The Struggle Tax
The Unexpected Cost of Executive Function Difficulties
Ever wondered why forgetting to pay a $50 bill somehow snowballs into a $200 nightmare?
What if I told you there's a tax you're paying every day that doesn't show up on any government form?
And do you ever feel like you're working twice as hard to get half as far?
Welcome to the world of the Struggle Tax.
Adults with executive function challenges can face up to three times higher financial costs annually compared to their peers.1 This means someone struggling with executive functions might pay $3,000 in late fees, forgotten subscriptions, and impulse purchases where others pay $1,000.
These struggles often begin in childhood and persist into adulthood, affecting various parts of life—work, relationships, health, and finances, to name a few big ones.
Brain imaging studies reveal that these challenges are linked to differences in how our brains process and store information.2 This could be the result of genetics, trauma and other maladaptive life experience, or some combination of both. Whatever the cause, it means your brain might excel at creative problem-solving but struggle with mundane tasks like remembering to pay bills on time.
I call it “the struggle tax,” and if you’ve related to some of the themes I’ve shared this year on , then you might have been paying this tax without knowing it.
Or maybe you did know it, or at least you sensed it, but you thought it was because you were dumb.
I’ve been there! Here’s a very short, abbreviated list of a few things that immediately came to mind for me as I was writing this post:
I’ve paid for many services, often for years at a time, without using them
I didn’t have health insurance for 18 months because I didn’t realize the premiums weren’t being paid
Multiple times, I’ve failed to claim reimbursable expenses for something, just because I don’t think about it or defer the process until it’s too late
I stopped paying taxes on a property I used to own, not out of protest but just because I completely forgot about paying (I have since realized I am not meant to be a property-owner for several reasons)
I’ve lost or missed out on lots of business opportunities because of demand avoidance, ADHD distraction, or just being slowwww in responding (by slow I mean weeks or months delayed, not just a couple of days)
Just one thing: I wish it was only $20/month that I had to pay! Sadly it’s much more for me.
Quick side note: when I share lists like these, I sometimes get notes from people who think I’m bragging. But I would love to have NOT done these things. It’s good that I’m able to move on and recover—those are important skills that I’m grateful for—but all things considered, it would generally be better to NOT have these experiences in the first place.
There are other costs associated with adult ADHD or neurodivergence in general. (Despite what some people tell you, ADHD is not a superpower.) The list includes:
Costs at work, including missed deadlines or difficulty with long-term projects
Costs in relationships, including forgetting important dates or struggles with household management
Costs in health, including postponing medical appointments or inconsistent medication adherence
Each of these could be described in more detail; I’m focusing this post mostly on financial costs like not cancelling subscriptions or otherwise taking “easy” steps that feel difficult, like failing to pay bills on time.
I try to write these kinds of posts in a couple of different ways. Some are extremely practical (like the series of activities). Others are more big-picture, where the whole point is to understand yourself—or someone you know—better. Sometimes, simply understanding can feel relieving.
Ever since I wrote about my inability to renew my driver’s license until the very last day it was possible, I’ve heard from lots of people who identified in some way.
For this topic, I’ll write a follow-up post focused more on solutions to the struggle tax. You can expect that soon, most likely next week. The good news is that executive functions can be improved with practice!
And what a wonderful thing that can be. When you learn to improve your working memory, reduce time blindness, emotionally regulate, and more—a lot of things get much easier.
For now: have you paid any “struggle tax”? If so, how has it affected your life?
Previously in this series—
See also:
Altszuler, A. R., et al. (2016). The monetary and nonmonetary costs of adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 84(12), 1056-1067.
Barkley, R. A., & Fischer, M. (2010). The unique contribution of emotional impulsiveness to impairment in major life activities in hyperactive children as adults. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 49(5), 503-513.
So many, sadly. All the food that I bought with great intentions, that I watched go bad in my fridge. All the credit card late fees because I forgot it wasn't on autopay. And many subscriptions that were annual which were amazing at the time, and then when I stopped using them I would completely forget about them and then suddenly see a $500 charge and I would have to figure out 'What the hell IS this??"
Struggletastic Tax! YAY!
Happens all the time! Naturally i blame myself for being, inattentive, lazy, disorganized, slow all those kinds of words. It's the cost of being successful? I don't think do. I think it's more like things are more complicated, and slower. Things needing attention used to arrive in the mail, and as time allowed i pulled envelopes from the bottom, except for suspected invoices which went in a separate stack. It worked nearly flawlessly, until it didn't.
Now thing requiring action come via voice mail, via the copper line phone, the mobile phone, via Messenger, via what's app, yes, sometime via fax. No wonder i can't keep up...there is so much to keep up with than paying the bills on time.....