Commander

Most Wonderful Time of Year? Not Exactly.

Christmas decorations are packed away (maybe … there might still be some lights buried in the holly trees flanking the house). Now we enter my most dreaded time of year: Tax season.

Before I was married, I LOVED tax season. I could easily fill out the E-Z form in less than an hour. I’d spend the following weeks checking the mailbox for the much-anticipated refund that would finance my shopping spree.

Then I got married. Our first joint filing wasn’t too difficult. The only challenge was filing two state taxes: Erik’s state of record is Louisiana, and I was a Virginia resident. Pretty easy.

Then I added a dependent. Moved to a new state. Bought a house. Became a dependent. Added another dependant. Moved to another state. Bought another house. Then rented out the first house.

Not complicated enough? Investments. Deployments. Hazard pay. State-specific exemptions.

I’m not even sure how to determine my residency. I have a South Carolina driver’s license. But I haven’t actually lived in that state since July 2010. We did live with my parents in Pennsylvania for a few months. And now we live in Virginia. But Erik’s state of record is still Louisiana.

As much as my head is spinning – and it is – I don’t think I’m alone. Pretty much everyone I knew in South Carolina – military and civilian – was a homeowner. Now, many of us are reluctant landlords, living hundreds of miles from our homes … I mean, investment properties.

Each day the pile of receipts grows. More questions. Some answers. By the end of the month, I hope to know if I can plan that annual shopping spree. Or at least enough to spring for a babysitter and nice dinner for two.

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