What sticks out in your mind about the first year you filed personal income taxes?

I actually remember doing my income tax for the first time. Was simple enough anyway, I got 'er done and sent away. Seems to me that I was due for a small refund.

It was in the early 1980s, years before efile became a thing.

I filed my first income tax return in 1972.  My father helped me with the completion of the tax return as it was a bit complicated for me.  

I was 17. Just a simple form.  I got a small refund.  But not worth paying to e-file.  

I used to be able to do short-form 1040s, but when IRAs were instituted, the returns became more complicated.

i don't remember.

I believe I was 20 as well, I remember my dad helping me with it and being surprised at how easy it was. It's still fairly easy for me, though I'm sure it will get more complicated as I get older. 

I was married for a long time and never even saw a tax return.  The first year I paid an accountant to do it and then I asked him 1,000 questions when he brought it back to me.  I wasn't about to pay someone to do it beyond that one time.  I realized it was easy and have had no problem doing it myself since, other than two years where I had a bunch of funky and new stuff to deal with.  That year was worth the few dollars she charged me.    And I do my tax with pen and paper.  I have used Turbo Tax but  I have found errors in the software (state return).  If the IRS wants to talk to me about a return I know exactly how each entry was calculated and sourced.   When you use software you don't.  I tried to talk to my brother about something last year but he used software and couldn't discuss the why or how his return read as it did.  Back when I used Turbo Tax the Deluxe version was about $10.