Tax Time

I sent my records to my accountant yesterday.  I did most of the organizational work on New Year's Eve, putting together receipts and figures from 2011, but I had to wait for a W-2 from the United Methodist Church where I am the choir director.

I've worked with Tom for about 30 years. An artist like me can't use just any accountant, it must be one that understands a quirky lifestyle like mine.  I am a traveling storyteller, but I also am a freelance journalist, and of course, a choir director. None of those have ever made me rich, so I manage my life below the poverty line.  I am old enough to collect Social Security and use Medicare.  It gets confusing, but Tom makes sense of it all.

When I am on tour, I can claim mileage and costs. If I take a course at the technical college, that, too, can be claimed.  My office is deductible, which means 1/7th of the utility bills can be claimed.  I used to keep track of every bit of postage, but with the advent of the Internet, I no longer have snail mail, but the cost of the server is thrown into the claims mix.

Tom works wonders, so I can expect a huge refund.  He usually works with businesses that bring in much more money than I do, but he keeps me on as a client because, he once told me, I have such interesting taxes. He says he tells his wife about me, how I can live on next to nothing, yet go out and have big adventures.

My life doesn't fit well on the usual tax forms. Just once, I used a local tax preparer.  It was a disaster that Tom eventually put right when I went back to him begging for help.  When he moved from Green Bay to Florida, I stuck with him. These days I mail him my materials and we talk over any problems via e-mail.


He works fast so I can expect refunds within two weeks. I haven't seen him for years, yet I feel like I am having a once a year reunion with an old and trusted friend.