Sept. 1: Today is Meteorological Fall, the three months from Sept. 1 through Nov. 30 when days get shorter and cooler, but not cold. It's also the start of the annual National Preparedness Month. This year’s theme is “Start a Conversation,” since it's important to talk with your loved ones about potential emergencies. It's also critical to be prepared, as the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico hurricane season usually peaks in September.
We’ve already had three tropical systems do enough damage to prompt Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) major disaster declarations. The 2024 tropical storm season’s second named storm, Hurricane Beryl, landed as “just” a category 1 on the Texas coast, but still took 38 souls and left Lone Star State residents facing an estimated $30 billion in damages.
Hurricane Debby made two U.S. landfalls, in the Big Bend area of Florida and then again in South Carolina before moving up the Eastern Seaboard, producing disaster declarations all the way up to Vermont. Tropical Storm Ernesto, followed, slamming the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as spawning deadly rip tides along East Coast beaches as the storm moved toward Bermuda.
And, coinciding with Meteorological Fall, we’ve still got three months of the 2024 hurricane season to go!
That has coastal residents on edge, since Uncle Sam's official forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center say we could get 17 to 25 total named storms, which are those with winds of 39 mph or higher. Of those, eight to 13 are forecast to become hurricanes, meaning winds of 74 mph or higher. Four to seven becoming major hurricanes; that’s category 3, 4 or 5, with winds of 111 mph or higher.
Regardless of the count, it only takes one to wreck your world. If you haven’t already, get ready for not just tropical systems, but whatever dangerous weather that’s common where you live. The countdown clock above can help you keep track of how many more days you have to worry about tracking any size or type of tropical storms. You also might want to check out the ol' blog's special Storm Warnings collection of special pages with posts offer tax advice on preparing for, recovering from, and helping those who sustain damages from the many ways that that weather goes wild.
Sept. 2: Happy Labor Day! This annual celebration of workers' contributions is a federal holiday and day off for many.
When you get back to work after this three day holiday, take a few minutes to check the federal tax amount that’s coming out of your paychecks. If you need to adjust your withholding so that you have the most accurate amount of taxes withheld, now is the time to do that. Submitting a new W-4 early this month will mean any changes are spread over the last four months of the year, making any impact less noticeable.
Sept. 3: If you live in Auglaize, Crawford, Darke, Delaware, Hancock, Licking, Logan, Mercer, Miami, Richland, or Union counties in Ohio, today is your Tax Day. The Internal Revenue Service granted individual and businesses in those counties tax relief since they were declared major disaster areas following a tornado outbreak in March.
Sept. 10: Do you work as a server at a restaurant or at any other establishment where gratuities from customers are part of your compensation? I hope you get all the tips you deserve for doing your job well. Remember, though, that those tips are taxable income.
Whether you're dining at your favorite eatery or getting food delivered to your home, if a tip isn't included on your restaurant or delivery bill, click the image above to calculate how much to tip the person who brought it to you.
And if you got at least $20 in gratuities in August for your extraordinary services as a food server or hair stylist or parking valet or whatever job where tipping is common, you must report that amount by today. Use Form 4070 to let your employer know the total tips you took in last month.
Sept. 16: Today is the deadline to pay your third installment of estimated taxes. This tax is due on income that’s not subject to withholding, such as investment earnings or contract work. Most estimated tax filers make the payments four times a year. The September payment is for such earnings received in June, July, and August. It’s usually on the 15th, but since that was Sunday, the deadline is pushed to the next business day — today!
Sept. 23:
Sept. 22: The Autumnal Equinox arrives today at 8:44 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time in the Northern Hemisphere, marking the first day of Fall for all us who don't follow the meteorological fall calendar. Adjust for your time zone, since the equinox occurs at the same moment worldwide. It's also a go-to day to think about home maintenance that will help you weather the coming colder weather. The Inflation Relief Act includes extension of older and addition of new energy-related tax breaks, including some for residential energy improvements.
Sept. 30: Wow! Where did September go? That’s a good question to ask if you got an extension to file your 2023 tax return earlier this year. The last day of this ninth month means that your absolutely final Oct. 15 due day is another month closer. So you might want to get to work on that Form 1040 now. The easiest way to do do is to use tax software and electronically file.
If your adjusted gross income is $79,000 or less, you should check into Free File, the no-cost online tax preparation and electronic filing program offered by the IRS and its Free File Alliance partners. It’s open through the Oct. 15 extension deadline. This year, eight tax software companies offer programs to qualifying taxpayers.
Note that the Free File $79,000 or less income threshold applies to all filing statuses. If your income is too high, you still can file for free by using Free File's Free Forms option.
Small Business Tax Calendar: Important filing, deposit and record keeping dates throughout the year that your company needs to know. You can get more tax calendar information at the IRS' online calendar page and view the full year's important business and individual tax dates in IRS Pub. 509.
The IRS did not push up the dates for the checks mailed out. They only pushed up dates for direct deposits. If your SSI number is between 89-00 the mail out date is still July 11th as first stated.
Posted by: donna | Monday, July 07, 2008 at 02:33 PM
Christy,
It looks like the IRS has not officially pushed the delivery dates up across the board. But I know some people who have gotten their checks before their officially scheduled delivery date. So go by the IRS on-site date and hope for the best!
Posted by: Kay | Monday, June 30, 2008 at 04:44 PM
The IRS finally updated our info on their "Where's My Refund" page. But it still says the later, July 11, date, rather than the supposed "last" date of July 4 as indicated above. Does anyone know if they're still ahead of schedule or not? Should I go by what it says online or are they actually going out a week earlier than that?
Posted by: Christy | Monday, June 30, 2008 at 01:27 PM
good site you have thanks
Posted by: joe joe | Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 04:17 AM
Well...still not getting any information on line but when I called IRS today was told the rebate will be deposited on May 16! And I thought it was scheduled to be deposited earlier as they indicated. Shame on me!
Posted by: sheila | Monday, May 12, 2008 at 08:25 PM
You know what you gotta do when life gets you down???
just keep swimming -
just keep swimming -
that's what you do
That's what Dory told me
Posted by: TC | Monday, May 12, 2008 at 08:51 AM
received notice that I would receive rebate.....should receive by May 12....guess what! checked IRS site and rec'd message..we are sorry no information available...blah, blah, blah
what gives?
Posted by: sheila | Sunday, May 11, 2008 at 02:22 PM
Same issue as most...was scheduled for today or earlier since they are "ahead of schedule", checked my account today...but still nothing. I met all the qualifying criteria and have no debt.
Posted by: Jay | Friday, May 09, 2008 at 10:29 PM
Hello. I have the same problem as many of the others asking questions and this is the ONLY web-site I found that is offering any kind of answer whatsoever. I really dont want to bit** about this money because this time last year, I didnt know or expect to be getting it and am grateful that I am now. But its like dangling candy in front of a two year old. I was supposed to get mine today and nothing. I know that i do not owe anything and made all the qualifying items and also have a qual. child. Possible problems?!Im military and I qualified for the EIC and no fed taxes were taken from any of my checks, would that have anything to do with it?
Posted by: Jesi | Friday, May 09, 2008 at 10:24 PM
I'm on the 'before May 5' schedule for direct deposits and have been looking for something eversince. How do we find out? Who do we talk to? If you give me something and tell me when you're going to give it to me, why should I have to find out when it's coming?
Posted by: kollette | Wednesday, May 07, 2008 at 04:42 PM
If you received your tax refund by direct deposit that is the only way to receive your tax rebate by same. Any other method (i.e. H&R Block Refund Anticipation Loan or getting tax refund mailed to address etc) and you will receive your rebate check by mail (no exceptions and NO way to change after the fact)
Posted by: Michael | Monday, May 05, 2008 at 03:16 PM
I filed taxes through TaxAct, they recieved my refund, deducted 30 for filing, then sent my direct deposit. So does that mean my rebate will come in by check?
Posted by: Kathy | Monday, May 05, 2008 at 11:17 AM
Ok, to say it mildly...I'm PO'd! I have been checking "schedules" of deposits, there are 3 different ones. We thought we would have our deposit by 5-2. Nope! Ok, 5-5? Not yet! Now grant it, it is early but then I have found another "schedule" that says deposits for our SS# bracket "start" today and will be done by 5-9! We are at the bottom of that SS# bracket being 75 but that is when our deposit was originally scheduled. It was said that the checks were "ahead of schedule by one week!" Which means we should have had our by 5-2! All I have to say is by the end of today I had better see a deposit into our checking account. Good luck to everyone else!
Posted by: Kim | Monday, May 05, 2008 at 05:39 AM
i just cruised the IRS website for an hour. I efiled my taxes and got them directly deposited the third week in Feb. I was supposed to get my check deposited today, but nothing. Who do we bug to get our checks?
Posted by: angi | Friday, May 02, 2008 at 11:57 PM
I e-filed my taxes and had them direct deposited into my checking account. My social security # is among the #'s that were supposed to be deposited today. I did not receive a deposit today. How can I find out what's wrong and when I will get the deposit?
Posted by: Rachel | Friday, May 02, 2008 at 05:02 PM