More than a third of us like, or even love, doing our taxes

April 12, 2013

Are we having fun yet as the April 15 tax-filing deadline looms?

According to a recent survey, some of us are.

Sure, a national poll conducted in early April by the Pew Research Center found that most Americans (56 percent to be exact) have a negative reaction to doing
their income taxes.

In fact, 26 percent use the "H" word: They hate filling out their 1040s.


Pew Research Center poll 04-11-2013 on tax filing attitudes; click image for a larger viewBut about
a third of us, 34 percent for those of you still in the tax-filing precise figure mode, say we either like (29 percent) or love (five percent) doing our federal taxes.

No, smart alecks, I was not polled, even though in my very first post here at the ol' blog I referred to tax time as the most wonderful time of the year.

So I'm a bit jazzed to see at least a few folks don't hate what I spend most of my waking (and some of my dreaming) time concentrating on.

Why we like doing taxes: As expected, Pew pollsters found that the expectation of getting a refund is the main reason people like doing their taxes.

But it's not the only factor.

Seventeen percent of the survey respondents said they simply don't mind doing their taxes or they are good at it.

Thirteen percent said doing their taxes gives them a sense of control.

And another 13 percent cited a sense of obligation. They said it's their duty to pay
their fair share.

And why we hate it: Among those who don't find tax filing fun, most cite the hassles of the process or the amount of time it takes.

Thirty-one percent said tax filing is complicated, requires too much paperwork or they fear making mistakes.

Twenty-four percent said doing taxes is inconvenient and time-consuming.

A much smaller share, only 12 percent, said they dislike doing their taxes because
of how the government uses tax money.

And just five percent of those who dislike or
hate doing their income taxes said it is because they pay too much in
taxes.

What about you? Are you in the love, hate or just deal with it category?

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The More Tax Posts tab at the top of this page will take you to, well, more tax posts. You also can search below for a tax topic. 

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Tax Season 2026 Continues!

We made it. Tax Day 2025 is finally over. For most of us. When the filing season started on Jan. 26, millions who were expecting refunds filed immediately. Most of us got our returns to the Internal Revenue Service by April 15. But plenty of taxpayers also got extensions. They are looking at an Oct. 15 filing deadline.

Those procrastinating filers aren’t a problem. In fact, the IRS appreciates taxpayers who take time to fill out their 1040 forms correctly. It also is grateful that tax submissions are spread out a bit, especially now that the IRS is a leaner agency. Processing returns is easier when they arrive throughout the year instead of in massive bunches.

But enough about Uncle Sam’s tax collection issues. The focus now is on all y’all who filed for extensions, giving you another six months to complete your return. Since your new mid-October due date will be here before you know it, let’s get started now on meeting it.

The ol’ blog is here to help you finish up your extended Form 1040. You can start with January’s tax tips page, which has links to the rest of the year’s tips by-month collections. You also can peruse various tax categories for more tailored advice by clicking on the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of this (and every) page.

And to make sure you don’t miss your new filing deadline, the count-down clock below will let you know just how much time you to file by Oct. 15. At the latest.e. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

Credits/Deductions
Disasters
Family
Filing and Paying Taxes
Politics/Laws
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Tax Brackets/Inflation
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Comments
  • Revanche
    13 years ago

    I used to absolutely love them because it was … satisfying. It was nice to shelve something so big and usually kind of complicated so getting it done early always made my more Type-A side happy. Nowadays, if I can’t get it done well before the deadline, it makes me grumpy but I still enjoy getting it done.

Comments are closed.