The first page explained what was new. Standard deduction increased. Higher catch-up contribution limits for IRAs. A section titled “Senior Simplified.” She almost laughed. Nothing about grief was simplified.
She pulled out her reading glasses and sat down. The house was quiet. Henry had been gone two years now. He used to do this part — the shuffling of papers, the low muttering about deductions and thresholds. She’d make tea. It was their division of labor.
The back page had a chart: Tax Table for Seniors, 2024. Rows of income ranges, columns of tax due. Her income — pension, a little interest, a small withdrawal from the IRA — put her in the 12% bracket. She’d owe $987. Not a fortune. Just a final, quiet number.
She folded the sticky note into the booklet and left it on the table. Tomorrow, the forms. Today, just the instructions.
She sipped her tea. The instructions didn’t rush her.
But she turned the page anyway.
Eleanor picked up a pen. On a sticky note, she wrote: Schedule an appointment with AARP Tax-Aide. March 10. Bring 1099s, property tax bill, and Henry’s death certificate (copy).