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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-SAVVY WAYS 
TO WRAP UP 2026

It’s over! With October’s extended filing deadline behind us, it is now time to focus on year-end moves to reduce your 2026 tax bill. 

You’ll find ways to do just that on the Tax Tips page (see the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of the blog), as well as the separate tax tip pages for each month, notably October through December. If you’re on the Tax Tips page, you’ll find a monthly list at the end of this column. If you’re on another blog page, you can head straight to the October tips; at the bottom of that tips page you’ll find links to all the other 11 months’ collections of tax advice.

Not to spoil what you’ll find in that tax advice, but it does cover such things as tax deductions for charitable donations, investment moves that could reduce tax due, and ways to max out your tax-favored retirement savings. 

Finally, as the year winds down, things get hectic. There are lots of other things to occupy our time, like the much more fun upcoming holidays. But don’t lose sight of taxes, since timing is key. To be of use, most tax moves must be made by the end of the tax year. That’s Thursday, Dec. 31, which also is the last business day of the year. 

So that you don’t miss that final tax year deadline, also keep an eye on the countdown clock below. It will keep you on top of just how much time is left to make important, tax-saving moves. (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
Refunds
State Taxes
Tax Brackets/Inflation
Tax Tips
Comments
  • Revanche
    14 years ago Reply

    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.

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