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!

Filing Season Tax Tips

HSAs mean tax savings & more filing tasks — High deductible health plans (HDHP) and associated health savings accounts (HSA) can help you save medical tax dollars. The health care choice, however, requires another tax task. You'll have to file Form 8889. (May 26, 2020)
Did you miss a tax tip posted above? No worries. They are, or eventually will be, collected in the 2020 Filing Season Tax Tips pages. That's usually January through mid-April, but this year is definitely unusual. The coronavirus' spread has pushed Tax Day 2020 from April 15 to July 15. So the ol' blog has adjusted, too, with extended Tax Tip pages for each of this year's six-and-a-half months that we now will focus on our 1040s: January, February, March, April, May, June and — tah-dah! — July. Then, after a very brief break to catch our post-filing deadline breath, the Weekly Tax Tips, like these from 2019, will return.

COVID-19 & Taxes

Coronavirus has wreaked havoc
with the 2020 tax season.
This Coronavirus (COVID-19) & Taxes page has details.

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 Year 2020 Countdown
Happy New Tax Year! Are you ready to file your 2019 tax return? Me neither. But this year we're getting some extra time to file and pay any tax we owe, until July 15. This later date, however, is for a terrible reason. The coronavirus pandemic hit the United States hard in March, dramatically disrupting lives. Our normal tax routine is among the many things that have changed for all of us.
The monthly tips and reminders a little further down this column should help you focus on your taxes and make the filing of them by mid-summer go more smoothly. Also keep an eye on the countdown clock just below. It will help you keep track of the arrival of the new July 15, 2020, Tax Day.
Note: I'm in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.

Time for Tax Tasks

June GIF from June GIFs

June 1: For the first time in, well in all the many, many years I've been covering taxes, the official start of the Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico hurricane season has arrived before our annual federal tax returns are due. In fact, two named storms developed in May. This should be fun!

Uncle Sam's official forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) expect 2020 to bring as many as 19 named storms, with six to eight possibly becoming hurricanes. Three to six could reach major status, which is category 3, 4 or 5 with winds of 111 mph or higher. Regardless of the count, it only takes one to wreak havoc. The countdown clock below 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.
These multi-page collections of posts offer tax advice on preparing for, recovering from and helping those who sustain damages from the many ways that that weather goes wild.

June 5: The Internal Revenue Service is among the many operations, both government offices and private sector businesses, that's taken steps to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, the tax agency has been sending out COVID-19 economic relief payments (EIPs) as direct deposits, U.S. Treasury checks and debit cards. Be on the lookout for snail-mailed paper checks and debit cards. They are real, not scams, so don't throw them away thinking they're attempts by crooks to steal your other money or identity.

June 10: Most restaurants across the country closed earlier this year due to COVID-19. Now many are starting to open, at least partially. Some eateries also are continuing meal take-out and deliveries. Whether you're able to dine 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 May 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.

June 14: Today's celebration of the Stars and Stripes isn't a day-off holiday, but Flag Day has been an official day to celebrate the Star-Spangled Banner since 1949. If you need to buy a U.S. flag to fly today, you also might get a tax break. Several states exempt the national symbol from sales tax. Check with your state's tax department to see if you can save on your patriotic display.

June 15: Today begins the one-month countdown — see the ticking Tax Day counter a bit higher up in this column — to the coronavirus-delayed July 15 Tax Day. With just 30 days until you must file your federal Form 1040 (or extension request), it's time to act. Tax tips posted earlier this year on handy January, February, March, April, May and the soon-to-come June pages should help.

Remember, too, that the mid-July deadline is not just for filing your annual IRS tax return. It's also the due date for most state tax returns.

And the upcoming new Tax Day 2020 also applies to the two estimated tax payments, the first and second quarter amounts that usually must be filed by April 15 and today, June 15. Now, with a month to go, it's a good time to think about how you're going to pay these delayed 1040-ES amounts, as well as any 2019 tax due with your 1040.

June 21: Happy Father's Day!

Dad might not say so, but he appreciates being recognized, so take time today to let him know you care. And if your Pop is getting on up in years, take the time when you visit to make sure he doesn't need some added help from you. If you provide enough financial assistance, check into whether you can claim the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act's (TCJA) $500 tax credit for other dependents.

June 25: If your youngsters are college age and you're looking for financial help to cover some school costs, you need to act fast. To be considered for federal student aid for the 2019-2020 year, you can still complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by midnight Central Daylight Time on June 30. Time is running short, but you can use the IRS' online tool to help you complete the FAFSA.

June 30: OK, you've decided to get your filing over with now. The IRS can help you do that and save money. Free File, the IRS/tax software industry partnership offers eligible taxpayers access to online tax preparation programs and federal return e-filing at no cost. It's available for taxpayers with adjusted gross income of $69,000 or less and it's still open for filers aiming to meet the July 15 deadline.

There are 10 software companies participating this year at IRS.gov's Free File webpage. If you make too much to use the online software, look into using Free File's fillable forms.

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 Tax Form Tuesday page.

Mapping Your Tax Route

Do you get lost doing your taxes? Check out the Taxpayer Advocate Service's Taxpayer Roadmap.

This publication, designed along the lines of a subway map, shows the many routes and detours of a taxpayer's journey through our elaborate Internal Revenue Code and the Internal Revenue Service's enforcement of our tax collection system.

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Kudos Et Cetera

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Winner, Best Tax Blog
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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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