Sunday, April 1, 2007

death and taxes

The other day, I got a form from the IRS saying that we couldn't get our refund until we sent in a copy of girl twin's birth certificate. (boy twin doesn't count, at least for tax purposes, because he was stillborn). I asked L how the tax preparer could have possibly screwed this one up. Wasn't it his job to know what kind of documentation was required in these type of cases?

L told me that when he mentioned to the tax preparer that we would be adding another deduction this year, his immediate enthusiastic response was "Oh, that's wonderful! I'm so glad to hear it! Congratulations! And how is Niobe doing?" L said that he just didn't have the heart to tell him the truth.

10 comments:

Doughnut said...

I have never heard of sending in a copy of the birth certificate in with your tax return. The only circumstance where I might see that happening is where the child did not get assigned a social security number which is probably true in this case. This is "a first" that I have heard of this...

Doughnut said...

Can tell Sunday mornings at your place are about as exciting as at mine niobe :)

Anonymous said...

Leroy: You're absolutely right. The girl twin couldn't be assigned a social security number because she was no longer alive, so the birth certificate was the only way to prove she had actually existed.

jo(e) said...

How difficult to have details like this constantly haunting you.

Aurelia said...

Oh crap...sorry, this is so strange, I'm not sure what to say in return. I do hope L can eventually break it to the tax guy, maybe by email. Just so he doesn't say anything else.

Nicole said...

That just sucks. I am so very sorry about that. Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment, by the way. I love having a new blog to stalk. :) I will be back.

Katie said...

I'm so sorry you had that reminder. It's often the little, unexpected things like this that seem to hurt the most.

laura said...

These dumb, red tape-y things will keep happening, but the good news is that, after a while, so many of them will happen that they will lose their power to terrorize you with their dumbness.

Lori said...

niobe- I'm so sorry this happened.

Slightly off topic, but I didn't realize your twins were boy/girl. Why did I think they were both girls?

Anyway, that's something we have in common.

LIW (Lady In Waiting) said...

That's heartbreaking. Those moments must feel like the experience is happening all over again...

I am so very sorry. I know that those words don't take the pain away but I hope that they help you to know that others are here for you.