Taxes Blog

The ice and snow that this week blanketed two-thirds of the Lone Star State (we got 3/4 of one inch overnight here in usually moderate Austin) tried to upstage Dallas’ big event, but the football gods intervened. The storm system has moved eastward and it looks like Super Bowl XLV will go on without weather worries. Of

I don’t know about you, but I am sooooo ready for winter to be over. Last night, thermometers in Austin dropped to 14 degrees, with the wind chill index near zero. Of course, I realize that other places are having it much worse. If you are in one of those areas that’s getting blasted by snow and ice

Older taxpayers were watching closely during last December’s tax bill debate. They wanted to know if they could still roll money from their traditional IRA into a charity. The answer, finally delivered on Dec. 17, 2010, when the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010 became law, was yes. Rollovers from

A lot of taxpayers are filing their tax returns this month because they are getting a refund. Now the Internal Revenue Service is making checking on those refunds easier, at least for folks who own smartphones. The IRS today unveiled IRS2Go, its first smartphone application. It allows taxpayers to check on their status of their tax

The Internal Revenue Service has a special Valentine’s Day gift for us taxpayers whose 2010 tax returns have been placed on hold. Feb. 14 is the day the agency says it will begin processing our taxes. Because it took Congress so long to pass tax legislation that affects 2010 taxes, the IRS has been playing catch-up.

How are you feeling today? I ask because, as you’ve probably heard, the House of Representatives repealed health care reform laws on Wednesday. OK, I’m being a bit flip. Everyone knows that the House, now in Republican control, is only one part of the legislative equation. To actually have the Patient Protection and Affordable Care

Longtime Bankrate readers know that our annual tax guide has a state tax component. I’m working on it, I promise! But there are 50 states and the District of Columbia and only one me, so I appreciate your patience. In the meantime, here’s a preview. It looks like most of the states that collect income taxes from

Let electronic tax filing begin! That’s the word from the Internal Revenue Service on Friday as the tax agency begins accepting e-filed returns. Of course, if you’re itemizing expenses on Schedule A or claiming a couple of other deductions directly on your 1040, your return won’t be processed for a few more weeks. But IRS Senior Executive David Williams says to e-file

Paying a tax bill with a credit card has long been an accepted practice by American taxpayers. Now Uncle Sam is working to expand plastic tax practices. This time, though, he wants people without bank accounts to try the federal government’s new Visa debit card as a way to receive their tax refunds. Just in time

The first paychecks of 2011 are being prepared. Or maybe you’ve already gotten one. You might be in for a surprise. Despite all the talk about the 2 percent payroll tax cut that’s in effect this year, including by me here on Bankrate’s Taxes Blog, some folks won’t get any benefit from the new law.