Category: Government Rebates and Payments

[Update - American Jobs Act a.k.a 2012 Economic Stimulus] In what is essentially the 2012 stimulus package, President Obama has released details on the American Jobs Act which involves spending over $400 billion dollars to boost economic growth. The key provisions are: Extension of employee payroll tax cuts into 2012,…

As part of new regulations under Obama's health care legislation the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today took the next steps to establish Affordable Insurance Exchanges – one-stop marketplaces where consumers can choose a private health insurance plan that fits their…

See updated details on the potential 2020 payroll tax cut [Updated- 2012 Payroll Tax Credit Holiday, Unemployment Benefits and Medicare Doctor Payments Extended to Dec 31st] With House Republican support Congress has passed legislation extending the federal payroll tax holiday through the end of the year without demanding spending cuts…

The Obama administration has proposed a host of new tax credits and programs to encourage employers to hire our growing army of veterans, particularly those that have been unemployed for a considerable time. This latest commitment to service members and veterans aims to provide a comprehensive plan to lower unemployment…

[2013 Update] As I was updating this article, originally written in mid-2011 following the first debt ceiling deal, I got a major sense of deja-vu. After 18 months we are back in the same place with a dysfunctional Congress who barely passed legislation to avert the fiscal cliff.  But it's…

[Update as of July 23rd] It's time to pay for the American dream. In various discussions around how to cut the national debt, so that we don't have to keep raising the debt ceiling, one theme that is common in most plans is that Americans now and for generations to…

The IRS has officially admitted that they are having issues with processing some of the most popular economic stimulus payments that the Obama administration has handed out over the last few years. In particular, the many versions of the first time home buyer credit, each with different eligibility and income…

The AOTC allows parents and students to receive a tax credit of up to $2,500 for qualified undergraduate college expenses, based on certain income limits. The AOTC replaced the smaller Hope credit a few years ago as part of bills passed under the Obama administration (see section below for origin).…

[Updated- 2012 Payroll Tax Credit Holiday, Unemployment Benefits and Medicare Doctor Payments Extended to Dec 31st] With House Republican support Congress has passed legislation extending the federal payroll tax holiday through the end of the year without demanding spending cuts to pay for it. This was a concession aimed at…

See this updated article for the latest GS Adjustments and Locality Pay Scale Tables. ______________________ [2013 Locality Pay Rates Update] The president has signed an executive order that freezes GS pay rises in 2013. Unfortunately the executive order and existing continuing resolution also stated that, "........ locality payments in 2013 for…

I have made a number of updates to popular topics on this site and in case you missed them, here is a quick recap with a link to the detailed information. 2011 Tax Rates and Brackets Following Bush-era Tax Cut Extensions With approval of a two-year extension to all the…

[Update] - As part of the 2018 Trump tax reform package there is a big push to get the Estate tax fully repealed or raise existing exemption levels. Provisions around this are being debated in Congress and you can get the latest updates in this article. ______ A change to the…

The Child Tax Credit (CTC) has seen some key updates enacted as part of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act." As of the 2025 tax year (filed in 2026) and going forward, the credit is structured to be claimed when filing your tax return, transitioning away from the advance, fully…