Tax time again. So far I’ve managed to avoid all the software solutions. For 53 years I’ve been figuring manually and sending a check. Once around 2010 I tried the IRS’s online E-file service, but it immediately urped when I tried to enter self-employment income from a 1099. Enough of that, back to manual.
(Image from my McBee piece, which is accidentally relevant to the text below.)
The hardest part is figuring the taxable proportion of SS. Each year the procedure gets longer and weirder, and the procedure is contained in a non-fillout-able PDF. So I have to copy-paste into a text file and work from there.
The overall instructions are admirably clear, but the IRS seems to assign their least talented UI/UX folks to the SS worksheet. Several steps are arranged this way:
10. Is the amount on line 9 less than the amount on line 8? If No: STOP. None of your benefits are taxable. Enter -0- on Form 1040 or 1040-SR, line 6b.
This is backwards. You shouldn’t be stopping if line 9 is NOT LESS than line 8. You should be stopping if line 9 is MORE than line 8.
Should be:
10. Is the amount on line 9 more than the amount on line 8? If so, STOP. None of your benefits are taxable. Enter -0- on Form 1040 or 1040-SR, line 6b.
= = = = =
Each year I’m tempted to do my own automation of this messy process in Python, but the basic rule for automation is clear. If the action is not frequent, STOP. If the action is not rare, estimate first how long it will take to write and test the automating program. If the automation will take not less time than the actual procedure, STOP avoiding skipping the non-automation instead of refusing to decline to put aside the non-manual procedure.
Now I’m qualified to work in the SS department of IRS!
Polistra's Mill 