In the weeks leading up to the exam, I was very busy with work, taking on new clients and juggling various responsibilities. My husband was by my side, helping to take care of my two-year old twins while I worked nights and weekends away to study and prepare for the university exams. It was tough, but I knew it had to be done if I wanted to keep on top of my career.
I started getting those questionnaires, the same day every month. I thought this would help me focus better, as I was answering the same questions over again. Little did I know, these questionnaires were really old fashioned. They used very long, drawn-out questions that required very long answers.
By the end of the third week I was starting to feel overwhelmed. My time was going so slowly! I felt like I was running around, meeting with different people, answering questionnaires and trying to remember them all. It was such a hassle. So, I stopped taking them altogether!
By then I was ready to face the university examination. I knew this would be a tough time, but I was up for the challenge. I had researched a lot about answering university exams and knew exactly what to expect. I was prepared to take my accounting quiz, and I knew it wouldn’t be a problem.
As soon as the new semester started I began my new online adventure again. This time I asked myself what I’d like to get out of answering questionnaires. Instead of being excited about taking them, I was dreading them. I’d realized that most online questionnaires don’t require any additional information. I’d probably just have to answer a few questions and then I’d be done.
After about a month I decided to give them another try. I still hadn’t found anything that required me to provide any more personal information, but at least I’d done something. I completed about 30 surveys before I quit. Now I could relax and not think about the old questions.
At the beginning I was apprehensive to do so, but now I know that I can just hand over the questionnaire and the accountant will find it for me. They also make notes that are easier to read. They usually send you a thank you note with your survey results in a week or two. I love it, because not only do I get my money back, I also have time to plan my next steps. I’ve even received phone calls from my accountant! It’s great!
As I mentioned earlier, most online questionnaires don’t require much more than your name and email address. They will ask you to fill in some general information and you’re done. However, there is one that I would definitely recommend taking. A lot of them will ask you to take a short version of the actual IRS tax form. There is actually quite a bit of detail in this one and it’s really important that you understand it.
This one isn’t like the other ones where you just complete one or two. Your online consultant or accountant will take this as a whole. When they return your completed form, they will review it with you to make sure you understood it and didn’t miss anything important. If there are areas that you may have otherwise misunderstood about the tax code, they will let you know.
This is definitely worth the time and effort. Don’t let the online tax forms intimidate you because it’s really easy to complete one. The actual interview or meeting with someone will come at a later time and if all goes well, you could have it over with in a week or so.
My favorite part about all of this is that it doesn’t cost you anything. Not even a membership fee. It’s not expensive to begin with and the savings you will accumulate by taking an online tax course will pay for itself quickly. You don’t need to spend valuable time reviewing every little detail or making yourself nervous about speaking aloud or writing something on the fly. You can review it online anytime and worry about other things.