Enjoy your summer? I certainly hope so. Okay, now it is time to get back to real life. For instance, tax returns are due next month for those of us who filed extensions last April. 

They say April 15th is the most stressful time of the year. Tens of millions of Americans rush around trying to get their taxes in order and filed with the IRS. Well, not me and probably you since you are reading this! No, we just file the simple extension form and continue to get ready for summer. 

Alas, all good things much come to an end. With the end of summer comes the need to really buckle down on real life issues. Taxes are one of those issues. If you filed an extension this past April, your tax returns for state and federal agencies are due on October 15, 2010. If it makes you feel any better, the 15th is a Friday this year so you will have an opportunity to go drown your sorrows!

Now you might be thinking that you have plenty of time to take care of this. After all, the deadline is a full five weeks away as I write this article. You should know such thoughts are a mistake by now. First, you need to take time to just get organized and find all your documentation. You’ll need bank interest statements, W-2s, deductions, receipts, stock statements, astrology charts. Okay, probably not astrology charts, but you get my drift. If you are missing any of these items, you are going to need to get duplicates and that takes time. 

Then you need to prepare the taxes once you have everything together. Do I really need to go into how much fun that is to do on your own? It will go like a breeze if you are lucky. Few of us are. Count on two nights to prepare the returns. Then count on letting them sit for a few days before you review them again to make sure the numbers are all accurate. 

Americans hate doing their taxes. Yes, it is your civic duty and the money pays for roads and such, but only a sadistic individual could enjoy a tax return. The key is to take your time doing the work. With the deadline only five weeks away, now would be the time to get rolling on yours!