Tax Season for ADHD Adults: What Can Go Wrong?

It’s April 15, tax deadline day. I haven’t forgotten or left this task half-finished. Rather I am reminded of my attention deficit disorder (ADD/ADHD) when tax season rolls around. The mess of W2 forms, the 1099 forms, the bank statements: all indications of how deep my procrastination runs.

Indeed, tax season has been hanging over my head like a bell jar for the past two months. The father started the reminder around Christmas, saying, “Don't forget that taxes are soon." Then there are the second and third reminders, and finally I feel the pressure when I flip the calendar from March to April.

Yesterday morning I finally took the train back to the family's home in the 'burbs, because it is there that I know that doing my taxes finally needs to happen. I have the tax forms with me, the calculator, the pencil, all of the tools necessary to battle the taxes. To be clear, this is a task I consider more unpleasant than a root canal.

After lunch with the father, stepmother, and sister, I finally tackled the mound of paper. There were forms everywhere, and there were holes everywhere. Missing bank statements, missing invoices.

The father stood behind me as I waited on hold for a phone banker to save me from my predicament. Clearly he had a lecture hanging at the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed it and stayed quiet. Why did I not get the information earlier, why couldn't I remember if I had contributed to a Roth IRA? I could not remember.

The father reminded me to please pay attention to details this year, since I forgot to sign the forms last year. I wanted to burst into tears from the frustration, but in the end I let out a laugh. "It's a good thing I don't work for H&R Block," I said. I cracked the tension briefly before taking the plunge.