I know I'm cranky. Lack of sleep does that to people. And I'm still adjusting to the new hours. So please, pardon the snark of my reaction to this, the news that the state of Michigan proudly announced you can now file your taxes. Oh, boy! Really? Please, Michigan, may I have another.

The news is, the Michigan Department of Treasury announced Friday it was beginning to process individual income tax returns, as of last Friday, Feb. 12th. And here's something added: The Feb. 12 processing date is the same as the Internal Revenue Service. Well, that's convenient.

See, the feds and the state can work together when they want to. Now about those pesky vaccine shipments and vaccinations.

But back to our taxes, because that's our money.

The IRS (just the name sends shivers down your spine, doesn't it) has pushed back the processing date due to software updating and testing. That in turn pushed back the state of Michigan, but they now are processing our tax returns, along with issuing refunds. (fingers crossed) All this according to State Treasurer, Rachael Eubanks.

The rest of this is pretty rudimentary. The state's release says you can file your state income tax return online, with a tax professional or by mailing in paper forms and documentation. I guess living in a digital world and working for a digital company, my thought is "paper???"

One thing that is back to normal this year is the deadline date. All state income tax returns and payment of any taxes owed must be in by April 15, 2021. And your employer should have already sent your your W-2s and 1099s – That deadline was the end of last month. Also the state treasury people says don't use your end-of-the-year pay stubs for "filing a state income tax return because they are typically not an accurate reflection of all income received."

With all the unemployed people from 2020, and all the people hustling to get any work of any kind, this year will be interesting. Hopefully you remembered unemployment checks are taxable, and hopefully you can round up all your W-2's if you had multiple jobs last year. Here's hoping there's a big refund check in your future.

Get our free mobile app

If you're like me and not financially set, here's some pictures to help daydream a little.

Cheers.

The 100 Best Places to Live on the East Coast

More From 107.7 WRKR-FM