W2s will not be mailed out until the end of January, and you’re probably just trying to get back in the swing of things.
If you start getting your tax items ready now, it will make life much easier when it is time to file. It really doesn’t take that much time if you work on it a little each day. Here are some ideas.
If you are planning to itemize, start getting your receipts together.
Make a checklist of the things you think you might need. Many banks
already have tax information listed on their web sites that you can
either download or print. If you are repaying student loans, some of the
lenders have tax information on their web sites, or they may have sent
it out already.
If you think that
you are going to do the EZ form this year, you won’t have to gather all of that information.
However, you can still get ahead of the game. If you have not yet
received your tax return forms in the mail, most post offices will have
them in stock. You can also go to the local IRS office to get them.
Then, take your last paycheck of 2012 and start filling in the required
information. When your W2 does arrive, you can go over it again to check
your figures. After that, it’s a snap to finish filling out the rest of
the information and mail it in. You can even do this online and file
your return electronically.
The point is to
take some time out of your busy day now, and start getting ready for tax time.
Believe me, it will make you feel much better in the long run. Think of
it this way – if you take a few minutes a day now to get everything
together, you may have your tax return before April 15th. Then, while
everyone else is running around trying to get all of the information
they need, you will have already used that great tax return as a down
payment on your new Key West home.
So get that tax return done
early, and I’ll meet you on the beach on the 15th of April for a tax
return party. It doesn’t matter whether
you’re a tourist, looking to move permanently to the Keys, or just someone who likes the beauty of nature, the great variety of amenities in the homes in our area is just one more reason to want to live in beautiful Key West. If you’re interested in real estate in this attractive area contact me, Jimmy Lane, at Key West Real Estate: 305-766-0585.