Sunday, March 28, 2010

Drat

I started doing my taxes yesterday. I like to do them slightly early and file them online because I like getting my refund back quickly. If you file around the end of March, it seems to only take about 2 weeks before you have the cheque in hand.

I have a file folder in my cabinet labelled "Income Taxes" and every time something comes in the mail that belongs in that folder, anything I know I'll need to file my return, it goes in that folder right away, as soon as it arrives. Unlike other stuff that seems to go in a pile to be filed "some day".

So imagine my dismay when I started going through the paperwork and working through the steps on the online tax preparation site and realized that I didn't have my assessment form from last year's return. That's the bunch of papers that the government sends to you attached to your refund cheque. It's basically a recap of your filed return and it also has important information that needs to get plugged into next year's return, like your maximum RRSP contribution amount (not that I need to worry about that, I think my maximum amount is somewhere in the 6 figures and I don't expect to ever actually max it out!).

I can't find that form. Where could it possibly be?? If it's not in the tax folder, I have no idea where it might be or why I didn't immediately put it in the folder when it came in the mail last April like I should have, like I normally would. Given that it was delivered 11 months ago, I have no idea where to start looking for it. Sure, I have several piles of stuff to be filed and, frighteningly, still two boxes of "miscellaneous paper" to be sorted through from when I moved a year and a half ago, but this form should have been filed, not put in one of those piles.

So now I've got to start looking through those piles and/or try to get another copy from the government, which I'm sure is possible, it just might be time-consuming given they're a little busy right now. Which means I can't file my return just yet and leaves me feeling a little like this guy:

2 comments:

J9F said...

I've submitted my taxes without that form with no issue.

Sharon said...

Just keep saying "nothing is lost to God" and it will pop up in no time. Or ask St. Anthony with a little prayer "Tony Tony look around something's lost and can't be found". Something will trigger you to look somewhere and voila it will be there. Works every time. Good luck! Sharon