Category: Taxes and Retirement

Ever had a bad car rental experience where you felt ripped off? Then read on, my friend. Here is a recent example where I felt deceived after an Avis car rental experience. While the unexpected amount on my bill was not that much, the way I found out about the…

As we get into the peak of tax season, many tax payers who filed in the last few weeks are see the following message around their 2023 return not being processed as they check the status of their refund processing. So what does this mean for tax return processing and…

Within 48 hours of submitting your electronic tax return, the IRS will notify your Electronic Return Originator (ERO) - which could be your accountant, tax preparer or tax software company - of its acceptance. In the event that your return is rejected, the IRS will inform your ERO of the…

Many tax filers claiming the Child Tax Credit (CTC) this year are surprised to see their refund payment much lower than expected. This is mainly due to the widely claimed tax credit resetting from a pandemic boosted maximum of $3,600 to $2,000 per child in 2022 and 2023. Another reason is that they are not…

Its not uncommon during tax season for tax payers waiting for a delayed refund payment to be surprised that the delay was due to the fact that they never responded to one or more IRS letters mailed to them. IRS letters, or correspondence notices, detail any actions or adjustments the…

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…

It's the peak processing time of tax season now that the PATH act (for EITC and ACTC returns) has lifted and most tax filers have gotten the required documents to file their return. You can see the estimated IRS refund schedule/calendar below for the next 4 months, which I will update on a…

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…

Millions of tax filers are anxiously waiting for their tax return to be processed and refund to be paid. So it can be disappointing and stressful to see the following message when checking in regularly at the IRS Refund Status page and see the message, "Your tax return has not…

Reviewing their IRS account tax transcript is a technique a lot of folks attempt to use to get an update on their tax return processing and refund status; particularly if they are not getting information (or see no bars) from the standard WMR tool or IRS2Go refund status tracker app.…

Many tax filers are anxiously waiting for the IRS to provide updates on their refund release and payment date. Particularly now that the PATH act refund freeze has lifted. These are mainly folks with a processing dates out 1 to 3 weeks with daily or weekly cycle codes, per their…

Transaction codes are used on IRS tax transcripts to provide information for tax filers into what is/has happened with their tax return processing, reasons for potential delays, when a refund will be paid or why it is delayed. Given the long delays in IRS processing over the last few years and…

Under various state administered food stamp or SNAP programs, there is a sub-program called the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) which benefits over 600,000 seniors annually. This program seeks to further help seniors and children with supplementing access to healthy foods via local USDA approved food banks and grocery distribution centers.…