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Comment by LarryMade2 | Hacker News Reader

This is why the US can't have shiny things.

I've always thought the IRS should provide us with a lot of the tax info, since it gets reported to them so regularly.

The IRS computer systems are stuck in the 80s. You can get them to send you a copy of the information they have; it will be ready around August.

I'm not exaggerating; I've done this a couple times because I'm terrible at keeping track of the paperwork otherwise. (Protip: you can file an extension until October with no penalty.)

> Protip: you can file an extension until October with no penalty.

Caveat: This is true ONLY if you are due a refund. If you owe tax you will be charged interest (and possibly penalties) for paying after the deadline[1].

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Extensions-and-Payment-Options

Technically speaking, I believe you can still file in October, as long as you pay in April. So you can estimate (guesstimate) and pay, then calculate properly and file later, if that's advantageous somehow. If you pad your estimated payment so that you overpay, you should be safe from penalties, in the event that you can decently estimate up front but can't actually file a full return for some reason.

Partly they want to see what you say, to see if you are lying.

Let's give them an opportunity to lie, where a lie would otherwise be all but impossible. Then we get to put some of them in jail. Yay!

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