Skip to main content Skip to footer
Don't Mess With Taxes
  • Home
  • More Tax Posts
    • Credits/Deductions
    • Disasters
    • Family
    • Filing and Paying Taxes
    • Politics/Laws
    • Refunds
    • State Taxes
    • Tax Brackets/Inflation
    • Tax Tips
  • About
  • Blog Archive
  • Home
  • More Tax Posts
    • Credits/Deductions
    • Disasters
    • Family
    • Filing and Paying Taxes
    • Politics/Laws
    • Refunds
    • State Taxes
    • Tax Brackets/Inflation
    • Tax Tips
  • About
  • Blog Archive
Don't Mess With Taxes
  • Home
  • Credits/Deductions
  • Filing and Paying Taxes
  • Refunds
  • Politics/Laws
  • State Taxes
  • Tax Brackets/Inflation
  • Tax Tips
  • Family
  • Disasters
  • About
  • burro in field in Washington on the Brazos, Texas

    Some tax penalties increase in 2026 due to inflation

    November 18, 2025
    If you don't file or pay your taxes on time, you could end up owing the IRS more due to…
  • Older couple bicycling

    Retirement plan contributions get inflation boost in 2026

    November 13, 2025
    Retiring the way you want is easier when you save well before your golden years. Here's how much you can…
  • Direct File is officially dead

    November 6, 2025
    The IRS’ venture into the tax software and e-filing sphere is over. Despite positive reviews, the agency has officially ended…
  • 5 tax moves to make this November

    November 3, 2025
    Ensure your tax cornucopia runneth over by getting your tax ducks, uh, turkeys in a row this November. Moves this…
  • Nov. 3 is filing deadline for taxpayers in 9 disaster-struck states

    October 31, 2025
    Residents of parts, and in some cases, all of these states dealt with real-life scares earlier this year. This post-Halloween…
  • Flags of many countries. Photo by Eric Prouzet on Unsplash

    International workers get some U.S. tax help from inflation adjustments in 2026

    October 29, 2025
    You moved to France for a new job (and more!), and discovered the IRS was a hitchhiker. But there are…
  • selective focus photography of person wearing LA Dodgers cap looking at field

    Has the Dodgers’ use of deferred compensation broken baseball?

    October 28, 2025
    The Boys in Blue have taken a lead in the World Series. How big a role did the team's use…
  • Social Security recipients could face taxes on the benefits

    October 27, 2025
    Millions of Americans receive Social Security benefits. But plenty also pay tax on that money, at both the federal and…
  • older couple at kitchen table reviewing finances on laptop

    Social Security taxable wage base goes to $184,500 in 2026

    October 24, 2025
    Running the numbers is important for everyone, but critical for older folks who rely on Social Security benefits, and the…
  • IRS math error measure heads to Oval Office

    October 23, 2025
    Democrats and Republicans agree on one thing: IRS communications can be confusing. A rare bipartisan measure to make math error…
  • Alternative Minimum Tax faces changes in 2026, thanks to inflation adjustments and One Big Bill

    October 22, 2025
    The Alternative Minimum Tax, known as the AMT, used to work like an ATM for Uncle Sam. Inflation adjustments helped…
  • Actor Leonardo DiCaprio in a black tuxedo raises a champagne glass, smiling confidently against a festive backdrop, symbolizing celebration and sophistication in the 2018 Warner Bros. movie "The Great Gatsby."

    Less tax on more capital gains thanks to inflation adjustments

    October 19, 2025
    Letting your money work for you via investments gets a boost next year, with wider capital gains tax brackets. Also…
  • Sick woman on couch checking her temperature_Bucketeer

    Medical tax break inflation adjustments in 2026 could be a great Rx

    October 15, 2025
    Medical costs seem to go up every year (or more often!). But the IRS' annual inflation adjustments to tax-related health…
  • money overflowing upturned Uncle Sam hat

    Tax deductions, credits, and exclusions get 2026 inflation bumps

    October 14, 2025
    One easy way to cut your tax bill is to claim tax deductions and tax credits. There is a wide…
  • Tips to help meet the Oct. 15 filing deadline

    October 13, 2025
    Did you put off filing your 2024 tax return back in April? Well, your absolutely final tax deadline is Wednesday,…
  • Federal government shutdowns, then and now

    October 12, 2025
    The standoff in Washington, D.C., is about to be felt by more of us across the nation. Will furloughed workers'…
  • Most filers claim the standard tax deduction. It’s easy and the different amounts for the various filing statuses are increased annually to account for inflation. Here are the 2026 tax year increases.

    Standard deduction amounts are increased for the 2026 tax year

    October 10, 2025
    The IRS' annual inflation increase in the standard deduction amounts makes that deduction option even more appealing. But don't automatically…
  • U.S. tax forms 1040 and Schedule D displayed atop dollar bills, highlighting financial documentation and tax preparation relevance.

    Tax Rates, Tax Brackets Through the Years: 2010 through 2026

    October 10, 2025
    The taxes we pay depend on two things. Congress sets the rates and a baseline income amount that falls into…
  • Inflation spelled out in Scrabble tiles. Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

    It’s 2026 tax bracket time

    October 9, 2025
    Let’s get the 2026 tax party started with the tax brackets that will apply to the new year’s income. While…
  • Financial and tax tips prompted by the IRS’ shutdown

    October 8, 2025
    The IRS' 34,000 furloughed employees are facing some financial challenges. Their situation also offers us nonfederal workers tips, including tax-related…
  • What to expect as IRS heads into shutdown mode

    October 7, 2025
    The supplemental money that had allowed Uncle Sam's tax agency to operate as usual runs out today. Tomorrow, it's full…
  • SSA chief Bisignano named new IRS CEO

    October 6, 2025
    Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent today lessened his acting-IRS Commissioner load by naming Frank Bisignano, Social Security's commissioner, to the newly…
  • ACA subsidies and the current government shutdown

    October 4, 2025
    Uncle Sam's offices are closed because of a political fight over tax help for Affordable Care Act enrollees. Here's a…
  • 3 tax moves to make October less scary

    October 2, 2025
    Photo by Vlad Chețan October traditionally is the scariest month, and I’m not just talking about the terror that strikes when…
  • Coffee mug with text asking What good shall I do today? Photo by Nathan Lemon on Unsplash

    IRS seeks VITA and TCE volunteers for 2026 tax season

    October 1, 2025
    Every tax filing season, people need help but can’t afford to pay a tax pro. You can provide that help…
  • IRS says it can operate for 5 days during shutdown

    September 30, 2025
    Remaining Inflation Reduction Act funds will let the agency keep working, but only for a few days. Get ready now…
  • Even if federal government shuts down, tax laws still in effect

    September 28, 2025
    That means taxpayers must meet all Internal Revenue Code deadlines even if the Internal Revenue Service doesn't have a full…
  • Nigerian national gets 8 years for scheme to defraud elderly

    September 26, 2025
    The international inheritance scheme cost more than 400 victims more than $6 million. Photo by Melinda Gimpel on Unsplash   Yes, it’s…
  • House members seek end to U.S. tariffs on imported coffee

    September 25, 2025
    Slashio Photography for Unsplash+ Apparently one thing can bridge America’s current political divide. Coffee. Coffee prices in the United States…
  • Crypto owners, get ready now for Form 1099-DA reporting

    September 24, 2025
    Digital asset owners have long known that the Internal Revenue Service has a keen interest in them. In 2019, the…
  • Paper tax refund checks to end Sept. 30, 2025

    September 23, 2025
    U.S. Treasury paper tax refund checks soon will be a thing of the past. Real soon. Like next Tuesday, Sept.…
  • End of EV tax credit will hit drivers in 3 states hardest

    September 22, 2025
    Photo by Michael Fousert on Unsplash ...The electric vehicle (EV) federal tax credit ends on Sept. 30. Without the tax incentive to encourage EV…
  • IRS formally announces occupations eligible for no-tax-on-tips deduction

    September 19, 2025
    The proposed regulations on the new One Big Beautiful Bill tip income tax break also specifically note types of work…
  • State tax departments warn of rash of text and email scams

    September 18, 2025
    The smishing and phishing tax scams in six states also highlight the IRS' reminder that crooks try to steal our…
  • Billionaires Income Tax Act would affect fewer than 1,000 and raise $500 billion, say bill’s sponsors

    September 17, 2025
    Photo by Leon Kohle on Unsplash The One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) Act was passed along party lines. Its Republican authors promised…
  • IRS has updated its online EIN application tool

    September 16, 2025
    Photo by Amina Filkins ...When you start your new business, you make a lot of decisions about how it will be…
  • IRS issues final regs on SECURE 2.0 Roth catch-up option

    September 15, 2025
    The new guidance is for a specific workplace situation, but it is still a good reminder for all of us…
  • Social media tax scammers have cost duped taxpayers $162 million in IRS penalties

    September 12, 2025
    IRS graphic The annual tax filing season is prime time for scammers. But of late, tax crooks are working year-round.…
  • Pay your third estimated tax amount by Monday, Sept. 15

    September 11, 2025
    And if you're paying by check or money order, make sure you mail it to the correct address by that…
  • Remembering 9/11 heroes by volunteering on Patriot Day

    September 10, 2025
    Blue lights now shine where New York City's Twin Towers, destroyed in terrorist acts on Sept. 11, 2001, once stood.…
  • ←
  • 1
  • …
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • …
  • 212
  • →

Don’t Mess With Taxes® is owned by Kay Bell
and is a federally registered trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
All Don’t Mess With Taxes® posts are © 2005-2026. All rights reserved.

Don't Mess With Taxes
Contact Information
Service Area

My blog’s focus is tax issues U.S. taxpayers face,
whether they live in the United States, or live and work abroad.

© 2026 • Don't Mess With Taxes • All rights reserved.