Andy | Saving to Invest

Should You Skip Filing a Tax Return? Minimum Income to File and What Skipping Costs You in 2026

For tax year 2025 — the return most people filed by April 2026 — you were required to file if your gross income was at least $15,750 as a single filer under 65, or $31,500 married filing jointly with both spouses under 65. Below that, the IRS generally doesn't require…

Do You Need to File a BOI Report for Your LLC? The Latest Treasury Update

If you own an LLC, you’ve probably heard about the Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) reporting requirement under the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). This new rule, which took effect on January 1, 2024, requires many businesses to disclose their beneficial owners to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). But with lawsuits,…

Updated 2026 GS Pay Table Plus the Fight Over the 2027 Federal Employee Raise

The General Schedule (GS) pay scale sets base pay for roughly 1.5 million civilian federal employees. This page tracks confirmed raises and the latest proposals for each year. The 2026 raise is confirmed at 1%. The 2027 picture is wide open — Trump's budget proposes a freeze, Congress has offered…

“We Received Your Return and Sent You a Letter Requesting More Information” — What This WMR Message Means in 2026

Plenty of filers checking Where's My Refund (WMR) or IRS2Go this season have hit the same status: the IRS received your return, but a letter requesting more information is on its way to you. Your refund is on pause — but this message is a to-do item, not a disaster.…

2024-2025 Tax Season Refund News & Updates

With tax season well underway millions of Americans are filing their returns, with many expecting a juicy refund. Last year the average refund was over $3,100 but is expected to be lower this year with fewer tax credits and stimulus payments available to most. If you are waiting for your…

What Does IRS Code 806 Mean On My Tax Transcript

Tax season can be a confusing time, filled with cryptic codes and unfamiliar numbers when it comes to checking your refund status. If you've been scrutinizing your IRS tax transcript (free via your IRS online account) and stumbled upon "Code 806," you're not alone. This seemingly innocuous code holds real…

IRS Business Tax Account in 2026: C Corporations and Nonprofits Can Now Register — Here’s Who’s Still Left Out

The IRS has quietly widened who can use Business Tax Account since it first opened to partnerships and S corporations in late 2023. As of mid-2026, C corporations, tax-exempt organizations, federal/state/local government entities, and Indian Tribal governments can all register for full online access to their tax records. That's a…

Should You Buy a House If the Mortgage Is Double Your Rent? Here’s the Actual Math

"Our mortgage would be almost double what we pay in rent right now — is that insane?" I get a version of this question constantly, and the honest answer is: that comparison is almost never the right one to make. Rent versus a future mortgage payment feels like the natural…

When Can I File My Taxes in 2027? Key IRS Tax Dates, Deadlines, and Refund Payment Timelines

The 2026 tax season is officially in the books — the IRS began accepting 2025 returns on January 26, 2026, and the April 15 filing deadline has passed. If you filed on time (or on extension), you're done until next year. We now look ahead to the 2027 tax season…

Remote Work Tax Issues in 2026: State Taxes, Reciprocity, and the Home Office Deduction

Remote work didn't just change where people do their jobs — it created a genuinely more complicated tax picture for millions of workers who now live in a different state (or country) than their employer. Here's what actually matters when you file. Which State Actually Taxes Your Income? When you…

How Car Rental Companies Sneak Extra Fees Onto Your Bill — and How to Fight Back

This post started with my own Avis rental years ago, where the final bill came in noticeably higher than the quote — charges I only discovered after returning the car. The dollar amount wasn't huge; the way it was disclosed felt deliberately buried. Judging by the comments this post has…

Never Received the IRS Letter Holding Up Your Refund? What to Do in 2026

Every filing season I hear from readers who call the IRS after weeks of waiting, only to learn their refund has been frozen because they never responded to a letter — a letter they never actually received. The IRS considers the clock started the day the notice was mailed, whether…

$23 Minimum Food Stamp SNAP Benefit Unchanged For Many Seniors in 2025-2026

With the end of the pandemic food stamp program (SNAP) boost, many single and dual person households are now only getting a measly $23 in monthly benefits! This minimum food stamp amount did not change in the latest SNAP monthly allotment updates published by the USDA. It also looks like…

Common Tax Refund Myths and Fake News

It's tax season and social media is abuzz with tax related information. This includes news related to refund payments, which millions of Americans are anxiously waiting to get. Unfortunately this also creates an environment of false information (fake news!), deceitful ideas, and outright scams around refund payments and getting them…