tuesday, she got another letter from the IRS saying she had done it wrong (again, she did not do it wrong) and they enclosed another form to go to the bank, be filled out, and notarized. This time she did the correct procedure of shredding and trashing it. Now, we are sitting on more than $2,000 that was due to be paid by the end of January and as we hold it, the IRS is charging penalties and interest out the gazoo. A person busts her ass to try and do things correctly, earn a living, help two employees earn a living, and is rewarded by being dumped on by every tax authority in this great nation of ours. Phooey!
----
Carolyn began drawing her Social Security retirement early last year but she made a little more from working than what the government allows, so they withheld four of her checks at the end of 2010 and beginning of 2011. In January, she received a letter saying they were going to keep four more of her checks for this year because she estimated she would make about the same as last year. Then she loses the big church account, and we go to the SS office and try to refile an income estimate for 2011. They tell us to send them a copy of 2011's 1040ES (estimated income and taxes) from our 2010 income tax forms and they would get her checks started back this month (March). I sent the form in, and they sent back a letter wanting to know why she sent it; they need the whole 1040 form with all schedules included. They will use it to decide if she should get the checks started back now or in June. They say they will go by last years income to decide what to pay her this year. I don't anywhere near have the 2010 taxes finished but I am going to cobble something together and send them which I know will be wrong and even if it is correct, she still will not get another penny of SS until June. Why do they send out a form in October asking her to estimate what she will make the next year and why does it say she can change her estimate at any time by contacting the SS office? It is all bureaucratic bullshit! Someday, she may get the four checks for this year refunded, but we need the money right this minute. It is a mucked up fess! Double Phooey!
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Hope your Thursday is better than mine.
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