Last-minute tips as the April 18 tax deadline looms

[mahatmakanejeeves]

PERSONAL FINANCE • Perspective

Last-minute tips as the April 18 tax deadline looms

By Michelle Singletary
Columnist
Yesterday at 7:00 a.m. EDT

Every year, my husband and I vow to get our taxes done early.

And just about every year, we fail to make good on that promise to ourselves. So here we are again, scrambling at the last minute. If that’s you, too, here are some things you should keep in mind.

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By Michelle Singletary
If you have a personal finance question for Washington Post columnist Michelle Singletary, please call 1-855-ASK-POST (1-855-275-7678). Her award-winning column, “The Color of Money,” is syndicated by The Washington Post News Service and Syndicate and carried in dozens of newspapers. Twitter https://twitter.com/SingletaryM

[KPN]

1. Just finished mine this morning after vowing to have them done by the end of February.

Same story every year. Though this year I actually started and had about 8o% of the work done in February before I went to bed after working on them late one night toward the end of Feb., and then didn't pick up where I left off until last night! I hate doing taxes!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. Y-e-a-a-a-a-a-h, I'm this close to finishing mine.

I was working on them in February. I owe a lot, so I wouldn't have been doing myself any favors filing early. I'm checking my math. If I get energetic, I can turn them in this afternoon. I file electronically.

[cilla4progress]

3. I do, too, mahatmakane -

My reason is I have a small sole proprietorship and my income from it is so variable that I don't pay quarterly - which I suppose I should.

I just did a big IRA transfer to help shield some of it.