Stressed and Depressed *TW*

I am so stressed about my financial situation I am getting migraines from it-- I owe over $1700 to the IRS. I won't go into the details, but it's because the CO marketplace made a mistake when calculating my tax credits for last year and because of ****ing Obamacare. I didn't even have insurance through the marketplace for the full year and I'm paying over $1700 for their ****. If you think I can afford that, you're crazy. Had to set up a payment plan. I feel like a total failure-- all my monthly bills have gone up and I'm so stressed over it. I don't need things; I need money to pay my bills and for gas. I'm willing to ditch food, I'm fat enough already. Work has been very stressful-- I'm happy I've had a job in this pandemic, but we've been slammed throughout. It's very exhausting being an essential worker in these times. My therapist and I aren't talking anymore because of a spat we had. I really need therapy but I can't afford it through my oh-so-great insurance, which is a closed-network system. I feel like a disgrace; I can barely make ends meet and it's really depressing.

1. You are not alone. We're all right there with you as far as our finances being in the pits due to the pandemic.

2. Call a free walk-in counseling center so you can do a televisit with one of their social workers for some emotional support.

3. Call the IRS and put a deferment on your owed balances. Have them set up a payment plan for you in 6 months and have them send you a letter verifying this.

You can always call them back in 2 months to set up a new payment plan. The IRS are very flexible as long as you don't hide from your debt and show them you are trying to repay it.

4. Call your creditors and tell them that you can't make any payments right now. Most states have limits set in place for car loans, car insurance, cable tv, cellphone bills, and electricity not to cut off a customer who can't pay.

For example, in my state I have until the end of September to pay my car loan and car insurance payments or they will get canceled. Right now I am not making payments b/c I don't have to since I can't afford to.

I am also not paying my electricity or cellphone bill b/c of my state's safety net that they wrote into law for everyone in my state. Call your creditors and ask them if your state, CO, has such a thing in place. Tell them you can't pay your bills due to the pandemic.

See if your creditors have it setup where you don't have to make payments in full or at all right now, due to the pandemic.

HUGS.

Thanks Motts, I will look into the walk-in therapy but as I said in my post, I have already set up as much as I can with the IRS-- good luck trying to get through to them on the phone, by the way. I appreciate your feedback.