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SoftTalker 2 hours ago

It seems to me that I'm running into more people who just don't file their taxes. They wait for the IRS to send them a letter saying how much they owe, and they just pay that.

I can't figure out the thought process of someone who finds this sensible. Maybe there isn't one.

jaxefayo 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I’ve never heard of anyone doing this, but now I kind of wish everyone did. Maybe it would force the IRS to just give us a bill instead of having us try our best to calculate what we owe, submitting that, and then hoping that we don’t get an angry letter when the IRS calculates it themselves and their answer doesn’t jive with ours.

PopAlongKid 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

>an angry letter when the IRS

Do you have an example? I've seen dozens of IRS letters for dozens of different taxpayers and none of them had any "angry" language in them.

The myth that the IRS is trying to scare or traumatize you is just a dark pattern by certain 3rd party "tax resolution" services. The IRS is quite tolerant of the person who breaks the law by not filing and paying on time and provides many opportunities to come into compliance, starting with an automatic first-time abatement of the most common penalties.

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/understanding-your-irs-notic...

heyjon an hour ago | parent | next [-]

I file every year and I had one year where the IRS miscalculated my taxes twice on an older return. I got the first notice which was ok and they requested me to respond, which I did. The 2nd notice they recalculated what I owe and said I owed more than the original notice and said if I didn't pay in the next 1-2 months I owe tens of thousands of dollars plus interest. I ended up calling them and getting someone who needed help from someone else. She ended up laughing and hanging up the phone. I called again and got an old lady who immediately knew they made a mistake and I ended up with a $0 balance. If you get the right person, it is ok. I was kind of scared I would have to owe all this money I already paid and then some. It ended well but I lost sleep for days thinking about it.

BeetleB an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

I've had to deal with them multiple times.

They weren't angry with me. They were, however, obstinate. They disputed an education related credit. Each time I called them, they told me what documents they would need. I'd send it, and they'd continue the dispute. The cycle would repeat.

Here's what happened:

University sends me tax form. I file with my taxes.

"Just because they sent you the form doesn't mean you actually attended the school and paid your fees. Send us proof you paid them."

Sent proof of payments to the university.

"Just because you gave them money doesn't mean it was for tuition. For all we know they could be parking tickets. Send us the billing statement"

Called the university[1] to get a copy of the billing statement. Sent to the IRS to show the payments matched the tuition billed.

"Sorry, that's not enough. Send us a statement from the university with a line item showing the tuition was paid."

Sent it. They finally accepted it.

The university told me they'd never heard from any student that the IRS didn't simply accept the original tax form they send out.

[1] Keep in mind that this conversation happened 2-3 years after graduating.

twoodfin 28 minutes ago | parent | prev [-]

The IRS has no idea of (for example) your primary residence or whether you’ve been attending a degree program.

It’s a lot like the old saw about Microsoft Excel: No one uses more than 20% of the features, but everyone uses a different 20%.

lb1lf 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I guess the accuracy of such solutions vary by jurisdiction; I just received my tax return for 2025 in Norway.

The sum owed I had calculated at the end of 2025 was less than 2% off from the sum our IRS equivalent came up with.

Their sum was the most favorable to me, though - they had adjusted a deduction I qualified for last year which I had missed.

This level of accuracy is down to our IRS knowing just about all there is to know about our income, assets, debts &c of course - oh, and on there being fewer loopholes in our tax code...

something765478 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Well, frankly, that's exactly how it should work.

celeritascelery 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

That seems like a terrible idea. A good tax accountant will help you find ways to lower tax burden and save money. The IRS has no such incentive, and will probably just tax you at the standard rates for your gross income.