An Interesting Romp Through Tax Season

It’s a lot of work, rendering to Caesar, and all.  And interesting helping others through the process.

This year, I took a part-time job working as a tax return processor at an accounting firm.  My task was to take the information and tax returns that the accountants had prepared, and make sure everything was where it needed to be: W2s, 1099s, and forms and attachments I’d never heard of.  Presentation folders for the clients’ copies, “sign here” stickers for the government’s copies, labels on envelopes, etc.  I processed returns for corporations, partnerships, individuals and trusts.

This was quite an experience for me.  I hadn’t worked in a professional office enviroment in a very long time.  I’d done some contract work here and there, and worked for professional people, but not in an office, on a regular basis, dealing with the regular office “stuff.”  Stuff like politics, moods, oddball work habits, and the possessed copy machine.  I was thrilled to find this seasonal, part-time position, because it would allow me to taste office life again without a long-term committment, and I could still pick up my kids from school and be home when they had days off.  The hourly rate and projected hours were very enticing.

To prepare for this grand adventure back to the working world, I slightly rearranged our family schedule.  The boys would have to wait an extra several minutes for me to pick them up from school, and our normal routine would shift, especially in the morning.  I knew my normal daytime schedule was out, and my normal grocery routine, but we shifted and made the most of the time we expected to have.

I prepared several meals for the freezer, and extensively planned meals for the duration of the season.  Pantries, freezers and cupboards were loaded.  My shopping would include only necessities and fresh items, to reduce time in the stores.  For this over-planner, it was not difficult to provide for this aspect of our lives.

I sat the boys down (several times) to explain that they needed to cooperate during this time, and how we expected that to work.  It didn’t, at first, but eventually they got it.  I explained how the whole thing fit together and how it was going to benefit our family.  My kids are good kids, and they understood and wanted the benefits.  Besides, the shifts weren’t that bad.

With family life prepared for my absence, I felt confident that it would all go smoothly.  But I still braced for the chance that it wouldn’t.  I remembered my days as a professional temp in a large city, and played out several scenarios in my head.  I had the issues covered.

Every job has its own issues.  The prominent one in this case was work hours.  I figured how much I was projected to work, and  planned our lives, dinners and big-item spending on that.  I ran into some “learning experiences” I would rather have avoided regarding hourly work.  I worked about 1/3 less hours than I expected, but still made good money.  Early in the season, returns did not flow as they expected.  I paid a sitter to watch my kids on their day off from school, and the next day was told there was no work.  Lesson learned.  While it was nice to have some down time, I would have preferred the work hours.  After all, I was prepared and ready.  We changed our plans for the big purchases and the vacation.

Getting back into the rythm of office life was difficult for me.  It had been 12-plus years since I’d worked on an extended assignment in this kind of environment.  I had never worked for an accounting firm before, and terminology was quite unfamiliar.  Keep your mouth shut and your head down, the saying goes.  I did.  Still, there were flying comments, unwelcome and unsolicited advice on where to put my office supplies, and the increased intelligence of what had occurred at the power level months earlier.  Mouth shut, head down, files in and out.

These are good people, doing their best for their clients.  I heard no loud arguments (but small ones, mostly behind closed doors), saw minimal bad office manners, and learned lots about money, taxes and people (always a bonus).  These folks have good lives and families.  I shared family stories with some of them.  They’re season-stressed but happy, and okay to be around.  And if you need help rendering to Caesar, these are the kind of people you want helping you.  Not a bad working environment at all, just took some orienting on my part.

Our family schedule worked out fine, and the kids cooperated as best they could, knowing this was temporary.  A very supportive husband and family makes all the difference in the world.  But I still don’t know how someone can work full-time, raise kids and run a household.  So much in our lives was set aside until today: cleaning, certain necessary house projects, birthday party, our regular habits.  I have longed for “regular” life during the last few months, but now realize how truly blessed my family is that we can have the lifestyle we want for ourselves.

Now, abruptly, it’s over.

April 15 came and went.  There was no parade or party (that I was aware of, anyway).  It’s just done now.  Weird.

I intended to sleep an extra half hour this morning, but my body clock doesn’t adjust that fast anymore, apparently.  The housework that built up since February 4 still laughs at me, but I will conquer that soon.  The quiet of life as it was three months ago will fall upon me today while the family keeps on with their daily lives.  How interesting it was to experience a tax season in its full flower.  How interesting to be in an office environment again, this time older and wiser, perhaps.  Interesting to experience just a tiny taste of being a working mom.  What will “normal” be like now?

Will I do it again next year?  I don’t know.  Maybe with some changes, and if the gas to get there doesn’t cost my pay.  The learning curve won’t be so bad next year, anyway.  We’ll see.  If I do, I’m sure it will still be interesting!