The ADHD Tax
"...in this world nothing can be said to be certain,
except death and taxes."
I'm sure most of you have heard this quote from one of the United States' founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin.
It's not a very happy quote, is it?
No one gets warm, fuzzy feelings thinking about these topics. But, in most cases, we can all count on things like 'tax time'. Whether we like it or not, it continues to come around every year like clockwork.
Recently, this quote got me thinking about another tax—the ADHD Tax. Is the ADHD Tax just as certain as the taxes Mr. Franklin wrote about all those years ago?
What is the ADHD Tax?
If you have never heard of the ADHD Tax, you're not alone. I only heard the term recently. I had no idea this was something people were talking about!
The ADHD Tax is not a formal tax issued by some government, but a common term within the ADHD community. Whether you realize it or not, if you have ADHD you have probably paid your fair share of ADHD Taxes.
I like the way the Stimpunks Foundation explains the ADHD Tax:
“The ADHD Tax is the price you pay for costly mistakes due to symptoms of ADHD.”
Maybe you have never referred to these 'costly mistakes' as an ADHD Tax, but I bet this is starting to sound a bit more familiar.
Reasons you might be paying the ADHD Tax
The symptoms of ADHD can cause different hardships for different people—especially if someone is living with undiagnosed or untreated ADHD.
Not all ADHD Taxes cost you real money, either. There are plenty of symptoms of ADHD that can tax your mental/physical health, relationships, and many other parts of your life.
There are so many ways someone might be paying the ADHD Tax, but here are a few examples I have heard from members of the Take Control ADHD community:
Continuing to pay for subscriptions you forgot to cancel
Late fees (because whatever you were supposed to do wasn't done on time)
Impulse buying
Paying more to eat out because you keep forgetting to buy groceries or you can't find the motivation to cook at home
Experiencing extreme fatigue and a bad mood during the day because you can't seem to stick to a bedtime routine
Costly repair bills because you never got around to that routine maintenance
The hardships experienced from living without a car or certain things like utilities because you kept forgetting to pay your bills every month
Throwing out food you bought because you forgot to use it before it went bad
This list could go on and on...and on, but I think you get the picture.
You are not alone
Recently, we took a poll in our Discord community:
"On average, how much does the ADHD Tax cost you in a year?"
In this poll, we were just looking at those taxes that cost real money. We offered multiple options for participants to choose from, starting all the way down at "Thankfully, I've never had to pay the ADHD Tax" all the way up to "More than $1000 per year".
Any guesses on what dollar amount received the most responses?
All participants polled came from the Taking Control public Discord server - 09.2023
Over half of the respondents said they spend over $1000 per year in different costs, fees, and spending due to events caused by symptoms of their ADHD!
What could you do with an extra $1000 a year? Pay off debt? Go on a nice vacation? Save for the future?
Is the ADHD Tax just another fact of life?
Now, I want to go back to my initial question at the beginning—is the ADHD Tax just as certain as the taxes Benjamin Franklin talked about?
I hope you would agree that the answer should be a loud, resounding NO!
Just as I like to say that your ADHD does not define you or make you who you are, you do not have to keep paying hundreds and thousands of dollars year after year because of consequences resulting from the symptoms of your ADHD!
This is why I am here. This is why I am an ADHD Coach. I believe ADHDers have the potential to do anything when they find the right tools and implement the strategies that work with the way their ADHD brain works.
A Roadmap that shows you how to avoid the ADHD Tax Toll Roads
If you have been following Take Control ADHD or you are listener to Taking Control: The ADHD Podcast, you have probably heard me talk about TCA’s monthly membership program, Guided Planning Sessions (GPS).
GPS provides members with a roadmap to get you from where you are to where you want to be when it comes to planning your schedule and maintaining your calendar.
Now, let's imagine how GPS might be able to help you find a few "tax deductions".
How many of those ADHD Tax scenarios do you think could be avoided completely if you had a plan?
Do you want to cancel that subscription at the end of the month? Create a new to-do in your task management system. Are you trying to keep better maintenance on your car? Add your next expected oil change on the calendar.
Sure, these things sound simple, but, living with ADHD and without a system firmly in place will most likely put you right back to where you started.
Invest now, Save later
I have heard some people say they would love to enroll in the GPS program, but it's too expensive; they can't afford it.
I would like to say, you can't afford not to enroll in GPS!
Think of the money, time, and energy you could be saving by eliminating the majority, if not all, of your yearly ADHD Tax expenses!
While you might spend money now to enroll in GPS, your future self and your future self’s wallet will thank you.
What will you do?
Ok, I swear the sales pitch is over. Honestly, I would be horrible as a salesperson—it's not for me. But, I truly believe in the Guided Planning Sessions program. I probably put a good chunk of my time and energy during the work week into this program because I believe in it that strongly and I am invested in seeing its members succeed.
So, will you make the choice to make a change and give GPS a try, or are you content in continuing to pay your yearly ADHD Taxes?
If you are looking to enroll, you can head over to the GPS page here, on the website. We only open enrollment three times a year, so it's possible when you visit the GPS page, enrollment may not currently be open. But, we have a waitlist where you can add your name and email address to be notified when the next enrollment period begins. We always offer first priority for enrollment to those that join the wait list.
If you happen to be reading this during an open enrollment period, what are you waiting for?! Enroll now and I'll see you in GPS!
Guided Planning Sessions (GPS): Learn more, enroll, or join the waitlist!
Thank you for your time and attention,
-Nikki
