Taxes and Retirement | Saving to Invest

Kentucky Unemployment Benefits in 2026: Up to $720/Week for 26 Weeks, Partial UI Rules, Taxes, and What Else Is Available

Kentucky's unemployment insurance program — managed by the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet (KEWES) — increased its maximum weekly benefit significantly to $720 in 2026, up from $552 in 2025. This $168 increase reflects Kentucky's rapidly rising average weekly wage as the state's economy has grown. Kentucky's flat income…

Where Is My Business Tax Refund in 2026? Current IRS Processing Times and How to Check Status

Business owners still don't get a "Where's My Refund"-style tracker the way individual filers do. If you're waiting on a business tax refund in 2026, the IRS's own guidance is unchanged from prior years: call the Business and Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933 (or +1 267-941-1000 from outside the U.S.)…

How to Reduce Your Tax Bill in 2026: Lowering Taxable Income and Claiming More Deductions

A few years back I ended up owing taxes when I filed my return — a tax liability I could have avoided or shrunk if I'd made a few moves earlier in the year. That's still the core lesson here: most of the strategies below only work if you act…

IRS Tax Transcript Code 810 Refund Freeze and What It Means When Followed By Code 811

Transaction codes are used on IRS tax transcripts to show filers what has happened with their return processing, reasons for potential delays, when a refund will be paid, or why it's delayed. Given ongoing challenges in getting through to a live IRS agent, many taxpayers are turning to their free…

IRS Tax Filing Extension Deadline – When Will I Get My Refund or What If Owe The IRS More Money

The date for filing a tax return filing extension for the current tax season is April 15th. Maine and Massachusetts have 2 extra days due to state holidays. Not filing for an extension or not paying your tax liability could mean some stiff penalties. Given the ongoing IRS processing delays,…

Stuck on Hold With the IRS? Here’s How to Get Help In Person Instead

When "Where's My Refund?" just says "still processing" for months and the phone lines go nowhere, an in-person visit to a local IRS office can genuinely break the logjam — but only if you go in prepared and with realistic expectations about what an agent can actually tell you. Appointments…

IRS Transcript Codes 290 and 291 Explained: Additional Tax Assessed or Refund Adjustment

If you've been waiting on your tax return processing and refund status for a while, you may see transaction codes 290 and 291 appear on your free IRS tax transcript once the IRS moves your case forward. Code 290 is generally accompanied by the line "Additional tax assessed," along with…

2024 Electric Vehicle Tax Credit – Extending the EV Clean Car Rebate For New and Used Autos

Under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the EV Tax Credit was extended for several more years. It will also be expanded to cover both new and used cars. The original EV tax credit, known as the plug-in electric vehicle credit, has been rebranded to the Clean Vehicle Credit (CVC) under…

IRS Notices CP11, CP12, CP13 and CP14 — Refund Adjustments, Balance-Due Letters, and Your 60-Day Rights in 2026

If the IRS finds a calculation error on your return, it doesn't audit you — it fixes the math itself and mails you a notice in the CP11–CP14 series telling you what changed. Depending on which one you get, your refund went up, went down, disappeared, or turned into a…

Can My Congressman Help With a Delayed Tax Refund or Missing Government Payment? How Casework Works in 2026

Yes — and with IRS phone lines answering only about 21% of calls last filing season, this old-school escalation path is getting a workout. Every congressional office runs casework: staff whose entire job is prying constituent problems loose from federal agencies, including the IRS, Social Security Administration, VA, and state…

Are Treasury I-Bonds a Good Investment? Current 2026 Rates, Purchase Limits, and Tax Rules

So after seeing a lot of buzz around the amazing yields being paid on Treasury Series I Savings Bonds (I-Bonds), I decided to take the plunge and buy some for my wife and I as a place to park some cash while the stock market gyrates and inflation remains stubbornly…

1099-K Rules Are Back to Normal: OBBBA Restores the $20,000 Threshold — What Sellers and Side Hustlers Need to Know for 2026

If you sell on eBay or Etsy, drive for a rideshare app, or get paid through PayPal or Venmo, the 1099-K rules that caused years of confusion are finally settled — and in your favor. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), payment platforms only send you (and the…

Where’s My Amended Tax Return? Checking Your 1040-X Status and Refund Timeline for 2026-2027

While the IRS aims to process regular season tax returns and refunds within 21 days for the vast majority of filers, amended returns take quite a bit longer. The IRS's own current guidance is to allow 8 to 16 weeks for a Form 1040-X to process. In practice, it's often…

What Happens if I File My Taxes Late? 2026 IRS Penalties and Getting Your Refund

I get a few comments every tax season from readers asking whether it's too late to file a return after the regular deadline (April 15, 2026 for most people) — and what happens if they forgot to file for an extension. I also get asked what happens if they owe…

Category: Taxes and Retirement