Table of Contents

Welcome to Don't Mess With Taxes. I'm Kay Bell, a journalist by training and trade; a tax geek by choice.

I began this blog in 2005 (Nov. 14, 2005, to be precise if you'd like to make a calendar note to send an anniverary/birthday card) after moving back home to Texas and starting my own writing business.

Over the years, I've covered a ton of tax stuff. Sometimes even I get lost trying to track down a past post.

So I've created this index/table of contents. It should help all of us find what we're looking for.

About Me

Welcome Twitterers

Tax Tips: Daily, Weekly and as needed!

Year-round Tax and Money moves

State Tax Information

Following Follow-up Friday: Updates to previous posts

What I'm saying at Bankrate Taxes Blog
    Last Week at My Other Tax Blog 2013
    Last Week at My Other Tax Blog 2012 & 2011
 

By the Numbers: Fun and quirky tax data
    By the Numbers 2011
    By the Numbers 2012 
    By the Numbers 2013

Tax Carnivals
Tax Carnival Guidelines

Beyond the Blog -- The following links are more tax and financial sites that I contribute to, as well as some strictly fun pages related to my little bit of non-tax time.

The Truth About Paying Fewer Taxes: My book, published by FT Press, on just what the title says.

Worth: A look at personal finance from the pages of Austin Woman magazine

Crazy Woman Driver: Kay's auto racing rants and raves from the pages of Randall-Reilly truckers' magazines

Rocking Around Austin

As time goes on, I'll be tweaking this index, adding new features, refining what's here.

If you're looking for something not listed here, check out the categories cloud in the left column of any of my blog pages. You'll also find a search box there, too, just above the cloud.

There are some additional tax topic groupings in the tabs at the top of the page, just under my banner.

And don't forget the Archives page, which compiles all my posts chronologically by month, as well as alphabetically lists the blog categories shown in the sidebar topics cloud.

Finally, you can always contact me -- via email or send a 140-character Twitter message (I'm @taxtweet) or jot a wall note at the ol' blog's Facebook page -- if you have questions about a tax topic you think/know I blogged about but can't find.

Thanks for reading!

Weekly Tax Tip

  • Allowable early IRA withdrawals -- You've done a good job saving for your retirement, but sometimes life just happens. And that could mean that you need to pull some money out of your IRA. But because of the tax advantages afforded these accounts, both traditional and Roth accounts, you need to be careful. The good news is that sometimes it's OK to tap your IRA. Two key instances when IRA withdrawals aren't penalized involve using the retirement funds to pay some schooling costs or to buy a first-home. There also are hardship situations where early IRA distributions are allowed. Remember, though, that even if you don't have to pay a 10 percent penalty for taking out your retirement money before you turn 59½, you still could face tax on withdrawal amounts where the tax was deferred. (May 15, 2013)

  • Check out all of the 2013 post-April 15 hints at Weekly Tax Tips.

    You also can get a refresher of the Daily Tax Tips posted earlier this year on their respective monthly collection pages: January, February, March and April.

Time for Tax Tasks


  • monthly tax moves

  • May 1: Happy May Day!
    This international holiday celebrating workers is a perfect time for employers of household help to review their tax responsibilities. You don't want to end up with facing nanny tax trouble!

    May 5: ¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo!
    Before you raise a margarita, check out these five smart, and easy, post-filing tax moves:
    1) Adjust your withholding.
    2) Contribute to your IRA.
    3) Finish spring cleaning and give items you no longer need to charity.
    4) Rebalance your portfolio.
    5) Set up your tax record keeping system.

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

    May 12: Happy Mother's Day!
    Happy Mother's Day
    Make sure today is a special one for your mom. And if you're a mother, or about to be, be sure to check out the
    tax joys of parenthood.

    May 16: With the arrival of warmer spring weather come home improvement projects, such as the planting of May flowers and bird-friendly plants.

    Such home work will help increase your basis in the property and that could help reduce any potential home sale tax bill.

    May 22: Improving your home's energy efficiency also could get you up to $500 in dollar-for-dollar tax credit savings. Tax credits for a variety of relatively easy improvements were extended through 2013. More extensive (and expensive) upgrades employing solar, wind energy and geothermal systems could provide even more tax savings.

    May 27: If you're hitting the road on the Memorial Day holiday to kick off summer, be on the lookout for bargain gasoline. State, local and federal fuel excise taxes can really ramp up pump prices.

    Regardless of how you travel, if part of your trip is business related, Uncle Sam might be willing to pick up some of those costs when you file your tax return.

    May 31: Was this the last filing season you want to go it alone at tax time? Then start searching for a tax professional now. You have more time to thoroughly investigate and pick the perfect tax pro.

    If you filed for an extension, he or she could help you finish up this 2012 tax year task. And hiring a tax pro now will definitely help you get a head start on your 2013 return.

    Small Business Tax Calendar: Important filing, deposit and record keeping dates throughout the year that your company needs to know.

State Tax Help

  • Don't forget your state taxes!
    Forty-three states and D.C. collect personal income taxes. But even if you live in of the seven states without an income levy, you still face other state (and local) taxes.

    State Tax Departments provides links to your state's Web page. The companion page, Tax Tidbits, is the compilation of blurbs about each state's tax laws. And for more state tax news, check out all our state tax bloggings.

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What are you looking for?

  • Looking for something in particular? Start with the Table of Contents. Or check out the Archives, where you can review posts by month and category. Or enter specific keywords in the box below to search Don't Mess With Taxes.

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The Truth About
Paying Fewer Taxes

  • Are you a tax geek? Got tax geek friends? Do you or they just want to make sure you don't overpay the IRS? Then my book, "The Truth About Paying Fewer Taxes," is for all y'all.

    Look for it on bookstore shelves or order from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

  • TruthAboutTaxes

  • Find out more about my book, read excerpts, even listen to a podcast at the FT Press Truth About Paying Fewer Taxes Web page.

Read more by me at ...

Tax Reading Room

  • Don't Mess With Taxes
    is an Amazon Affiliate.
    If you click
    on the product links above
    and/or buy the items,
    I will be compensated.

More me on the Web

Et Cetera

  • Association for Women 2012 Clarion Award Winner

  • Plutus Award Winner

  • Alltop

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My Photo

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.

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  • Don't Mess With Taxes is now optimized for readers on the go. You don't even need an app. Just type dontmesswithtaxes.typepad.com into your smartphone or other mobile device and it will load in a format
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I gotta tell ya ...

  • AKA Disclaimer:
    I am a professional journalist who has been covering tax issues since 1999.
    I am not a professional tax preparer.
    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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