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  • 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.

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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.
  • 2010 Tax Countdown Clock

2009 Tax Guide

Carnival of Taxes

Improve the IRS

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

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  • 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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Monday, June 02, 2008

Tax Carnival #37: Leaving on a Jet Plane

Welcome to the 37th Carnival of Taxes. Long-time readers know that I usually come up with a theme for the submissions, throw in some segues between posts and sprinkle a few images throughout.

Today, however, I'm heading to Denver for a Taxpayer Advocacy Panel meeting. Not to worry; I'm taking the trusty laptop for on-the-road postings.

In preparation for the trip, I was up way too late last night trying, semi-successfully, to wrap up some projects. And as you can see from the time stamp, I had to get up at Oh-dark-thirty this a.m. to beat rush hour traffic en route to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

Airplane_flight_sun_2 So, since I'm so preoccupied with my trip, I decided to dub this Tax Carnival the Leaving on a Jet Plane edition.

I'm traveling light, having emptied my carry-on and pockets of any items that could attract TSA attention.

This 37th Tax Carnival takes that same approach. Nothing fancy this time, folks. OK, I had to put in one photo.

But the focus is on the collection of postings to help get you to your tax destination. So let's proceed to the boarding gate:

Diane Dean presents Why an Installment Agreement-Full Pay is Your Better Option posted at Need IRS Help?

Heather Johnson presents Haven't Received Your Stimulus Check? posted at Tax Daddy - The Metro Business Service Blog.

Beckie presents Income Limitations on Education Credits posted at A Tax Consultant for All Seasons.

Lubna Kably examines the tax issues faced by globe-trotting employees in Law Street in The Economic Times - May 2008 posted at Talking Tax.

Phil for Humanity presents Subsidies and Tariffs are Anti-Capitalism posted at Phil for Humanity.

Robert D Flach looks at the new zero capital gains rate in A Tax Planning Opportunity posted at The Wandering Tax Pro.

Rickey Henderson presents A Memo from the Office of Steven R. Lawlor, CPA, to Indiana Jones posted at Riding with Rickey.

Larry Russell presents The Top 25 Low Cost Best US Money Market Funds, including several tax-exempt funds, posted at The Skilled Investor Blog.

Mrs. Micah asks and answers the question Can Gay Spouses Have Spousal IRAs? posted at Mrs. Micah - Finance for a Freelance Life.

Nate Desmond presents IRS Ramps Up Audits posted at Build Your Own Ecommerce Website!

Shan-ul-Hai presents My business doesn't pay taxes because it's too expensive posted at Globally Rational.

Hank presents How To "Automagically" Change Your $2,100 Tax Stimulus Check Into $2,310 In Seconds! posted at My Investing Blog.

Sharon Raines presents Tax Help - Do You Have a Profit Motive? posted at Tax Resolutionaries.

Nickel presents Appealing Our Property Tax Re-Assessment posted at fivecentnickel.com.

Frugalicious also has property tax issues in I Fought the Law and I Won! posted at Texas Money Talk.

Wenchypoo presents Taxing the Rich? Hell, You Can't Even SOAK 'Em! posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket.

Anthoney Grigsby presents Amazon.com vs NY & The Internet Sales Tax posted at HelpMyCashGrow.com.

Jim presents When Does Married Filing Separately Make Sense? posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

FMF presents How to Get More Out of Your Accountant posted at Free Money Finance.

Super Saver presents Preparing For Higher Taxes posted at My Wealth Builder.

And for you folks who put off filing back in April and are facing the Oct. 15 deadline, Silicon Valley Blogger presents TurboTax Review: A Look At My Tax Software Of Choice Plus Useful Tools! posted at The Digerati Life.

I hope the flight was a smooth one for you. We know you have a wide choice of tax and personal finance blogs, and we appreciate you choosing Don't Mess With Taxes.

We hope to welcome you back aboard for our 38th Carnival of Taxes. It will take off on Monday, July 7, with submissions due by 11 p.m. Central Time on Saturday, July 5. Send along your tax post via our Blog Carnival page.

And wish me luck in getting an aisle seat by someone who wants to doze the whole flight!

Posted at 04:30 AM in Blog Carnival, Tax Carnival |

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Comments

Have a safe trip!

Posted by: jim | Monday, June 02, 2008 at 08:44 AM

Hi
All the above look so interesting. Thanks for including my post. Happy landings.
Best
Lubna

Posted by: Lubna | Monday, June 02, 2008 at 07:38 AM

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