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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

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
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5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 31  

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

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
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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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Dept. of N-yah, N-yah!

« Savings from suspending state gas taxes | Main | Carnival of Personal Finance #151 »

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Where's my stimulus rebate?

The IRS apparently got tired of folks calling its main 800 number to find out about the status of their economic stimulus package rebate check. To handle such inquiries, the agency has created an online tracking tool, Where's My Stimulus Payment?

The Web tool operates along the lines of the agency's popular Where's My Refund? feature.

TaxrefundcheckTo find our just where in the system your rebate check is mired, click here.

Once that page opens, you'll need to enter your Social Security number (if you filed a joint return, use the SSN of the spouse listed first on your 1040), your filing status and the number of exemptions you claimed on your 2007 return.

Then click "submit" and the system will tell you what's up with your rebate.

Possible problems: If you're like the hubby and me and still haven't filed your 2007 Form 1040 (I know, I know ...), you'll get a screen that tells you, "We are sorry. Specific information about your Stimulus payment is not available."

The Web page then lists possible reasons you're still waiting for your money:

  • Your payment may still be coming, but has not yet been scheduled. Information will be available here as payments are issued based on the last two digits of the primary Social Security number shown on your 2007 tax return. Specific information about your Stimulus Payment will not be available until about one week before your payment is scheduled to be issued. See the complete Payment Schedule below for more information.
  • You did not file a tax return for 2007 or your return is still being processed. Additional information about filing requirements is available.
  • The information entered did not match our records. Be sure to check the information you entered. You may Re-Enter your information as necessary.

The page also lists the original delivery schedule, even though that delivery timetable has been accelerated.

And the IRS reminds anxious taxpayers to "Please allow 6 weeks after filing your tax return before checking on the status of your Stimulus Payment."

Telephone option, too: As mentioned in the 36th Carnival of Taxes, there's also a way to check on your rebate by phone.

Just call the IRS Rebate Hotline toll-free at 1-866-234-2942. You'll need the same information that the online tracking system requires.

In addition to the IRS information, check out some other common questions and answers about the rebate check delivery system in this blog post.

And if you're still waiting for your regular tax refund check, Where's My Refund? will help you find that money, too.

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Kay Bell reports that the IRS has added a new website to check on the status of your Uncle Sugar's... [Read More]

Comments

This is damned bullcrap
alot of the people i know who have last 2 digits in the 30s-70s range say they haven't received it. Its bullshit you do everything by the book and they still find a way to screw you over.
those dates might as well be lies to shut people up and give them false hope of a quick direct deposit.
I did my taxes early and i waited patiently
to the 9th of may and what NOTHING!

It must be a scam being played on us by this government.

false hope thats all we get here.

You can also check the approximate amount if you go here to this link:

http://www.irs.gov/app/espc

You will need to answer a few questions I suggest that you get a copy of your tax return first.

Nice Post

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