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Comment by baddox | Hacker News Reader

I’m assuming your US taxes were more complicated than reporting W-2 income. My US taxes consist only of reporting one W-2 (or two when I change jobs), and don’t take more than 10 minutes. Most of that time is spent trying to figure out how and where to access the W-2 from my employer’s payroll provider.

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So you don't have any investment accounts, retirement accounts, hobby/self-employment income and deductions, charitable giving?

I've only met a couple of people who can fill out ONLY a 1040/1040-EZ, and that was because they were still in college or younger.

> I've only met a couple of people who can fill out ONLY a 1040/1040-EZ, and that was because they were still in college or younger.

Nearly half of all people file their taxes with a 1040EZ or a 1040 (instead of a 1040A).

True. You need to have charitable giving, etc., and make enough money that the standard deduction might not apply. It's generally a problem for people making enough money to buy their own home, etc.

No investment accounts that pay dividends, and in most years I haven't sold/liquidated any accounts. I did forget that I do submit a 1099-INT that my bank provides for the small amount of interest I earn in one savings account.

No retirement accounts other than my 401k. I'm under the impression that there are no tax implications until I retire and start withdrawing (because my contributions are already deducted from my taxable income on my W-2 form).

No hobby or self-employment income. No charitable giving or other deductions that I consider worth the trouble of filing.

turbotax imported investments from robinhood and etrade. Still took me 10 minutes to finish.

If you have to file in France and the US she/he probably needs to file 1040 and 1116. And if you live outside the US you can't file online. Because the US is decades behind in this stuff.

Most of that time is spent trying to figure out how and where to access the W-2 from my employer’s payroll provider.

As soon as my employer made it hard for me to download my W-2, I withdrew consent to only receive an electronic copy.

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