Another Bewildering Encounter with the I.R.S.

Okay… remember how , the IRS sent me a letter saying that they’d “corrected” the 1040 I’d filed? And that they did so by eliminating my personal exemption — that $3,400 exemption that everyone is entitled to unless they are claimed as a dependent on someone else’s return? And that they didn’t give any hint as to why they’d taken such a strange step? (And that it didn’t change the bottom-line of what they thought I owed anyway?)

And remember how I called them up and spent a whole lot of time navigating push-button menus and listening to The Nutcracker Suite so that I could speak to an IRS employee who was completely unable to help resolve the mystery in any way, but who suggested I file a 1040x (“Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return”) reinstating my personal exemption?

Well, they’ve finally gotten around to accepting my amended return. I just got (two copies of) a letter today:

Dear Taxpayer [sic]:

Thank you for your amended return.

We have adjusted your account as you requested.

If the adjustment results in a refund and you don’t owe any other taxes or other legal debts that we are required to collect, you will get a refund of your overpayment in four to six weeks.

If the adjustment results in you owing money, we will send you a separate notice that will tell you the amount you owe for the tax period shown. If you currently have an installment agreement with us, please continue to make scheduled payments. Even if you do not have a formal installment agreement, you can make payments to reduce the amount you owe and minimize interest and penalty charges.…

What this really amounts to probably isn’t much. I’d imagine it means that the clock will start ticking on the time before I get a notice of intent to levy regarding the self-employment taxes I refused to pay for the tax year.


Thanks to Christopher Lempa at Strike The Root for plugging The Picket Line.