Feb. 1: February is the shortest month of the year, but over these 28 days this year, we celebrate Black History Month, commemorating the invaluable e achievements and contributions of black Americans and recognizing the important role of African Americans in U.S. history.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the nation's oldest and largest grassroots-based civil rights organization, was founded on this month, specifically on Feb. 12, 1909, the centennial anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, who issued the Emancipation Proclamation twice.
One of the NAACP's key divisions is its Legal Defense and Educational Fund. If you want to support the NAACP Fund's work or give to an Historically Black College or donate to your local community nonprofit, your gift could help make a special statement during Black History Month. Your contributions also might be worth a tax break to you. As long as the group to which you donate is a 501(c)(3) organization, you can claim the amount as a charitable tax deduction if you itemize.
Feb. 2: Happy Groundhog Day!
Or as we call it here in Central Texas, Armadillo Day, since the nine-banded 'dillo Bee Cave Bob offers his own weather prognostications today.
But regardless of the weather today, or six weeks from now when we’re deeper into Tax Season 2025, you need to make sure you get your filing right. If you don’t, you’ll end up being the tax version of Bill Murray in the “Groundhog Day” movie, this time reliving your tax mistakes and correcting them by filing an amended tax return. Doing your taxes once is bad enough. So, do it correctly, the one and only time!
Feb. 3: Major disasters ravaged much of the United States last year. In fact, some taxpayers who got extensions in 2024 to file their 2023 tax year — yes, 2023 — returns by Oct. 15, 2023, were given even more time to complete that task due to the catastrophic hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and other acts of Mother Nature that struck their areas. Today, however, is Tax Day for them. Those taxpayers on extension in 14 states and two U.S. island territories must file their 2023 tax year returns by today, Feb. 3.
Feb. 9: Are your ready Chiefs, Eagles, and special television commercial fans? It's finally Super Bowl Sunday! Not only will today's 59th Super Bowl decide American professional football's champion, it's also the biggest single betting day of the year. The NFL, like the other professional U.S. sports leagues, have embraced betting. Just remember, if any of your wagers pay off, either in person at casinos or online bets, you owe tax on your winnings. Note, too, that even if your winnings are part of a fantasy sports bet, the associated taxes are very real.
Feb. 10: If your job is as a server at a restaurant or at any other establishment where gratuities from customers, maybe from those winning Super Bowl high-rollers, 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 January 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.
Feb. 14: Happy Valentine's Day! Do you and your better half file a joint return? Most married couples do. Remember to look over the 1040 carefully before you sign it. When both spouses sign their jointly filed 1040, each is jointly and severally liable for the entire tax amount due. I don't want to spoil your Heart Day celebration, but this means the IRS can come after either spouse for payment of a tax bill, even the husband or wife who is in more dire financial circumstances.
Feb. 17: Today's Washington Birthday federal holiday officially honors George Washington, the Father of Our Country. Over the years, however, this federal (three-day, yay!) holiday has come to commemorate the contributions of all our Commanders in Chief, and is popularly known as Presidents' Day. That means we've got to give another shout out to Abraham Lincoln, who essentially was father of our income tax system, signing into law a tax on earnings to help pay Civil War costs.
Feb. 18: The Internal Revenue Service today can finally issue refunds to filers who claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or additional Child Tax Credit. But don't spend the money just yet. Even if you're getting your tax refund directly deposited, the IRS' general processing time plus protocols of financial institutions receiving the refunds you’re your tax cash probably won't actually show up in your account until closer to the end of this month.
Feb. 24: You're ready to work on your tax return, but you're on a budget. No worries. The IRS and its Free File Alliance partners are back, again offering no-cost online tax preparation and electronic filing to taxpayers whose adjusted gross income (AGI) is $84,000 or less, regardless of filing status at the official IRS.gov Free File website. The same eight software companies that participated last year are back for the 2025 filing season.

If your income is too high, you still can file for free by using Free File's Fillable Forms option.
You also might want to check out IRS Direct File, the IRS’ own free online tax prep and e-filing program if you live in one of the 25 states where the free online tax preparation and e-filing is offered. In addition, Direct File offers more options that apply to more taxpayers’ situations this year.
Feb. 28: Wow! This really is a short month! Or maybe we were just having a ton of tax fun. Wait. What? You say you weren't having any fun at all trying to do your taxes yourself, even with software's prompts, and have decided to turn to professional tax help. That's a smart move, and here are some tips on how to find the perfect tax professional for your filing and planning needs. Note, though, that at this point in the filing season, you're likely to be placed at the end of that tax pro's very long client queue, as reputable tax preparers' calendars fill up fast. So again, be patient. You're at least now in tax filing line.
Small Business Tax Calendar: Important filing, deposit and record keeping dates throughout the year that your company needs to know. The IRS is updating the online version. Until that link is operational, you can get the full year's important business and individual tax dates in IRS Pub. 509.
CTJ "researchers" should consider my favorite analagous story of the 'three men at the bar', before putting out their anti-rich benefits propaganda.
Three men drinking get the $100 tab at the end of the night and one guy has to pay $80, another pays $20 and the last pays $0. The next night they get a discount on their tab which is only $80 and the first guy only pays $64 the second guy pays $16 and of course the last guy zero. The bottom two are mad because they think the first guy received a bigger perceived discount and beat the first guy up. The next day the bottom two go to the bar and the first guy doesn't show up. The bill is only $53, but the two discover they only have their usual $20 contribution between the two of them and the first guy is not there to pay his previous share.
Pretty much sums up the rate of Taxation to me. The top 1% of wageearners currently contribute 80 % of revenues collected and 40% of returns filed (IRS), have zero Tax Liability. Instead of calling them "rich", how about hardest working, or is it true that money just grows on trees?
Posted by: dtraeger | Sunday, June 01, 2008 at 07:27 AM
Meg, I'm not saying soak the rich, but my big problem with this administration in particular is its attitude. Take the capital gains taxes, for example. That provision still had years to go before expiration, yet the GOP leaders demanded help some popular tax breaks hostage -- tuition and fees, state sales tax deductions -- and forced Congress to extend the benefit that favors the wealthier first. Same tactic was tried with the estate tax, which affects only the very richest people in the country. I'm not necessarily opposed to wide-ranging tax breaks, even for the wealthy and Republicans :-). I just don't want them always getting to cut in line!
Posted by: Kay | Friday, May 30, 2008 at 07:49 PM
The finding that "The majority of the benefits of these tax cuts go to the richest one percent in every state" is probably true, but it is virtually meaningless and is exactly the kind of comment that grates my nerves.
Of COURSE the richest 1% get more money back (as in literally, they receive more dollars back) when taxes are cut - that's because they pay the vast majority of the taxes in the first place. That doesn't mean they "benefit more" from the tax cuts though.
Overall, the biggest percentage cuts (a better way of defining "benefit" in my opinion) went to the poorest of the poor (those with incomes in the $10,000 range) and the next biggest to those making about $60,000. People making $60,000 a year have seen their income tax rates plummet by 24% since "Dubya" took office (the top quintile's tax burden dropped by 11%).
My point isn't that the rich should be paying less or that taxes are unfair or anything else. My point is that George W. Bush's tax cuts have helped everyone - and in fact they appear to have helped the "poor" more than anyone else, depending on how you define the word "help."
To listen to the media you'd think Bush raised taxes on the poor. And I can't help but believe that if a democrat had initated those exact same cuts, he or she would be heralded as an advocate for the hard working middle class and for the struggling poor.
Thanks for the mention, though! I love your blog.
Posted by: Meg | Friday, May 30, 2008 at 09:11 AM