The perils of being lazy - Part II

There was another consequence to my laziness today. I didn't even bother to go to the mailbox. In a way, I'm glad I didn't, because it would have ruined my day. Instead, I got the bad news when my wife returned from work.

Bad News #1:

My request for unemployment insurance has been denied. Apparently, according to the government of the U.S., I had been working in their country illegally, and therefore am not entitled to unemployment insurance benefits. After a short cry of frustration and despair, I realized the possible reason for such a stupid conclusion (stupid, I say, because I still have my visa papers, duly signed and notarized, and a receipt for the filing fee, stamped by the Immigration and Naturalization Service agency). Each year, after renewing my one-year term visa, I had sent a xerox copy of the new paperwork to the corporate head office. This past year, I forgot to do that. So, the copy at my employer's office is out of date. If that is the copy the government is using to say I'm illegal, then it's not their fault. It's my fault for not forwarding copies of my renewed visa. Hopefully, it will be an easy mess to sort out.

Bad News #2:

Filing income taxes for both Canada and the U.S. is a sordid business. Ever since I started working in the U.S., I have used an accountant to prepare the returns for both countries' taxes. Not only can the expense be written off, but with their expert advice, I can generally come away with either a refund (rare in Canada when your basic tax is being withdrawn at a lower tax rate in the U.S.), or at least no extra tax to pay. According to my accountant's figures, I was due a substantial refund. I opened the letter, only to find I owe money - plus interest. The net effect is about a difference of $2000 CDN between what I had expected in refunds vs. what I now owe. Ouch. If I had opened the mail earlier, perhaps I would have been able to contact my accountant during business hours. As it was, the best I could do was leave a distressing voice mail.