Don’t play around with your taxes! Turn to tax tips

January 30, 2016

Looking for a creative way to get your taxes done this year? Here's an idea from xkcd.com.

Taxes_board_game

"Yes, it took a lot of work to make the cards and pieces, but it's worth it. The players are way more thorough than the tax prep people ever were," says the cartoon creator.

I'm a big fan of board games. But I'm not sure I agree with xkcd's creative way to take care of the annual filing duty. I know lots of very thorough tax preparers.

I am, however, all for anything that helps folks get their returns done quickly, correctly and with as little hassle of possible.

That's why here at the ol' blog, you'll find a new tax tip every weekday in the upper right corner of the page.

I'm also offering a weekly round-up. The latest run of 5 tax tips includes:

  1. Standard vs. itemized deductions (Monday, Jan. 25, 2016)
  2. Do you have to file a return? (Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016)
  3. Picking the proper Form 1040  (Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016)
  4. 10 common tax filing mistakes (Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016)
  5. Tax documents on the way (Friday, Jan. 29, 2016)

You can find the Daily Tax Tip weekly collection usually at the end of the week. Or on Saturday when I'm recovering from a head cold that set in last Sunday, before the week's tips even were posted.

You also can find all the 2016 filing season tax tips on their own special filing season Don't Mess With Taxes pages, starting with January's list.

And mark your calendar. On Monday, the February tax tips list begins.

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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. 

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Tax Season 2026 Continues!

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.)

Credits/Deductions
Disasters
Family
Filing and Paying Taxes
Politics/Laws
Refunds
State Taxes
Tax Brackets/Inflation
Tax Tips
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