PROBLEM (FMF31 2019 Day 3)

I am participating in 31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes 2019 (all of my submissions can be found here).

Today’s prompt is: PROBLEM

I believe in keeping it real, so here’s the problem I’m facing, community. It’s a problem that falls squarely on my shoulders (and my spouse’s, I guess).

Despite promising myself I wouldn’t wait until the last minute, I have, indeed, waited until (almost) the last minute to do my 2018 taxes. I sent in the six-month extension form on April 15, promising myself I would be proactive (as proactive as you can be when you’re asking for an extension) and not live through an entire summer with the prospect of getting this done dogging me.

Not to get too far into the personal weeds, but I know I am going to owe (again). Until I got my full-time job (which I love!) in September 2018, I had freelanced ever since leaving my long-time job at Healthy Kids back in May 2014. Never once in that whole period did I sufficiently pay my self-employment taxes. Many of those years, I took premature withdrawals from my 401(K) because of the nature of our lives (my lesser income due to freelancing, two kids in college, life), which made the problem worse.

I dread everything about it. Finding out what I owe (again). Negotiating with the IRS to amend my installment agreement (again).

This situation flies in the face of my favorite mantra, “Every problem has a solution.”

The solution, of course, would have been to lock myself in a room on April 16 and do it. Just do it.

I’m reminding myself, though, that I’m clawing myself out of the situation. Having a full-time job has made me pay Uncle Sam more consistently. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

A few hours between now and October 15 to prepare my taxes, a phone call or two then life will move on. The problem will be in my rearview mirror.