How to Survive Tax Time Stress

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By Therese Haberman
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Survive Tax Time Stress

The deadline to file taxes is April 15th and it's approaching fast! You need to get the taxes done and behind you but you're cutting it close. Your stress level continues to climb. Here are some tips to deal with the tax time blues.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Patience
Common sense
Paper
Forms
Calculator or software program

Step 1

Hire someone to help you. Even if you buy the latest edition of TurboTax, that will help you get a handle on your tax situation. The software is easy to use and prevents you for making stupid math errors or--even better--missing out on deductions and credits you could have claimed.
Step 2

Be honest. Don’t fudge anything and you won’t have to worry about sleepless nights if you later get notified that you are being audited by the IRS.
Step 3

Organize your stuff. Even if you threw it all in a pile all year long, now is the time to get in there and sort, save or stuff in the trashcan. It is best to leave all your paperwork, bills and records in one area of the house like a desk or corner hutch. Even if you need to hunt through stuff, you know where to hunt.
Step 4

If you are afraid to do your taxes because you will owe lots of money, you need a game plan now. Figure out how much you owe and start saving week-to-week to get the money together. The sooner you start saving, the better. When you get it paid, fix your tax withholding so this doesn’t happen again.
Step 5

Give yourself a break. Go to the gym or get a manicure, anything you enjoy that relaxes you. Keep in the back of your mind that this too will pass. You will figure it out, find the money and pay the sum. And if all else fails, pray--a lot.
Step 6

In the end, look back on this experience and decide for yourself what you could have done differently so you can reduce the stress level next year when the tax man cometh again.