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Keep Uncle Sam cranky!

  • It's no wonder Uncle Sam is not very happy here. His vault is empty.
    Don't Mess With Taxes aims to keep him cranky by providing tax and personal finance tips and advice that will put more money in your bank account, not the government treasury.

Great Googly Moogly!

July 2009

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Tax Calendar

  • April 15 has come and gone, but millions now have until Oct. 15 to file their 2008 returns. And millions more have 2009 tax planning to do.
  • There are plenty of year-round tax dates to keep track of, as well as lots of tax-saving moves you can make between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31.
    Find them here each month.


    monthly tax moves
  • July 1: You're halfway through the year. Now's the perfect time to make some midyear tax moves that could cut your 2009 IRS bill. If your life has changed significantly since the beginning of the year, adjust your withholding to more accurately reflect your new life, and tax, situation. Just give your employer a new W-4.

    July 4: Happy Independence Day! Celebrate your independence from future tax hassles. Hire a tax professional now to help get your tax life in shape while there's still plenty of time to plan.

    July 10: Does your job include tips? If so and you received $20 in tips in June, use Form 4070 to report them today to your employer.

    July 17: Are your kids at day camp while you work? You might be able to use that expense to claim the child and dependent care credit to cover some of the costs.

    July 21: It's been summer for month. How's your air conditioner holding up? If you need a new one, make sure it's energy efficient; that way on your 2009 tax return you can claim a tax credit for 30 percent of the cost, up to $1,500. Other energy-saving home improvements also qualify. Get the details at EnergyStar.gov.

    July 31: If you kids are older and working summer jobs, make sure they understand their tax responsibilities. You also can help your youngster get a nest egg head start by helping him or her open a Roth IRA with some of those summer earnings.

    Small Business Tax Calendar -- July: Important filing, deposit and record keeping dates your company needs to know.

Carnival of Taxes

  • Where we party like
    it's 1040 ... Form 1040!


  • Check out the latest
    Carnival of Taxes,
    #55: Tax Fireworks


    Want to be a part of the next one on August 3? Just review the Tax Carnival guidelines
    and then send
    your tax musings, mumblings,
    even music to the
    Tax Carnival submission page
    .
  • Catch up on prevous
    Tax Carnivals in our archives.

Tax Terms

  • Earned income -- It's just like it sounds: Compensation you receive from work, including wages, salaries, commissions, tips and self-employment endeavors. Learn more...
  • Unearned income -- Money that is not gained by work or delivery of a service or product. It's most well-known source is from investments. Learn more...
  • Tax rates/brackets -- The U.S. tax system is a progressive one, in which the greater the earnings, the higher the tax rate. Learn more...
  • See these and other tax terms
    in the perpetually updated
    Tax Glossary.

Cool tax quotes

  • The income tax has made
    more liars out of the American people than golf has.

    -- Will Rogers, humorist
  • I'm proud to pay taxes in the United States; the only thing is,
    I could be just as proud for half the money.
    -- Arthur Godfrey, comedian
  • Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a refund from the IRS, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with. -- Author unknown, from a Washington Post word contest
  • "Internal Revenue Service: The world's most successful mail order business.” -- Bob Goddard, writer
  • "If you are truly serious about preparing your child for the future, don't teach him to subtract. Teach him to deduct." -- Fran Lebowitz, writer
  • "The United States has a system of taxation by confession." -- Hugo Black, Supreme Court Justice

But wait! There's more!

  • If you'd like to view more than
    the posts shown on this page, Arrow_right click here to go to the Don't Mess With Taxes archives page. There you can browse earlier blog items by the month they were posted or by their category.

What are you looking for?

  • Looking for something in particular? If you know the general topic, you can click on it in the "Categories" section that follows. Or you can enter specific keywords in the box below for a Lijit search of
    Don't Mess With Taxes.

I gotta tell ya ...

  • AKA Disclaimer:
    The content on Don't Mess With Taxes is my personal opinion based on my study and understanding of tax laws, policies and regulations. It’s provided for your private, noncommercial, educational and informational purposes only. It’s not a recommendation or endorsement of any company or product. I strongly suggest that when it comes to filing your taxes, you get additional, professional, paid-for guidance from your accountant and other financial advisers who are familiar with your individual circumstances. In other words, don't blame me!

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Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Rebate delivery schedule announced

The hubby and I will be getting our stimulus rebate check by May 9. Or maybe sometime after June 20.

That calendar calculation is based on the IRS' just-released rebate mailing schedule.

The May date is if our 2007 return ends up showing a refund and we have it directly deposited.

The June date is if we end up owing money. In that case, with no bank account information on our 1040, the IRS will mail our rebate check.

OK, I hear you yelling, "Enough already! We don't care when you will get your check. What about ours?!?"

Here's the deal. Checks will go out based on the final two digits of your Social Security number. This is how the IRS distributed the last rebates back in 2001.

Different this time, though, is the possibility of the rebate money being directly deposited. Below is the time table for folks who will include bank account numbers on their returns so that their refunds -- and rebates -- can go straight there:

Rebate Direct Deposit Schedule
SSNs ending in 00 through 20 Deposited by May 2
SSNs ending in 21 through 85 Deposited by May 9
SSNs ending in 76 through 99 Deposited by May 16

And here's the schedule for rebates that will be issued as paper checks and snail mailed:

Rebate Mailing Schedule
SSNs ending in 0 through 9 Mailed by May 16
SSNs ending in 10 through 18 Mailed by May 23
SSNs ending in 19 through 25 Mailed by May 30
SSNs ending in 26 through 38 Mailed by June 6
SSNs ending in 39 through 51 Mailed by June 13
SSNs ending in 52 through 63 Mailed by June 20
SSNs ending in 64 through 75 Mailed by June 27
SSNs ending in 76 through 87 Mailed by July 4
SSNs ending in 88 through 89 Mailed by July 11

Since the delivery determinant is Social Security numbers, you probably won't be getting your rebate at the same time as your neighbors. So don't freak out if Joe down the street gets to start boosting the slowing economy sooner than you do.

Couples who file joint returns should expect their rebate money based on the first Social Security number listed on the return.

Special rebate cases: Even if you're a "timely filer" and get your return in by April 15, the IRS says that a small percentage of returns will require additional time to process and figure the rebate amount. In these cases, the payments may not be issued according to the above schedules.

As for filers who don't get their returns in until after April 15, the IRS says those rebates will be delivered about two weeks later than shown in the time tables.

And all filers must submit a return by Oct. 15 in order to get the rebate.

Nonfiler notice: If you usually don't have to file a return, you might need to do so this year.

Individuals who received at least $3,000 in certain types of income might be eligible for a stimulus payment. But these folks -- workers who didn't earn enough to require that they file or recipients of certain retirement benefits -- must send in a return this year to get the cash.

The IRS has set up special Web pages for these folks with stimulus payment questions:Golden_girls1_2

And all filers can find updates on the rebates at the IRS' Economic Stimulus Payments Information Center.

Getting an estimate: The rebate amounts range from $300 to $1,200, with extra cash for parents of children 16 or younger in 2007. But many factors, such as your exact tax liability and any federal or state debts (such as unpaid taxes or delinquent child support) could reduce a rebate amount.

To help you get a more precise reading of your expected rebate amount, the IRS has posted an online calculator.

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