Calluna
Somerville, United States
Today, I filed a client's tax return. His refunds alone were more than my gross annual salary. FML
Calluna tells us more.
Calluna 1
OP here. To clarify, I'm the secretary and the official number was over 7 times my salary. The client's case was indeed unique and not a regular event, but it didn't make me feel any better...especially considering that I can't afford my own apartment here in good old New Jersey.
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Top comments
adjwejaelwkdc 21
This is not going to be popular, but this is one accountant talking to another about professionalism. You will never be happy in accounting if you keep comparing your clients' income to your own income. I've worked for many high-wealth clients who make exponentially more than I ever have made or ever will make. I just simply don't know enough about them to make a judgment about whether this disparity is "fair." In my experience, it is the client's character that matters most. I'm perfectly happy to work for or with those people as long as they're nice. If they're total jerks, then I'll hand the work over to someone else or withdraw from the client. And if you think you deserve more than you're currently earning, then plan a way to ensure that you can earn more -- take classes, get certifications, get an MBA, etc. Take the frustration you're currently feeling and channel it toward improving your own lot in life.
Steve95401 49
Yet another example of the ever-widening gap between the "haves" and the "have-nots".
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Comments (57)
Bifloman 8
I call bullshit. If someone is making that much money, there is no way they would get a large refund. They would plan better. That's how rich folks do it.
headlock911 17
Is that why you called it a gross salary?
adjwejaelwkdc 21
This is not going to be popular, but this is one accountant talking to another about professionalism. You will never be happy in accounting if you keep comparing your clients' income to your own income. I've worked for many high-wealth clients who make exponentially more than I ever have made or ever will make. I just simply don't know enough about them to make a judgment about whether this disparity is "fair." In my experience, it is the client's character that matters most. I'm perfectly happy to work for or with those people as long as they're nice. If they're total jerks, then I'll hand the work over to someone else or withdraw from the client. And if you think you deserve more than you're currently earning, then plan a way to ensure that you can earn more -- take classes, get certifications, get an MBA, etc. Take the frustration you're currently feeling and channel it toward improving your own lot in life.
Saikon1357 25
No idea why your advice would be negatively reviewed. It's genuinely helpful.
JustinJK 21
Answer something for me. How do the wealthy get huge tax refunds? My father makes A LOT of money and he pays as little as he can through the year and pays at the end of the year after figuring out all of his deductions and such. A lot of my friends have wealthier parents and I think they pay taxes at the end of the year too. Why would those who make a lot over pay on their taxes to get a refund at the end of year? My dad pays more taxes than most people's salary. it's unfathomable. As an accountant do you see a lot of tax refunds from those with larger incomes?
thorshammer138 3
I do tax returns for high wealth clients as well, and they may have been making safe harbor payments. You pay 110% of what you expect to owe over the year. He also could have been expecting to make a ton of money late in the year, and then that didn't pan out.
adjwejaelwkdc 21
Most of the responses before mine were pretty much, "Yep, that sucks." Since my core message was "You chose the profession, and this is what happens in that profession," and I figured the "Yep, that sucks" people would not react well to it.
Dale_shackleford 13
I've found that when this sort of thing gets brought up, a "robin hood" mentality forms and people get worked up with whether or not they deserve the money, rather than the message about comparing yourself to others.
fullacrapallofyou 14
Oh shut up
brucee1119 8
You need to get out of the business. Dwell on this sort of thing and it will make you insane.
brucee1119 8
And I second the comments made by a fellow accountant.
mm12344 8
Perhaps he was a business owner?
CosmicGenius 10
Tax him then! Up your price.
Colon_Man 17
Don't envy the rich. Strive to become the rich.
riahlum 12
Thats very possible. My father gets about a 60,000 tax return, which is higher than the average workers salary. That said, he has 8 kids which makes up the large majority of that number. Don't get down on yourself op just be thankful for what you have ;)
jake_braves 25
Damn...well...my friend's dad paid $7mill in taxes. Haha rich people problems.
neuronerd 29
PSA: the tax return is the form(s) you submit. A tax refund is money you get back, based on what you had already overpaid in taxes that year, according to your returm. OP used the terms correctly, but many commenters don't seem to know the difference.