I Am Really Trying to Pay My Taxes

Posted by Harry Hertz, the Baldrige Cheermudgeon

All that resonated in my mind this weekend was the old Beatles' tune, "Taxman". Not because of the Beatles' theme about paying too much in taxes, but because I recall one of the U.S. tax preparation companies subsequently using it for their advertisement to prepare your taxes. And I needed help this past weekend (another Beatles' song...."Help, I need somebody..."). I was tearing out the few hairs I still have. But, I digress, this is not about the Beatles or hair restoration. It is about tax preparation software.

I was busy at my computer this past Saturday, filling out my tax return (who's returning what anyway?), when it all went wrong. I had downloaded my W-2 from the government and my interest income from the bank into the tax application and had entered my credit union interest income, and now moved to the next section and was entering data. All of a sudden, I noticed the numbers changing in the tax status window. You know, the window where it tells you how much you owe or are being refunded at this point. Decreasing without me having hit enter for any new data. So, I went to the tax summary page and noticed that my bank interest income was gone. I re-downloaded and re-entered it and saved the return. I went back to the section I was working on and a few seconds later...bam...it was gone again. I exited the program and tried again...bam... I rebooted the computer and tried again...bam...  Round 1 of tearing hair out.

I went to the on-line help area and "chatted" with their support person. I rapidly determined that she was only a data base that triggered on keywords in my query. No help! I finally found their "live" on-line help. After waiting it seemed an hour (it wasn't), I gave up and fortunately was rescued for the rest of the day by a dinner engagement.

I got up early the next morning and called the software company's 800 number help line. They only open at 8 or 9 AM Pacific time. I was way too early. Tear more hair out!

I finally realized this can't be happening to everyone, or there would have been a fix by now. So the only obvious variables were the two sources from which I downloaded information. So, I entered everything manually and...no bam...it worked.

I told the story to my computer scientist son and he speculated about a database download resulting in a check-sum error, that led to the data being erased. Sure, but I just want to file my taxes by April 15th!

So, what does this have to do with Baldrige? Have the software gurus at any of these companies read Category 4 of the Baldrige Criteria, "Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management"?  How do they ensure that software is reliable, secure, and user-friendly? How do they ensure data accuracy and reliability? And, most of all, how do they protect poor users like me from filing inaccurate returns? Now I wonder about the errors in the software that I don't catch, because they are buried in computations!

What are your software application or database stories? Would use of the Baldrige Criteria help your vendors? This has been a long blog entry, but I feel better now!

Comments

[Georgia Harris]

I have been doing training for calibration laboratories on software verification and validation. Errors going out the door would be "bad" (credibility, liability, cost, failing to get accredited). One study by FDA showed that about 8% of their recalls on medical devices were due to bad software. Nearly 80% of those were due to "tinkering" to make improvements or fixes that changed other things. FDA has requirements for all vendors regarding software. NASA has reported several studies related to software errors costly millions and billions of dollars - things like decimal point misplacement and measurement unit conversions - things that made the news. Perhaps the IRS should institute software V&V on tax software?! :-)

[marla]

As I was reading your story, I thought you were telling mine! I had done some work for a university and had been given a 1099-MISC for $600 (big bucks). In using my big-name, best-selling software I found out to my chagrin that this made me self-employed, and I needed a principal business code! Except - this money was not my principal source of income (or else I couldn't afford tax software, much less having to file taxes). No matter how I categorized myself, the software wouldn't budge. Is it the tax code or the software that's the problem? I don't know - except that an accountant now has my forms, my sad story, my money,and 15 days to figure this out.

[William Scherkenbach]

Saved by another Beatles hit "I get by with a little help from my friends."

[Roy Bauer]

Well, I got a notice in December that the IRS had not received by 2008 tax return and by their calculation they owed me money. Interesting. I pulled out my 2008 tax return, and there along with my return was a Certified postal card that said they had received it. Also included was the receipt for the 2008 taxes I overpaid. So to be a good guy, I sent them a copy of the return, a copy of the check receipt for payment i received from the IRS, and a copy of the certified postal notice. About a week after I sent this in, I received the postal notice that was stamped December 30, 2009 received by the IRS. Last weekend, I received another notice from the IRS that said they had not received my 2008 tax return, they owed me money, and if I did not send the tax return in, they would make out my taxes and send me the $2100 dollars they owed me. So now I sent them a letter, and the 2008 tax return and the two Postal Receipts that I sent them previously, and this time sent it REGISTERED Mail. I did ask them for a number to call so I could get this cleared up, as there was no number on the notice.

Net Net. How about having the IRS do a complete category 1 - 7 assessment!!

[Brenda Clark]

I had to send out 1099s to folks who had run some work through my corporation. I got on the IRS site and was told that I had to order them and could not get them electronically. I ordered them (in December) and got a notice in mid February that they had received my request but they did not have any available at this time and they would keep my request. I had to get the 1099 forms to 3 people by the end of February. I contacted the IRS and was told the form was not available, I could not take a copy of last years form and white it out, they didn't know when I would get the forms and, YES, I would be fined if I didn't send them out on time. Sighhhhhhh........
I paid $50 to a tax softward company just have the right to create 3 1099 forms.

No, Harry, I don't think the IRS needs Baldrige....do you??????