By the Numbers 2013

Happy 2013 and welcome to this year's edition of By the Numbers.

As with the 2011 and 2012 numerical posts, each Sunday (most of the time!) will feature a new figure -- a percentage, dollar amount, piece of tax legislation, raw number and the like -- that has a tax connection.

If you miss one of the 2013 numbers, no worries. Links to each item are listed below, with the newest ones listed first.

$401,000
St. Louis Rams say they collected too much ticket sales tax (Dec. 29, 2013)
$27,393.17
True love's 12 Christmas gifts cost more in 2013 (Dec. 24, 2013)
$0.05
Tax deductible mileage rate drops by half-cent in 2014 (Dec. 15, 2013)
13,000
State tax refund debit card data exposed to hackers (Dec. 8, 2013)
80,000
French heroin dealer facing $108,000 (€80,000) tax bill (Nov. 30, 2013)
1.5
Oregon to test per-mile tax in place of gasoline tax (Nov. 27, 2013)
8
U.S. MexiCoke fans fear effect of Mexico's new soda tax (Nov. 17, 2013)
5,000
Military families among those affected by food stamp cuts (Nov. 11, 2013)
25 percent
Coloradans agree to a high tax to get high (Nov. 6, 2013)
319
Almost 700 IRS contractors owe $5.4 million in back taxes (Oct. 27, 2013)
29
Budget conference committee members named (Oct. 20, 2013)
4
4 Oct. 15 filing deadlines: 1 filing, 3 retirement related (Oct. 13, 2013)
20
Federal gasoline tax celebrates 20 years without an increase (Oct. 6, 2013)
15
IRS lays out plan to deal with federal government shutdown (Sept. 30, 2013)
7
7 Internet sales tax principles set for House consideration (Sept. 22, 2013)
$284 billion
Uncle Sam collects $284 billion more in taxes so far in 2013 (Sept. 15, 2013)
43%
More Americans are paying federal income taxes (Sept. 8, 2013)
12
Amazon now collects sales taxes in 12 states thanks to Georgia and Virginia levies that took effect Sept. 1 (Sept. 1, 2013)
30 million
Spaniards hot under the collar after government taxes the sun (Aug. 26, 2013)
17
Employers in 17 states could face higher unemployment taxes (Aug. 18, 2013)
$20
Lucrative loos' change leads to toilet tips tax evasion charges (Aug. 12, 2013)
078-05-1120
Tax-related identity theft: Its growth and IRS efforts to stop it (Aug. 4, 2013)
$19.2 billion
Farm bill subsidies feed America's junk food appetite (July 28, 2013)
94
The U.S. tax code is not very attractive (July 21, 2013)
73,954
The ever-growing tax code, or why we talk about tax reform (July 14, 2013)
1
Did IRS troubles play a role in delay of Obamacare tax penalty? (July 7, 2013)
6
Tax auditors' sixth sense helps them nab tax evaders (July 1, 2013)
3
Rethinking retirement as traditional 3-legged stool wobbles (June 24, 2013)
8
Global leaders to tackle tax evasion at G8 summit (June 17, 2013)
179
Supreme Court gay marriage ruling will affect 179 federal tax laws (June 10, 2013)
35
California's landmark tax-cutting Proposition 13 turns 35 (June 6, 2013)
56.5
Watching races, thinking about deducting business miles (May 26, 2013)
$92,724,192
There's a new Powerball multimillionaire. Winner, IRS rejoice (May 19, 2013)
2.7
IRS reports gains in criminal tax, other financial investigations (May 12, 2013)
5
5 tax tips for Cinco de Mayo (May 5, 2013)
25
Did you get your $25 gift card from H&R Block yet? (April 28, 2013)
20
World governments mounting global effort against tax evasion (April 21, 2013)
5
Some federal and state tax filing deadlines still to come (April 16, 2013)
$2,790
Tax returns, refunds running behind last year's levels (April 9, 2013)
40%
Supreme Court to consider tax dodge penalty case (April 2, 2013)
75
Online sales tax a step closer with Senate budget amendment (March 26, 2013)
3
New Jersey taxpayers could face three-month wait for refunds (March 17, 2013)
$3,500,000,000
Federal workers owe $3.5 billion in back taxes (March 10, 2013)
$100
Taxing environmentally conscious drivers (March 4, 2013)
$1.51 billion
And the film tax credit goes to ... (Feb. 24, 2013)
77 percent
Fewer expected to pay IRS with credit cards this year (Feb. 19, 2013)
$161,392
Man gets $161,392 erroneous tax refund (Feb. 11, 2013)
100
Happy 100th birthday federal income tax (Feb. 4, 2013)
$246
What do you pay for professional tax preparation and filing help? (Jan. 28, 2013)
$4.35
Is New York's high cigarette tax rate why the Empire State tops the smuggler list? (Jan. 20, 2013)
$850,000,000,000,000,000
White House says no to Death Star (Jan. 13, 2013)
13
Congressional triskaidekaphobia (Jan. 6, 2013)

Happy tax counting!

Today's Tax Tip

Volunteering tax rules on MLK Day — If you're celebrating the Dr. Martin Luther King holiday by volunteering at your favorite nonprofit, thank you. The time you give on this day of service won't get you a tax break, but some related charitable acts of assistance could be tax deductible. (Jan. 17, 2022)
The 2022 Tax Tips offer ways to file your annual return, along with post-filing advice, important tax news and, of course, ways to cut your current tax year bill. You'll find the monthly assemblages on their own respective pages: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December. Remember, tax tasks and tips don't stop after you file your annual return!

COVID-19 & Taxes

Coronavirus has wreaked havoc
on the 2020 and 2021 tax seasons.
These three Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Taxes pages have details:
March-July 2020,
August-December 2020,
January-December 2021, and
January-… 2022
You can find medical coronavirus resource links further down this column.

All About Kay

OK, some about Kay

Kay Bell — Native Texan (the blog title totally makes sense now, right?). Professional journalist. Tax geek.

My Other Accounts

*************

Tick ... Tick ... Tick

Tax Season 2022 is here!
Happy New Tax Year! Are you ready to file your 2021 tax return? Me neither. With all the delays over the last couple of years due to COVID-19, it seems like we're treading tax water. But the Internal Revenue Service is insistent that we file on time, even if it takes it time in processing and sending out refunds. And this year, at least at the start of it, the agency is looking to get back on a more normal schedule, as least as far as when our annual tax returns are due. April 18 is Tax Day 2022. That's because Friday, April 15, is Emancipation Day. When this Washington, D.C., holiday falls on the day our federal taxes are due, it bumps Tax Day to the next business day. In 2022, that's Monday, April 18.

That gives us a couple of more days to finish our forms and, if we find we owe, come up with the money for Uncle Sam. The monthly tips and reminders a little farther down this column should help all of us reach both those goals. Also keep an eye on the countdown clock just below. It will help us keep track of how much time we have until Tax Day on April 18, just in case some of us want to put things off until the final hours.
Note: I'm in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.

Time for Tax Tasks

Hello 2022!

via GIPHY

Oh, 2022, I cannot tell you how happy we are to see you! I know, I said that about 2021, but last year didn't live up to my — our — expectations, tax or otherwise. So here's crossing fingers and toes that you, New Year 2022, will be much, much better on all fronts.

And just to make it clear, that hope and wish and prayer for 2022 is not a challenge. Don't you dare try to outdo the craziness of the just-passed COVID Continuation Year! We want a healthier, happier, and less tax complicated next 12 months!

Jan. 1: Happy New Year! One way to make things more enjoyable on the tax front is to get organized this month. It will help you keep track of the myriad tax documents — W-2 earnings statements, 1099 forms, charitable donation receipts, year-end account statements — that will soon be on their way to your email or snail mail box. You'll need those (and more) to file your 2021 tax return as soon as the Internal Revenue Service starts accepting them.

Jan. 3: If you're a boss, including a self-employed business operators, who took advantage of the COVID relief option to defer the employer's portion of the Social Security payroll tax (that's 6.2 percent of each worker's wages), then you don't want to miss today's deadline. You must pay half of that deferred amount is due this Jan. 3. Advance tax planning alert: The other half is due by Jan. 3, 2023.

Jan. 6: If your job made it through the tough last couple of years, good for you and your company, and welcome to the New Year's first work week. It's the perfect time to refine your payroll withholding. Adjusting your withholding now will give you 52 weeks to spread it across, making the per-paycheck bite less painful.

The IRS' online withholding assistant or your tax pro can help you with your withholding amount and other tax numbers, but you can get a preview of what your tax bracket is this New Year by checking out the 2022 annual inflation-adjusted amounts. That post is the first of the ol' blog's annual 10-part tax inflation series; you'll find a directory to the other nine items at the end of it.

Jan. 10: The Delta and now Omicron COVID-19 variants have played havoc with eateries. Restaurants closed, then opened, then closed again. Others started and stuck with take-out and deliveries. Whether you're able dining in or still getting food brought to your house, remember to tip your server or delivery person.

If a tip isn't included in your food delivery charge, click the image above to calculate how much to tip the person who brought it to you.

As for servers who now are back on the job, remember that your tips are taxable income. If you worked at least some of November at a job where you got gratuities, you need to account for them today if they came to at least $20 last month. Use Form 4070 to report your tips today to your employer.

Jan. 14: The IRS and its Free File Alliance partners today begin offering no-cost online tax preparation and electronic filing at IRS' Free File web page.

The fully online tax prep and filing option is available this year for taxpayers whose adjusted gross income is $73,000 or less. That income level applies to all filing statuses. Keep an eye on the ol' blog for the annual posting of details about participating companies. Spoiler: Intuit's TurboTax joined H&R Block in leaving the program.

Jan. 17: Every Martin Luther King Jr. Day, millions of people commit to a day of service.

Click image to find out ways
you can volunteer on MLK Day.
Taking time on the Rev. Dr. King's holiday to volunteer at a charity isn't tax deductible, but some costs associated with volunteering could help reduce your tax bill if you itemize.

Most filers, however, claim the standard deduction and a new tax law gives them a tax break, too. On your 2021 return, you can claim up to $300 in cash donations if you're a single filer, or twice that if married filing jointly, directly on your Form 1040.

Jan. 18: The final estimated tax tax payment for the prior year, 2021 in this case, is due today for most taxpayers. While it's the last one for 2021, you'll face three other estimated tax deadlines this year (in mid-April, June and September). Run your estimated tax calculations carefully, so that you don't underpay and end up owing penalties and interest.

Jan. 24: The IRS starts accepting and, more importantly, processing 2021 tax year returns today. Before you submit yours, make sure you entered all the applicable information, especially all your earnings that the IRS already knows about via copies of tax statements you got. Check out this list of the statements, documents, and forms you'll need before you start work on your return.

Jan. 31: Wow! The first month of 2022 is over? Time really does fly when you're having tax fun. To ensure that fun isn't interrupted by an unhappy IRS, if you didn't make your Jan. 18 estimated tax payment, file your 2021 Form 1040 to avoid any possible penalty from a missed last installment payment.

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.

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.

Tax Forms

Thanks to our increased use of tax preparers and computer software, many of us don't see our tax forms until we sign and file them. But knowing what's on these documents, either in paper or digital form, and why the IRS wants it is key to understanding our tax system. And knowledge definitely is power, especially when it comes to tax savings. Find this valuable information in the ol' blog's special Talking Tax Forms page.

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.

Search

Subscribe:
E-mail, RSS or both!

Enter your Email

Powered by FeedBlitz
RSS

Privacy Policy

Wondering what happens to your information once you subscribe? Don't worry. Don't Mess With Taxes respects your wish not to be a mere data source. Check the ol' blog's privacy policy at the Table of Contents page, as well as on the separate Privacy Policy page.

Affiliate Books

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 a copy (or two!) from
Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
Find out more about my book and excerpted chapters at the FT Press
Truth About Paying
Fewer Taxes Web page.
You can read more
of Kay's tax insights in ...

Kay Bell helps you build
a solid tax foundation in
"Personal Finance: An Encyclopedia
of Modern Money Management"

Kay Bell breaks down taxes and
estate planning for millennials in
"Future Millionaires' Guidebook"

A collection of Kay Bell stories
is included in
"The Gambler's Guide to Taxes:
How to Keep More
of What You Win"

Tax Reading Room
You also might enjoy these other tax tips from some of my tax-writing colleagues:
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.

0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 ...

Taxes are all about the numbers.
Check out these (mostly) weekly
By the Numbers figures.

Kudos Et Cetera

National Association
for Women in Communications
Winner, Best Personal Blog
2012, 2014 & 2017
Plutus Financial Bloggers Awards
Celebrating the Best
in Personal Finance
Winner, Best Tax Blog
2011 and 2013
Lifetime Achievement Nominee 2020

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 is provided for your private, noncommercial, educational and informational purposes only. It is not a recommendation of any specific tax action(s) you should or should not take. Similarly, mentions of products or services are not endorsements. In other words, my ramblings on the ol' blog are free advice and you know what they say about getting what you pay for. That's why when it comes to filing your taxes, I urge you to get additional, professional, paid-for guidance from an accountant, Enrolled Agent or other qualified tax preparer who is familiar with your individual tax circumstances.

©©©©© & ®®®®®

Don't Mess With Taxes®
is a registered trademark
of S. Kay Bell.

All content on this site is
© 2005-2022 S. Kay Bell
dba Write Here, a division of
SKB Editorial Services, LLC
And a bit of housekeeping.
Note 1: Some of the links on this site
are affiliate links. That means that
if you click through from
a Don't Mess With Taxes link
and then buy the product,
I receive a commission.

Note 2: Links to outside content
might become inactive due to changes
at the copy's originating website.
If you discover dead links, please e-mail me the details. Thanks.

Note 3: The banner art for the ol' blog
is courtesy Pictures of Money
via Flickr Creative Commons.

Blog powered by Typepad
Member since 11/2005

COVID-19 Resources

Need help finding a coronavirus vaccine in the United States?
Call 1-800-232-0233
or TTY 1-888-720-7489.
More information and resources at:
CDC Vaccines
CDC Booster Shots
HHS Combat COVID
USA.Gov COVID Info

January 2022

Tell it to the Hill

While it's easy to rail at the IRS, for the most part we can thank — or blame — our tax laws on Congress and the White House. So if you have an issue with tax legislation or want a tax bill passed, you need to let your federal legislators and the White House occupant know of your concerns. You can find out who in Washington, D.C., to contact (and how), as well as get information on your local lawmakers for matters, tax or otherwise, closer to home, at USA Gov.

..................................................

.................................................................

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
						1
2	3	4	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