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Don't Mess With Taxes Helping taxpayers understand and conquer their tax fears and tax filings. Taxes. Sure you hate 'em, but you're stuck with 'em.

Either that, or you're stuck in a federal jail cell. Texas journalist Kay Bell helps make your tax tasks less, well, taxing.

Tax laws and deadlines are still in effect even when the federal government shuts down
28/09/2025

Tax laws and deadlines are still in effect even when the federal government shuts down

That means taxpayers must meet all Internal Revenue Code deadlines even if the Internal Revenue Service doesn't have a full crew on hand to process the filings. Photo by Alan Cleaver via Flickr CC Recently, I’ve been skipping weekend posting because I’m focusing on moving the ol’ blog to a new...

A Nigerian national is headed to federal prison for his role in a years-long transnational scheme targeting elderly Amer...
27/09/2025

A Nigerian national is headed to federal prison for his role in a years-long transnational scheme targeting elderly Americans. He admitted to helping scam more than 400 victims out of more than $6 million.

The international inheritance scheme cost more than 400 victims more than $6 million. Photo by Melinda Gimpel on Unsplash Yes, it’s a cliché. Older people tend to be easy scam victims. But clichés get that status because they are, at least in part, true. That’s probably why a years-long intern...

If you drink coffee, as do most U.S. residents, you’ve probably noticed the price of a bag of beans has increased. A lot...
25/09/2025

If you drink coffee, as do most U.S. residents, you’ve probably noticed the price of a bag of beans has increased. A lot. Some House members say Trump tariffs are part of the problem. They’ve introduced a bill to ease the punitive trade policy on coffee-exporting nations.

Slashio Photography for Unsplash+ Apparently one thing can bridge America’s current political divide. Coffee. Coffee prices in the United States surged 3.6 percent in August, the biggest monthly jump since 2011. That’s almost 21 percent higher than a year ago. That’s unacceptable to a bipartis...

Digital asset broker transactions this year will show up on the new Form 1099-DA that will be sent to some taxpayers in ...
25/09/2025

Digital asset broker transactions this year will show up on the new Form 1099-DA that will be sent to some taxpayers in early 2026. The Internal Revenue Service is urging these taxpayers, and particularly the tax preparers they use, to start getting ready now for this third-party reporting.

Digital asset owners have long known that the Internal Revenue Service has a keen interest in them. In 2019, the IRS sent letters to around 10,000 cryptocurrency owners it believed might have failed to report related transactions. Basically, cryptocurrency is considered an asset, like stocks or othe...

The Internal Revenue Service is going even more digital. In accordance with an executive order to end Uncle Sam’s paper ...
23/09/2025

The Internal Revenue Service is going even more digital. In accordance with an executive order to end Uncle Sam’s paper financial transactions, Treasury and the IRS announced today that paper refund checks, for the most part, will end on Sept. 30. Yes. That’s next Tuesday.

U.S. Treasury paper tax refund checks soon will be a thing of the past. Real soon. Like next Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, soon. It’s happening. The Internal Revenue Service is going even more digital. Giving taxpayers a choice to operate electronically has long been a goal of many in Uncle Sam’s tax...

The federal electric vehicle (EV) tax ends on Sept. 30. The loss of tax savings will be felt most by California drivers ...
23/09/2025

The federal electric vehicle (EV) tax ends on Sept. 30. The loss of tax savings will be felt most by California drivers who, after that date, still want to purchase environmentally friendly autos. But the next two big EV buying states are staunchly conservative Texas and Florida. Drivers there also will pay for the Trump administration EV tax break elimination.

Photo by Michael Fousert on Unsplash The electric vehicle (EV) federal tax credit ends on Sept. 30. Without the tax incentive to encourage EV purchases, the electric vehicle industry obviously will take hit. So will auto buyers who insist on sticking with more environmentally friendly private transp...

The no-tax-on-tips temporary deduction is closer to implementation. The IRS formally issued proposed regulations, and sp...
19/09/2025

The no-tax-on-tips temporary deduction is closer to implementation. The IRS formally issued proposed regulations, and specifically notes which tipped professions aren’t eligible for the new One Big Bill benefit. No surprise: the oldest one didn’t make the list.

The proposed regulations on the new One Big Beautiful Bill tip income tax break also specifically note types of work that do not qualify. Not surprisingly, creators of online adult content and those in the world's oldest profession will not be allowed to claim the tips deduction. Photo by Paulo Silv...

September apparently is state tax scam month, particularly when is comes to crooks sending smishing tax texts. Stay aler...
19/09/2025

September apparently is state tax scam month, particularly when is comes to crooks sending smishing tax texts. Stay alert. Don’t fall for these unwanted texts. And heed the IRS’ reminder that tax crooks work across all jurisdictions year-round.

The smishing and phishing tax scams in six states also highlight the IRS' reminder that crooks try to steal our personal and financial info for tax and other purposes year-round. Ah, technology. My smartphone is a godsend when it comes to keeping me on track. I get regular appointment previews and a...

Democrats have introduced a bill that would target the very rich and how they tend to make their billions. The measure i...
18/09/2025

Democrats have introduced a bill that would target the very rich and how they tend to make their billions. The measure is not new; a version has been introduced in prior Congressional sessions. But its main value will be citing tax disparities in the One Big Bill during the coming midterm elections.

Photo by Leon Kohle on Unsplash The One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) Act was passed along party lines. Its Republican authors promised it is the tax (and more) measure the country needs. Democrats disagreed, rejecting the second major tax law to come under a Donald Trump administration. During the bill...

Getting an Employer Identification Number, or EIN, is one of the first tax moves to make when you start your new busines...
17/09/2025

Getting an Employer Identification Number, or EIN, is one of the first tax moves to make when you start your new business. You’ll need this special nine-digit business tax identifier to comply with the various tax responsibilities you now face as boss. It’s easy to get an EIN at IRS.gov’s online EIN application page.
https://www.dontmesswithtaxes.com/2025/09/irs-has-updated-its-online-ein-application-tool.html

Photo by Amina Filkins When you start your new business, you make a lot of decisions about how it will be presented to the public. Coming up with the perfect name means customers will take note of your new company and keep coming back. Your corporate moniker also will be key to your business brandin...

And one more time, this time via substack: Treasury & IRS issued final regs on a SECURE 2.0 catch-up option. While the o...
15/09/2025

And one more time, this time via substack: Treasury & IRS issued final regs on a SECURE 2.0 catch-up option. While the official word is for a specific workplace plan situation, the guidance is a good reminder to check and, if possible, add to our retirement plans.

The new guidance is for a specific workplace situation, but it is still a good reminder for all of us to check our retirement savings and, if possible, max them out, before the end of the tax year.

Treasury and the IRS have issued final regulations on a SECURE 2.0 catch-up option. While the official word is for a spe...
15/09/2025

Treasury and the IRS have issued final regulations on a SECURE 2.0 catch-up option. While the official word is for a specific workplace plan situation, the guidance is a good reminder to all of us to check and, if possible, add to our retirement plans.

The new guidance is for a specific workplace situation, but it is still a good reminder for all of us to check our retirement savings, and max them out if possible, before the end of the tax year. Curated Lifestyle for Unsplash+ I confess. With every passing day, I find retirement more and more appe...

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