May 7, 2026
Children are expensive. So are higher education costs. But often these expenses coincide. Tax breaks can help both parents, students, and parents who are or were students.
BLOG POSTS
Changes are coming in 2026 to charitable tax deductions that could affect your 2025 donation decisions. Check them out to find ways to make charitable gifts pay off now and next year.
Being sick sucks. Having to pay a lot of out-of-pocket medical expenses can make you feel even worse. But if you have a lot of medical and dental costs, you might be able to put them to itemized tax deduction use.
If you don’t file or pay your taxes on time, you could end up owing the IRS more due to penalties. Some tax penalties are set; others changes every year due to inflation. Here’s a look at the 2026 amounts.
Retiring the way you want is easier when you save well before your golden years. Here’s how much you can put this, and next, year in tax-favored retirement plans.
You moved to France for a new job (and more!), and discovered the IRS was a hitchhiker. But there are some tax provisions to help offset your worldwide tax bill. Here are the 2026 inflation adjustments.
The Alternative Minimum Tax, known as the AMT, used to work like an ATM for Uncle Sam. Inflation adjustments helped eased the bite, but tax law changes in 2026 could force more filers into the AMT’s clutches.
Letting your money work for you via investments gets a boost next year, with wider capital gains tax brackets. Also affected by the annual inflation bumps are estate planning, gifts you give before you go, and youngsters’ investment earnings.
Taxes and You
We all know Benjamin Franklin’s observation that death and taxes are the only two certainties. But what Ben didn’t note was just how much taxes affect us while we’re enjoying our lives. Taxes are a consideration from the day your parents gaze down lovingly at you in your crib, and continue until they converge in Franklin’s famous quote.
Don’t Mess With Taxes, the award-winning blog from tax journalist and author Kay Bell, will help you deal with the many taxes you’ll encounter during that long and happy process, hopefully making taxes less, well, taxing throughout your lifetime.
About Don't Mess With Taxes
Don’t Mess With Taxes is a tax blog written by journalist and author Kay Bell. Although Kay is not a tax professional – she doesn’t prepare taxes for clients for a living – her experience in Washington, D.C., first as a staff member of the tax-writing U.S. House Ways and Means committee and then in the government relations offices for two major Fortune 100 companies, has provided her valuable insight into the tax process. Based on her experiences and continuing tax education, Kay shares her tax observations, tips, and commentary in Don’t Mess With Taxes.
Simplify Your Taxes, Maximize Your Savings
Your Comprehensive Tax Blog
Taxes have been a part of your life since your parents welcomed you into this world. From that beginning as a spanking new tax break for mom and dad, taxes have had an important role in all your major life events, from getting a job, saying “I do,” buying and selling homes, having kids of your own, and even retiring.
Yes, the involvement of the Internal Revenue Service is not welcome when Uncle Sam is collecting your money. But in many ways, the tax code can be your best friend. You just need to know how it applies to your personal circumstances so you can take advantage of it. This comprehensive tax blog, Don’t Mess With Taxes, is here to help you do just that!
IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers (TACs) don’t help with filing, but offer guidance on other federal tax matters. This year, the IRS is again expanding TAC weekday hours and opening some centers on select Saturdays.
Tax filing season is also peak time for tax scams. Be on the lookout for and avoid falling victim to the IRS’ 2026 list of Dirty Dozen tax scams.
Free is always welcome. That’s especially true at tax time, when taxpayers look for no-cost help to prepare and file their returns. Here are some free tax filing options.
Here are some March tax moves that can work for both tax lions aggressively attacking their returns, as well as tax lambs who prefer a more docile approach.
Blog Posts
The More Tax Posts tab at the top of this page will take you to, well, more tax posts. You also can search below for a tax topic.
June 16, 2026
Many young people take food service jobs during the summer. It’s a good way to…
We made it. Tax Day 2025 is finally over. For most of us. When the filing season started on Jan. 26, millions who were expecting refunds filed immediately. Most of us got our returns to the Internal Revenue Service by April 15. But plenty of taxpayers also got extensions. They are looking at an Oct. 15 filing deadline.
Those procrastinating filers aren’t a problem. In fact, the IRS appreciates taxpayers who take time to fill out their 1040 forms correctly. It also is grateful that tax submissions are spread out a bit, especially now that the IRS is a leaner agency. Processing returns is easier when they arrive throughout the year instead of in massive bunches.
But enough about Uncle Sam’s tax collection issues. The focus now is on all y’all who filed for extensions, giving you another six months to complete your return. Since your new mid-October due date will be here before you know it, let’s get started now on meeting it.
The ol’ blog is here to help you finish up your extended Form 1040. You can start with January’s tax tips page, which has links to the rest of the year’s tips by-month collections. You also can peruse various tax categories for more tailored advice by clicking on the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of this (and every) page.
And to make sure you don’t miss your new filing deadline, the count-down clock below will let you know just how much time you to file by Oct. 15. At the latest.e. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)