August 30, 2026
Record-setting blazes across Nebraska earlier this year burned more than 800,000 acres. Now, the IRS has granted affected Cornhusker State taxpayers relief, including a new Feb. 1, 2027, deadline.
BLOG POSTS
The IRS has no plan on how to reduce its taxpayer correspondence backlog, which remained above pre-pandemic levels last year. A new government watchdog report warns that the accumulation could hamper the agency’s other taxpayer services.
If you didn’t file a tax year 2022 return back in 2023 and were due a refund, time is running out for you to get your money. April 15, 2026, is the deadline to submit that old filing to the Internal Revenue Service and claim your cash.
Taxes are confusing and frustrating. That’s why we all sometimes make filing mistakes. Here are 11 tax-filing errors to be aware of so you don’t make them.
Don’t cheat yourself this Tax Day by overlooking tax deductions and credits that could cut what you owe Uncle Sam.
Seattle, Washington, is home to high tech millionaires who now are the target of the Evergreen State’s new wealth tax. The levy will effectively bump the Evergreen State from the current nine-member no-individual-income-tax club.
Getting your paycheck tax withholding amount just right pays off at tax-filing time and throughout the year with your pre-filing cash flow. The IRS’ newly updated tax withholding estimator can help.
An executive order mandating Uncle Sam primarily make electronic financial transactions has caused tax refund delays for more than 800,000 taxpayers (so far) this filing season.
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!
Definitely take a break this June. But taxes don’t take vacations. So, you also should make time for some tax tasks. Some will keep you out of tax trouble. Others could mean tax savings.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testified on Capitol Hill that the anti-weaponization fund was dead, but Donald Trump’s tax amnesty remains.
Hurricane damage is a constant threat to U.S. coastal communities during the annual June 1 through Nov. 30 tropical storm season. But as the storms move inland, landlocked areas also face risks. Get ready before one strikes, or even forms in the Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico.
Medical costs keep increasing, including insurance. A high-deductible plan, along with a tax-favored health savings account, could be the Rx, especially with the 2027 inflation adjustments.
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.
September 25, 2026
Being an employee or a contractor has implications for workers and businesses. Here’s how Uncle…
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.)