> The National Taxpayers Union Foundation released a report with estimates on how much time and money Americans are expected to spend.<p>They have their own website (<a href="https://www.ntu.org/foundation/" rel="nofollow">https://www.ntu.org/foundation/</a>), so why not cite it directly?<p>> The report estimated the average American will spend 12 hours and $290 to complete their tax return.<p>> The report estimates that tax compliance costs include $319.7 billion in lost time and at least $157.1 billion in out-of-pocket expenses, including tax software and professional services.<p>Even taking the claims for granted (that seems like an awful lot to spend on tax software, and if you're hiring a professional then there shouldn't be a huge burden on your time), that works out to 541.7 million Americans whose time is valued at an average of $49.18 an hour.<p>I... don't think these are reliable numbers.