- the IRS helpfully corrects their errors, and sends the form back
- they sign the corrected form, send it back
- the IRS accepts the second round.
This is basically the same "pre-filled" workflow as every other developed country. The difference is that we have a first round where you put in a semi-plausible effort to placate the tax preparation lobby.
Has anyone with a normal job (not self-employed, regular paycheck from a company registered with the IRS) ever been fined etc for this?
The main thing in this strategy is that your estimate is pretty close to the amount owed. So you may overshoot or undershoot, but likely by a pretty small amount, which is likely to make the difference owed small. I guess it could be considered a cost of filing taxes.
If they are charging some absurd (say 20%) interest and you're off by 10k, you might pay them a few hundred in interest if the process is prolonged a month, which is on par with a tax prep service.
- they fill out their taxes with rough estimates,
- the IRS helpfully corrects their errors, and sends the form back
- they sign the corrected form, send it back
- the IRS accepts the second round.
This is basically the same "pre-filled" workflow as every other developed country. The difference is that we have a first round where you put in a semi-plausible effort to placate the tax preparation lobby.
Has anyone with a normal job (not self-employed, regular paycheck from a company registered with the IRS) ever been fined etc for this?