7 Things That Take Longer Than Filing Your Taxes

As Tax Day quickly approaches, I’ve been noticing people asking around if others have filed their taxes. I’d rather knock it out early, but I know it can feel hard to finish (or even start) your taxes before the deadline.

One reason people delay filing is because they think it will take a long time to get everything submitted. The IRS put out an estimate that the average person took 13 hours to prepare their tax return, but if you dig in a little deeper you’ll see that they include everything from keeping your records, planning taxes, and actually filing them.

With TurboTax, you can get a jump-start on your taxes by snapping a photo or importing your W-2. Plus, if you are new or returning to TurboTax you can transfer your previous years’ tax information for free giving you a head start and eliminating data entry.

If you still think your taxes will take a ton of time, let me help you relax by sharing seven things that could take longer than filing your taxes.

1. Netflix Binge Watch: If you’re a fan of The Crown, A Chef’s Table, or Stranger Things, then you’ve spent more time on one season of your favorite show than it may take to get your taxes done.
2. Running a marathon: With the median time to complete a marathon around the 4-hour mark, you could get your 1040 in and still have time for a nap.
3. Assemble some furniture: Having recently fixed up our home office space, I can tell you from first-hand experience that you’d probably finish your taxes before you would assemble the IKEA folding table, bookshelf combo.
4. Read a book: The average person takes about 4-8 hours to read a 500-page book.
5. Have friends over for dinner: Between the prep, cooking and the actual meal, you can easily spend about 4 hours or more.
6. Hiking the Appalachian Trail: For those looking for something to add to their bucket list, it takes about 5-7 months to hike the entire Appalachian Trail.
7. Sleep: Yep, sleeping can take longer than filing your taxes.

There you have it! While filing your taxes may not be your favorite activity, it will most likely not take up as much time as you imagine.

Make Taxes Easier on Yourself

My key tips to make filing go smoothly are to gather all your paperwork ahead of time, set aside an evening (treat yourself with pizza), and use TurboTax to file your taxes from the comfort of your home. Additionally, if you have a simple tax situation, you may be able to file your federal and state taxes for free with TurboTax Free Edition.

Your Take on Taxes

I’d love to get your take on taxes. Have you filed yours yet? If not, have you picked out a day to knock them out?

Don’t worry about knowing these tax laws or tax forms. TurboTax asks simple questions about you and gives you the tax deductions and credits you are eligible for based on your entries. If you have questions, you can connect live to a TurboTax Live CPA or Enrolled Agent with an average of 15 years’ experience to get your tax questions answered. A TurboTax Live CPA or Enrolled Agent can also review, sign, and file your taxes.