For new father and first-time homeowner Erik Breidenbach, this year's tax-filing season was one of the more difficult of his adult life.
Breidenbach says he spent about 12 hours working through the process by hand, as he does every year, figuring out which business expenses could be deducted, how to factor in the mortgage interest payments, and sorting through the complexities of getting paid in two states as a civilian and an active-duty member of the military. A mix-up involving the amount of federal taxes withheld from his wife's paycheck created another headache. When it was all over, "I thought with the house and baby I would get some amazing refund" that would at least make the effort worth it, he says, "but nope."
