Hello all! It's Helen (and Rachel) and we just got a tax bill from the state of WI for $6200.

The short version is that we didn't receive a 1099 in ** 2018 ** that we didn't file, and didn't know we didn't file.

It turns out WI starts charging interest for the $4000 we would have owed at the time **starting** the year the error occurred.

So because it took them 5 years to find it, they sent us a bill for the original amount plus all the interest and a few penalties, because hey, why not?

The worst part of the whole story is that we had cashed in a 401k (I know, I know, please don't lecture me) because we had almost no money after Rachel switched careers, and it was impossible to manage.

And of course, in the meantime, we had the good luck of buying a house -- but a very old house, on which we've spent close to $10k. Most of that was just to halt rain/snow damage to the foundation - we needed new gutters, regrading, etc. The bathroom floor sprung a leak. The tub sprang a leak.

Honestly, we just spent $2k replacing a front door that basically didn't lock. (Why didn't it lock? Because old houses shift. And we had to replace the whole door, the frame, and the storm door as a result.) And I would have continued to live with a front door that made me really nervous if I'd known this bill was coming, but I didn't.

As a result, we are broke. That small cushion we had - which is essential when an actor is between gigs - is gone.

There's no credit to be had. Because Rachel's work is irregular, our credit scores suck. We are up to our ears in debt because we stretched ourselves to be able to afford the house in the first place -- which we are very, very happy to have managed -- and are currently struggling to maintain a budget when Rachel's work is super uneven.

So, that's the facts. I really don't want to do this but I also don't want this damn bill hanging over our heads.

If you can donate, we'd super appreciate it; if you can't, but can pass it on to someone who might, please do.

Thanks, all.