Just when you think you've taken all the blows you can, and nothing can surprise you and knock you off your feet infertility-wise, something else pops up and smacks you upside the head.
We just got the results from our tax return. We paid someone to get them done this year because we wanted to make sure we could get all the deductions we could from our failed IVF last year. She emailed us today with the amount of money we will be getting back. We're getting a refund, but nowhere near what we were hoping for. Maybe our expectations were too high, but we paid $16,000 out of pocket last year for an IVF cycle that got us nothing. We have some friends who just had a baby last year. They got pregnant after three months of trying. Their refund is TWICE what ours is. Just because they have a baby (that they didn't have to pay anything to get). We can't have children, might never have them, and we're penalized for it.
And our accountant gave us the news that we are about to hit the next tax bracket. After our raises go through this year we'll probably hit it. She told us that without our medical deductions this year we would have owed in taxes. She said we were doing great with retirement savings, but suggested we do more next year to avoid paying taxes. Right. Cause we can afford to put money in retirement after throwing $16,000 down the drain.
Whatever. Blah.
3 comments:
That really freaking sucks, and it pisses me off for you. It isn't fair in any way.
I have an aunt who was single for the longest time. I think she got married in her late 30s. Up until then, she had to claim single on her taxes, so she would be taxed at a higher rate than married couples, because back then if you were married you got a break. The have since changed the law to if you are married and don't have kids, you pay a marriage tax. But it always made her upset that she was taxed more than married couples just because she couldn't find a man who was good enough for her. I thought it was stupid too. They were essentially punishing her for not getting married. Now they punish you for not having kids.
Oh that sucks. I'm so sorry if is getting you at so many angles.
Yeah. Money sucks. It SUCKS. And the fact that infertility treatments are largely not covered by insurance is bullshit, but when you add the insult of not getting a tax credit to the injury of not having a child, well... it's a lot to handle. We're a struggling single income family, and with H's new position, I think we'll be in the next tax bracket next year. Which is insane to think of, that he'll be getting a raise, but with adding insurance coverage for two children to his policy, plus adding the additional percentage of money that will need to be taken out of his check to cover our new tax burden, we won't see a penny of it, and may actually have *less* take home pay per month. That's just crazy to me.
Sigh. Suck, suck, suck...
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