20 pages? My 2024 full pdf from turbotax was 644 pages.

644 pages? WTF

80% are just boilerplate text with one text box per page. It's shitty paperwork but it's not 644 pages of tons of input. There person you're replying to probably owns a business or works in multiple states or something goofy like that. They're on the upper end of complicated

I do not own a business. In 2024 I only worked in CA. However, a couple years back I worked in MI for a few days, which means for the following 4 years I have to file MI taxes as well due to RSU vesting. So my 2024 taxes were federal + CA + MI.

For details about why RSU vesting requires 4 years of MI taxes, see https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43676698

Yes, and? Nobody would fill all annexes. They are annexes because they're not part of the common path, and are only needed in specific scenarios. Their length is kind of irrelevant.

This is exactly the way it works in the US. All the really complex parts are never even used by 99% of people.