Newbie: how confusing is US tax law?!!!

Whilst we start our first tentative steps into the US, I need to get my head around filing taxes in the US. HOW complicated? The IRS publications are hardly designed to be easy to read!!!
Just working out how much can be earn't over here before there is a liability for tax in the US has given me a headache!!!

I've been reading the IRS Publications (boy are THEY easy to read!  ) and from what I can make out the maximum income she can earn before taxes is $85,700, but she can also claim $13712 for housing and $48,402 (maximum) for housing expenses in Surrey (or is the $13712 included into that figure?)

Having never had to even consider filing taxes before I'm feeling swamped atm. Does anyone know of any good information sites or books I can use to understand it better?

Hey Mark,

Unfortunately I don't have any book recommendations but I'm sure they exist.  Having just done US->UK I agree the UK tax forms are easier to read than at home.

I think there is a somewhat different philosophy between the 2.  The UK (banks, HMRC, etc.) seems to do more of the work for as you since taxes are taken automatically from interest, etc.  The IRS in the US puts all the burden on you during filing time.  The only exception here is that for employed people they both do PAYE.

Sometimes when I want to experiment and learn about US tax stuff I play around with the electronic filing vendors (turbotax.com, taxact.com, hr block etc.) because they have made a business out of making it easier to enter data and populate the forms.  Most of them let you walk through steps and enter numbers without paying anything (you only pay to file).

May not help much but my 2 cents.

-Brady

Don't worry, most of us are confused.

http://www.google.com/products?q=IRS+for+dummies&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7ADBS&um=1&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&resnum=1&ct=title