The Tax Man Cometh

After much cat-vacuuming (and a little actual cat-brushing ... it's shedding season after all) I installed Turbo Tax and started plowing through the numbers. (You'd think I wouldn't procrastinate given how much I enjoy the crisp crunching sound of numbers underfoot.) I guess I'm still calibrating my gut-level instincts of how being sole owner of the house affects my numbers because I was a little startled at how big a refund I'm getting. (Of course, it helps that on top of the major mortgage-interest deduction, I get to deduct the rental share of the house-painting in a lump sum.) So I guess I get to pay cash for the upcoming birthday present after all.

I want to review the printouts of the tax forms in detail before e-filing them, but so far I'm happy with the Turbo Tax experience. And I'm even happier with no more partnership returns and no more weird differences between federal and state depreciation.