Taxes & Admin phrases and words in English
Paperwork is universal, and so are the phrases for surviving it — battle the "red tape," "jump through hoops," keep a "paper trail," and remember to "dot your i's and cross your t's." As Benjamin Franklin said, nothing is certain but death and taxes.
10 phrases · meanings & example sentences
“Nothing is certain but death and taxes”
A famous saying (often credited to Benjamin Franklin) that the only truly unavoidable things in life are dying and paying taxes. People quote it with dark humour at tax time, or whenever something feels grimly inevitable.
- Ugh, tax season again — well, nothing's certain but death and taxes.
- You can't dodge it forever; nothing is certain but death and taxes.
- He shrugged and said the only sure things are death and taxes.
“Red tape”
Excessive official rules and paperwork that make simple things slow and frustrating. The name comes from the red ribbon once used to bind legal documents. The world's favourite phrase for cursing bureaucracy.
- Starting a business here means cutting through endless red tape.
- There's so much red tape involved in getting a visa.
- We finally got the permit after months of red tape.
“Jump through hoops”
To do a long series of difficult or annoying things to satisfy someone's requirements. The image is of a circus animal performing tricks on command. Perfect for describing bureaucratic obstacle courses — forms, approvals, signatures.
- I had to jump through hoops just to close my bank account.
- They make you jump through hoops to claim a simple refund.
- We jumped through every hoop and still got rejected.
“Cut corners”
To do something cheaply or quickly by skipping proper steps — saving effort now at the risk of problems later. The image is of taking a shortcut by literally cutting across a corner. A useful warning when paperwork (or anything) is done sloppily.
- Don't cut corners on your tax return — mistakes get expensive.
- They cut corners on the paperwork and got audited.
- You can't cut corners with legal documents; everything has to be exact.
“Foot the bill”
To pay for something, especially something large or that you'd rather not pay for. 'Foot' here means to add up and settle the total at the bottom (the 'foot') of a bill. Common for taxes, repairs, and any cost someone gets stuck with.
- In the end, taxpayers foot the bill for it.
- Who's going to foot the bill for all these repairs?
- The company footed the bill for our relocation.
“Tighten your belt”
To spend less and live more frugally, usually because money is tight. The image is of a belt pulled in a notch when you've eaten less. Said during lean months, after a tax bill, or whenever a budget needs trimming.
- After the tax bill, we had to tighten our belts for a while.
- Everyone's tightening their belts with prices this high.
- We tightened our belts for a year and finally paid off the debt.
“Make ends meet”
To earn just enough money to cover your basic expenses. The 'ends' are the two ends of a budget — income and outgoings — that you struggle to bring together. A deeply common, relatable phrase about getting by.
- With rent so high, it's hard to make ends meet.
- They took second jobs just to make ends meet.
- After taxes and bills, we barely make ends meet each month.
“Dot your i's and cross your t's”
To be thorough and pay attention to every small detail, especially on documents. It refers to finishing handwriting properly. The gold-standard phrase for careful paperwork — leave nothing incomplete and you avoid nasty surprises.
- Before you submit the form, dot your i's and cross your t's.
- The lawyer dotted every i and crossed every t in the contract.
- With tax returns, you have to dot your i's and cross your t's.
“A paper trail”
A series of documents — receipts, emails, records — that prove what happened and when. Originally literal paper, now often digital. Keeping a paper trail protects you in disputes, audits, and any situation where you might need evidence.
- Always keep a paper trail of your payments in case there's a dispute.
- The audit was easy because she had a clear paper trail.
- There's no paper trail, so it's his word against mine.
“By the book”
Strictly according to the rules, with no shortcuts or exceptions. The 'book' is the rulebook. It can be praise (careful and honest) or a mild complaint (rigid and inflexible) — context tells you which, and it's everywhere in official life.
- Our accountant does everything strictly by the book.
- Play it by the book and you'll have nothing to worry about in an audit.
- He's so by the book that he won't approve anything without three signatures.
