Tag: tax

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…

Your refund finally hits "Refund Sent" on WMR or IRS2Go, code 846 shows up on your transcript with a payment date — and then the deposit lands smaller than the refund you filed for. No warning, no explanation on the payment itself. This surprises thousands of filers every season. Here's…

TurboTax is still the most widely used tax software in the country. For tax year 2025 (filed in 2026), it has made some real changes worth knowing before you pay — or decide to go elsewhere. The product lineup has been simplified, there are new deductions under the One Big…

There are several ways you can maximize your tax refund in the coming year, including the following ways: Contribute to a retirement account: Contributions to certain types of retirement accounts, such as 401(k)s and traditional IRAs, can be deducted from your taxable income. This can reduce your tax bill and…

Much to my disappointment I ended up owing taxes when I filed my tax return this year. Or said another way I had a tax liability to the IRS. While paying taxes I legally owe is not itself a bad thing, after all I did not give an interest free…

During the COVID pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, the American Rescue Plan (ARPA) included legislation that provided a “lookback” rule that allowed tax filers to use prior year income levels to calculate qualification for many of the expanded tax credits and stimulus programs. This was done to allow the…

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,…

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 Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), payment platforms only send you (and the…

[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…

No new federal stimulus check has been authorized for 2026. The last round of federal Economic Impact Payments went out in 2021, and a fourth check would require Congress to pass new legislation — which has not happened. That said, there are real payments going out to Americans in 2026,…

On my post around the Coronavirus outbreak delaying tax refunds I recieved the following comment from Andrea: My husband is a barber and self-employed and due to him being self-employed we can’t get unemployment to do all together we’re pretty much screwed all barber shops in all beauty salons got…

[Latest Update] In addition to the FFCRA act, Congress has now passed a much larger fiscal stimulus bill (the third one) aimed at addressing the rapidly deteriorating jobs and economic situation as the Coronavirus related shutdown continues. The new stimulus package is nearly $2 Trillion (that's right, 12 zeros!) and…

2020 Coronavirus Tax Refund Delays (This is a live article that is updated regularly) As the Coronavirus impact widens we are already seeing major hits to the real economy that will take the US into a recession in 2020 and into 2021. While stock markets are falling rapidly (don’t panic…