Last week at my other tax blog (2013)

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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

Missed Tax Day? Do this now — Some folks didn't file their federal taxes on April 15 (or 17) April 15 (or 17). If you're among those who missed the deadline and also neglected to get an extension, you need to make these four tax moves ASAP. (April 17, 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

April 1: No fooling, U.S. taxpayers.
Tax Day is just 14 days away.

April Fools! GIF from Aprilfools GIFs

April obviously is Uncle Sam's favorite month because it's when he gets millions more tax returns, most of which are filed by folks who owe.

But the first day of this big tax month also is the deadline for older retirement plan owners. Some face an April 1 deadline to make their first required minimum distribution, or RMD.

Now back to the rest of us, who have a couple more April weeks to get to work on our last-minute filings. If you're part of the procrastinating contingent, then check out these April tax moves. They might be able to help you cut any tax you owe or add to your refund.

April 5: Looking for tax help? This late in the filing season it might be tough to find a tax pro willing to take on new clients. But you still might be able to get some free face-to-face tax help if you qualify for programs such as Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE).

April 7: If you're doing your taxes on your own, make sure you understand out the new tax law affects some previously common tax breaks.

April 10: Yes, Tax Day is just around the corner, but you still have to take care of other tax tasks. If your job includes tips and you received $20 in gratuities in March, use Form 4070 to report them today to your employer.

April 15: OK. This is it! Tax Day 2019.

For most of us, that is. Folks in Maine and Massachusetts get until April 17 due to the celebration of Patriots Day in those states.

You've got until midnight tonight (your local time) to electronically file your 1040. If you qualify, the IRS-tax software industry partnership known as Free File is waiting for you. This IRS/tax software industry partnership is in its 17th year of providing eligible taxpayers the opportunity to prepare and e-file their taxes, as the name says, at no cost.

This year, qualifying taxpayers — that's those with income of $66,000 or less — can use one of the expected dozen or so special commercial tax software programs at IRS.gov's Free File online page. Even if you make too much to use the online software, you can file using Free File's fillable forms.

If you discover that, even with the Free File help, you just can't complete all the necessary tax paperwork, make sure you file Form 4868 to get an automatic six-month extension. Just be sure to pay any tax you owe. The extension only gets your more time file your forms, not extra time to pay your tax bill.

Remember, too, that April 15 also is the deadline for several other tax tasks. They include:

Making your first 2019 tax year estimated tax payment. There's no extension allowed here.

Contributing to contributing to an IRA. Putting money into a traditional IRA by today also could give you an immediate tax deduction on your current return.

You also can contribute to a Roth IRA and have it count toward the prior tax year. While a Roth isn't deductible, when you max out your annual contribution amounts you'll have a bigger retirement nest egg. Plus, your contributions to either retirement account could help you qualify for the Saver's Credit.

And if you didn't file a 2015 tax return back in 2016 and were due a refund three years ago, file that old 1040 by today or kiss your unclaimed refund money goodbye.

April 19: Whew! Now that filing is done (except for us procrastinators on extension) and you've had a few days to get settled, it's time to take care of your tax records. You need to hang onto some filing paperwork just in case the IRS has follow-up questions.

April 24: If you got or are expecting a big refund or ended up owing Uncle Sam a lot when you filed your return, now's the time for a paycheck checkup and possibly adjust your payroll withholding, especially since we're now dealing with new tax laws.

April 30: And about those tax law changes…. Now that you've seen what they meant to your 2018 tax return, start now to make the most of them — and pay less taxes — in 2019. In addition to continuing to read Don't Mess With Taxes, you also might want to consider hiring a tax professional who will work with you year round.

Small Business Tax Calendar: Speaking of business taxes, you'll find important filing, deposit and record keeping dates throughout the year that your company needs to know in the IRS' tax calendar for small businesses and the self-employed. You also can get more tax calendar information 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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