Category: Taxes and Retirement

One of the most underrated tax documents is your IRS tax transcript. Especially when you are anxiously awaiting the status of your tax refund and the official WMR/IRS2Go refund status tools are not telling you much. But reading your IRS transcript can be a bit tricky with all the codes…

Short answer for 2026: yes, defaulted federal student loans can be collected from your tax refund through the Treasury Offset Program (TOP) — but right now, most involuntary collections are paused again, and the window before they restart is exactly when you should act. This has whipsawed a lot in…

[UPDATED chart for 2026] Every tax season there is a guessing game played by millions of American tax payers on when they will get their refund payment deposited into their bank account. There is the so-called IRS refund schedule, which has estimated dates for when the agency will make refund…

[Updated PATH Refund Status & Release Dates] Early tax filers who claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) may experience a payment delay or freeze in their refund until early March due to the PATH Act. See below for when returns impacted by the…

The CP-10 notice is a tax form that contains the adjustment of the estimated tax credit amount for that year. The purpose of this notice is to inform taxpayers that there is a miscalculation or their estimated tax credit for the current year may be different from what was originally…

Seeing a lot of comments from filers this year saying that not only have then not gotten their refund payments but are still waiting for their tax refund for returns filed last year! Why the Ongoing Delay in Processing Returns and Paying Refunds? The main reason for this is that…

Many tax filers are now seeing messages on their IRS2Go and WMR app that confirm their tax returns are going to take longer than normal to process. Tax Topic 152, which just alludes to ongoing and potential processing delays, has not provided much help. So some are turning to their…

If you filed with a major tax software provider or storefront preparer in early 2026, you likely saw a prompt offering to get part of your refund in minutes instead of waiting on the IRS. That's a tax refund advance, and the terms vary a lot more between providers than…

Over the last few years, thanks to plenty of pandemic related support via stimulus payments and funding for expanded tax credits, the average refund payment ballooned to over $3,100. This is despite 20 million fewer Americans getting refunds. However with no further federal funding approved, several popular stimulus, family and dependent tax…

With the latest tax season upon us it is worth reviewing some of the key tax changes for New Jersey residents and tax filers. As a relatively high taxing state with higher than average incomes it is no surprise that taxes are a hot button topic in New Jersey. The…

With the latest tax season upon us it is worth reviewing some of the key tax changes for Californian residents and tax filers. As the most populous state in the union with high average incomes it is no surprise that Californian residents pay more taxes than those of any other…

Filing taxes can be a complex and stressful procedure for anyone and can be even more challenging if your finances are complicated or accounting is not your strong suit. Some people have said they would rather have a root canal then deal with a complicated tax return! This process is additionally…

The IRS has released the latest 401(k), IRA and Roth individual contribution limits including income qualification and phase-out thresholds. See the tables below for limits and changes over the last few years. 401(k) Limits IRA Limits Tax deductible IRA contributions are based on qualifying income ranges and spousal participation in…