As I mentioned the other day, I have prioritized fixing up my credit score. The divorce had affected it negatively, and I know that some of it can be fixed with a little diligence.

I ordered a free credit report on Saturday was STUNNED - i mean STUNNED - to find that I had a tax lien on my record!! It looked, from the report, that it was a property tax lien, and I have never owned property. So I was sooo confused. And it was Saturday, and nowhere was open, and I was just feeling so frustrated and helpless and upset. The lien was for approx $1300.

Today, I made some phone calls. I found out it was NOT a property tax lien, it was a state (California) tax lien from 2003. This makes no sense to me for soooo many reasons. First of all - I paid all my taxes. Things were pretty straight forward -- I was working full time, I had W-2's, and I filed them. Second of all - I've had no notice of the issue. The lien was recorded in August of 2005. In April of 2005, I filed my 2004 taxes with California -- using my current address. So they had my address. They sent me no information about this problem from 2003.

The problem was that I had filed as Head of Household. I filed as Head of Household in 2002, as well, and they sent me a questionnaire asking some Q's about my marital status and about my dependents. I filled that out in 2003 (applicable to my 2002 taxes) and sent it in.

Apparently, in 2004, they sent me the same thing, applicable to my 2003 taxes. I was already across the country, so I did not get it, i did not fill it out, and I did not send it in.

Also, apparently, they didn't send me the refund I was owed last year .... I somehow didn't know this. So, there is a mistake on my part. I will blame it on 1L, and move on. But I did file. And they kept my return $$, but they still didn't send me a notice to let me know that things were amiss.

All of this was so easily rectified, it was like something out of the Twilight Zone. I called a tax agency? and I was on hold for less than 5 minutes? and they apologized to me? and they took down my information, and solved the problem? They're faxing me a letter saying that the "filed in error" report is in process. I am vindicated!!!

And a check for $257 is coming my way!!!! (that's last year's tax return that i never got).

This is very good news, b/c when I found out it was the state, i figured it was an old tax mistake that the Schlurg had made when we were married, and if that was the case, I knew I'd get stuck with the full bill, b/c there was no way in HELL he would pay 1/2. I may as well ask him to castrate himself.

but it was something completely within my realm to deal with, and it was fixed almost instantly.

So, i think that one day, i may be able to buy a house!

posted by Zuska @ 6:57 PM

2 Comments:

At Monday, July 31, 2006 8:31:00 PM, Anonymous said…

I adore the way you equate paying taxes with castration. Congrats on beating the bureaucracy!
At Tuesday, August 01, 2006 3:45:00 AM, Filch said…

I, too, may be able to buy a house one day. If there's an earthquake, a major fire, and a series of riots, all within a couple of months. Which, actually, is not all that unlikely in the Bay Area.