Last week at my other tax blog (2013)

Happy New Tax Year!

If the way we started this year is any indication -- let's all say it together: fiscal cliff nonsense -- 2013 is shaping up to be an exciting tax year.

That's why I'm glad I have two tax blogs to on which to hash out tax matters.

As has been my practice, I'll be recapping what happened last week at my Bankrate Taxes Blog here at Don't Mess With Taxes each weekend (mostly Saturdays ... I hope!).

But if you happen to miss those posts, this page will serve as an index with links to the previous week's synopsis.

Here's how my 2013 Bankrate tax blogging is shaping up.

Dec. 28, 2013: Mortgage forgiveness tax relief ends on Dec. 31
Dec. 21, 2013: Tax timing and travel-related taxes
Dec. 14, 2013: Attention senior citizens: IRA distribution date is Dec. 31
Dec. 10, 2013: Standard tax deduction amounts bumped up for 2014
Dec. 3, 2013: Where do your residential property taxes rank nationally?
Nov. 24, 2013: Senate Finance chair wants to hear your tax reform thoughts
Nov. 16, 2013: NY man pleads guilty to $9 million in fraudulent tax refunds
Nov. 10, 2013: 2014 individual income tax brackets
Nov. 4, 2013: Some in Congress want FSA use-or-lose rule eliminated
Oct. 27, 2013: Almost 700 IRS contractors owe $5.4 million in back taxes
Oct. 20, 2013: Budget conference committee members named
Oct. 14, 2013: Wyoming, 5 other western states have best business taxes
Oct. 5, 2013: Audit target? You're getting a bit of a shutdown break
Sept. 30, 2013: IRS lays out plan to deal with federal government shutdown
Sept. 21, 2013: Beanie Babies billionaire caught in offshore tax evasion net
Sept. 14, 2013: Estimated taxes and other September financial deadlines
Sept. 7, 2013: Renouncing U.S. citizenship, for tax and other reasons
Sept. 1, 2013: New York state of tax mind
Aug. 25, 2013: Gerard Depardieu now an honorary, and less taxed, Belgian
Aug. 18, 2013: Employers in 17 states could face higher unemployment taxes
Aug. 11, 2013: New York cop pleads guilty to identity theft, tax refund fraud
Aug. 4, 2013: Tax-related identity theft: Its growth and IRS efforts to stop it
July 27, 2013: Scholarships and grants get better grades than borrowing and tax breaks as ways to pay college costs
July 20, 2013: IRS emails, hearings and budgets, oh my!
July 13, 2013: Fear you might be a tax ID theft victim? Here's what to do
July 8, 2013: Congressional tax reform tour across America is underway
June 30, 2013: DOMA, taxes and where you live
June 23, 2013: Amazon heading to Florida, leaving Minnesota
June 15, 2013: June 15 deadlines bumped this year to June 17
June 9, 2013: States are collecting more tax money ... for now
June 1, 2013: Richer taxpayers get the bulk of tax break benefits and charitable donation rules
May 26, 2013: Continuing IRS questions and first sales tax holidays of 2013
May 19, 2013: All IRS all the time, at least last week at my other tax blog
May 12, 2013: IRS warrants for taxpayer emails and online sales taxes
May 6, 2013: Debt ceiling, home mortgage interest deduction and tax reform are in a twisted financial and political knot
April 27, 2013: South Florida tax scheme highlights ID theft, EITC concerns
April 21, 2013: Tax Freedom Day, cities with the most tax cheaters and Tax Day 2013 freebies
April 13, 2013: Spying on taxpayer social media accounts, Obama's rehashed tax provisions in FY2014 budget and other April 15 tax deadlines
April 7, 2013: How we'll spend tax refunds and Coping with sequestration pain
March 30, 2013: The wide reach of taxes: U.S. Supreme Court same-sex marriage case and March Madness basketball games
March 23, 2013: Added costs of not filing and Lawsuits prompted by refund delays
March 16, 2013 (posted March 23, 2013): Gun, ammo taxes and Tax processing delays create FAFSA problems
March 9, 2013: Tax refund loan product problems and Still anticipating sequester effects
March 3, 2013: Sequester, sequestration and Talk of tax code change
Feb. 24, 2013: Congressional pay cuts (yeah, right) and The role taxes play in state relocations
Feb. 17, 2013: Old-style savings bonds refund option and Talk of a possible gas tax hike
Feb. 9, 2013: Feds settle $15 million tax scam and Adding up sales tax deduction amount
Feb. 3, 2013: E-filing fraud fears and Employing plastic to trim property taxes
Jan. 27, 2013: Tentative tax reform talk and Court ruling poses a possible filing season snag
Jan. 19, 2013: Tax rates, tax refunds last week at my other tax blog
Jan. 12, 2013: Tax filing hassles: delayed start, complicated code
Jan. 6, 2013: What is and isn't in the fiscal cliff tax bill

You also can find links to the most recent Bankrate posts (and the RSS feed) over there in the right column of the ol' blog.

If you are really hankering for more tax bloggings, you can peruse the archive of 2011, 2012 and 2014 posts at my other tax blog.

And there's a link to my original Bankrate tax blog, Eye on the IRS, as well as a link to Don't Mess With Taxes posts in which I reference my other tax blog(s).

Thanks again for reading, here and there!

Weekly Tax Tip

Home basis key in making disaster loss claims — When making major disaster loss claims on your tax return, your damaged or destroyed home's value is key. To arrive at that amount, you must take into account the property's basis. (Sept. 20, 2019)
Check out all the latest post-Tax Day tax advice in the 2019 edition of Weekly Tax Tips. Many of these once-a-week tips will focus on planning moves to cut your 2020 tax bill. If, however, you're working on a filing extension for your 2018 return, you can get a refresher of the 2019 Filing Season Tax Tips at their respective monthly pages: January, February, March and April.

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 2019 continues!
Are you among the almost 15 million taxpayers the IRS estimates are now on extension to file their 2018 tax returns? That new Oct. 15 tax filing deadline will be here before you know it. The countdown clock below will help you track the days until that absolutely final filing due date arrives. Maybe in the next six months, we'll have a better handle on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act changes!
Note: I'm in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.

Time for Tax Tasks

Sept. 1: Summer unofficially ends today. It's the Labor Day weekend, a three-day break before we all settle into the autumnal routines of back-to-school and full work days. If you took advantage of the long weekend to make one more out-of-town trip, then you might have noticed some states, 14 to be precise, hiked their gas taxes earlier this year.

Sept. 2: Happy Labor Day! This celebration of workers' contributions is a federal holiday and day off for many.

via GIPHY

In most employment situations, workers are employees. Some folks, however, are the boss. And in entrepreneurial instances that operate as passthrough companies, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act's §199A deduction could be valuable at tax filing time.

But the new tax reform bill also took away a prior tax break, the ability to claim some business related expenses, such as union dues, as an itemized deduction. That miscellaneous claim is no longer on Schedule A.

Sept. 6: School is back in session. But it's not just students facing lessons. Parents of elementary, secondary and college kids need to do their homework to learn how Uncle Sam can help cover some educational costs at all levels.

Sept. 8: Happy Grandparents' Day!
If you're an older grandma or grandpa, pay attention to your overall earnings. Your added retirement income could result in some of your Social Security benefits being taxed.

If you're helping out an older parent, Mom or Dad could be qualify as a dependent and help you claim the new $500 tax credit for qualifying dependents.

Sept. 10: If your job compensation includes tips and you received $20 or more in gratuities in August, use Form 4070 to report them today to your employer by today.

Sept. 11: Today is Patriot Day, the annual observance to remember those who died or were injured during the terrorist attacks in New York City, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. on Sept. 11, 2001. On this annual National Day of Service and Remembrance, you can find charitable remembrance activities in your area through the National Corporation for Community Service, which grew out of the many commemorations of the 9/11 victims. You also can contribute to the nonprofit of your choice, either one that assists victims or in the name of someone you wish to honor.

Click image to visit the
Community Service Facebook page.
While the time you volunteer is not tax deductible, if you itemize you might be able to deduct your donation of cash or goods.

Sept. 13: This Friday the 13th was scary enough, but then you got that Internal Revenue Service notice notice. Don't panic. These 13 tax notice tips can help you deal with the IRS correspondence today or any day.

Sept. 16: It's estimated tax time again. Your third voucher for the 2019 tax year is due today, a day later than usual since the Sept. 15 deadline was on Sunday.

Sept. 23: Fall officially arrives today with the autumnal equinox at 3:50 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. It's a good time to think about home maintenance that will help you weather the coming colder weather. While making those necessary repairs, also consider home improvements that could increase your home's basis and guarantee you won't owe any capital gains tax on your eventual residential sale profit.

Sept. 30: September is ending, but not the 2019 hurricane season.

September started on an ominous storm note, with the Category 5 Hurricane Dorian heading for the United States' eastern seaboard.

This month typically is the busiest of the storm season, which runs through Nov. 30, so be ready. The countdown clock below can help you keep count of how many more days you have to track the tropics.

You also can find tips on getting ready, physically and financially, for hurricanes, as well as tax help for recovery efforts and tax deductions for donations to those who are hit by natural disasters at the ol' blog's Storm Warnings pages.

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.

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.

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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 & 2013

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.

©©©©© & ®®®®®

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is a registered trademark
of S. Kay Bell.

All content on this site is
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And a bit of housekeeping.
Note 1: Some of the links on this site
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