I'm a Best Tax Blog finalist!

New forms this filing season

Don't forget your state taxes!

I'm a Best Tax Blog finalist!

Monday, February 22, 2010

Wow! What a nice way to start a week. I've just learned that Don't Mess With Taxes is a finalist for 2009's best tax blog.

The honor comes via The Plutus Awards, brainchild of Flexo at Consumerism Commentary.

The Plutus Awards, whose name was inspired by the Greek god of wealth, was created to recognize the best in both blogging and financial products. Finalists were announced today.

I am honored to find the ol' blog in such fine tax blogging company as Joe Taxpayer, Good Financial Cents, Taxgirl and My Dollar Plan.

Not to sound like those Hollywood types who at the Academy Awards ceremony in a couple of weeks will be saying "it's an honor to just be nominated," but it is! There will be, however, an eventual winner and you can have a say in the outcome.

Voting on The Plutus Awards will begin Wednesday, Feb. 24. I'll be sure to remind you of that in a couple of days!

Posted on Monday, February 22, 2010 at 04:20 PM in Taxes, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (8)

Tags: taxes

Comments

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Congrats with the nomination. With how much your blog contributes to the tax blogging blogosphere, i say you definitely deserve to be nominated, if not to win.

Posted by: Tax Accountant NJ | Monday, June 27, 2011 at 06:14 PM

Smeba, didn't win :( but happy to be a finalist.

Posted by: Kay | Saturday, August 28, 2010 at 01:31 PM

How did you go with the award last year? I had a look at the results page but couldn't see you there?

Posted by: Smeba | Saturday, August 28, 2010 at 05:56 AM

haven't seen the film, so I can't offer an opinion of it.

Posted by: Kay | Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 05:33 PM

What are your thoughts on the new tax documentary coming out?
http://americantaxcode.blogspot.com/

An Inconvenient Tax

Posted by: bob max | Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 01:28 PM

Congrats Kay! You deserve it.

Posted by: Wes Masters | Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 10:26 AM

Congratulations on being a finalist! It was a well earned accolade. You consistently put out quality tax related articles, which is why I'm subscribed to your blog. Keep up the great work!

Posted by: David | Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 12:56 AM

I have always enjoyed your blog.

You come up with interesting subjects and explain it in a normal way for idiots like me to understand

Posted by: Aious | Monday, February 22, 2010 at 07:48 PM

The comments to this entry are closed.

Weekly Tax Tip

Avoiding too-high taxes on damaged property — What's worse than losing your home to a disaster? Having to pay taxes on the destroyed property. That's why you need to let your local tax officials know as soon as possible after your taxable property was seriously damaged or destroyed, regardless of whether by Mother Nature or some other calamity. (Sept. 13, 2019)
Check out all the latest post-Tax Day tax advice in the 2019 edition of Weekly Tax Tips. Many of these once-a-week tips will focus on planning moves to cut your 2020 tax bill. If, however, you're working on a filing extension for your 2018 return, you can get a refresher of the 2019 Filing Season Tax Tips at their respective monthly pages: January, February, March and April.

All About Kay

OK, some about Kay

Kay Bell — Native Texan (the blog title totally makes sense now, right?). Professional journalist. Tax geek.

My Other Accounts

Tick ... Tick ... Tick

Tax Season 2019 continues!
Are you among the almost 15 million taxpayers the IRS estimates are now on extension to file their 2018 tax returns? That new Oct. 15 tax filing deadline will be here before you know it. The countdown clock below will help you track the days until that absolutely final filing due date arrives. Maybe in the next six months, we'll have a better handle on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act changes!
Note: I'm in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.

Time for Tax Tasks

Sept. 1: Summer unofficially ends today. It's the Labor Day weekend, a three-day break before we all settle into the autumnal routines of back-to-school and full work days. If you took advantage of the long weekend to make one more out-of-town trip, then you might have noticed some states, 14 to be precise, hiked their gas taxes earlier this year.

Sept. 2: Happy Labor Day! This celebration of workers' contributions is a federal holiday and day off for many.

via GIPHY

In most employment situations, workers are employees. Some folks, however, are the boss. And in entrepreneurial instances that operate as passthrough companies, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act's §199A deduction could be valuable at tax filing time.

But the new tax reform bill also took away a prior tax break, the ability to claim some business related expenses, such as union dues, as an itemized deduction. That miscellaneous claim is no longer on Schedule A.

Sept. 6: School is back in session. But it's not just students facing lessons. Parents of elementary, secondary and college kids need to do their homework to learn how Uncle Sam can help cover some educational costs at all levels.

Sept. 8: Happy Grandparents' Day!
If you're an older grandma or grandpa, pay attention to your overall earnings. Your added retirement income could result in some of your Social Security benefits being taxed.

If you're helping out an older parent, Mom or Dad could be qualify as a dependent and help you claim the new $500 tax credit for qualifying dependents.

Sept. 10: If your job compensation includes tips and you received $20 or more in gratuities in August, use Form 4070 to report them today to your employer by today.

Sept. 11: Today is Patriot Day, the annual observance to remember those who died or were injured during the terrorist attacks in New York City, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. on Sept. 11, 2001. On this annual National Day of Service and Remembrance, you can find charitable remembrance activities in your area through the National Corporation for Community Service, which grew out of the many commemorations of the 9/11 victims. You also can contribute to the nonprofit of your choice, either one that assists victims or in the name of someone you wish to honor.

Click image to visit the
Community Service Facebook page.
While the time you volunteer is not tax deductible, if you itemize you might be able to deduct your donation of cash or goods.

Sept. 13: This Friday the 13th was scary enough, but then you got that Internal Revenue Service notice notice. Don't panic. These 13 tax notice tips can help you deal with the IRS correspondence today or any day.

Sept. 16: It's estimated tax time again. Your third voucher for the 2019 tax year is due today, a day later than usual since the Sept. 15 deadline was on Sunday.

Sept. 23: Fall officially arrives today with the autumnal equinox at 3:50 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. It's a good time to think about home maintenance that will help you weather the coming colder weather. While making those necessary repairs, also consider home improvements that could increase your home's basis and guarantee you won't owe any capital gains tax on your eventual residential sale profit.

Sept. 30: September is ending, but not the 2019 hurricane season.

September started on an ominous storm note, with the Category 5 Hurricane Dorian heading for the United States' eastern seaboard.

This month typically is the busiest of the storm season, which runs through Nov. 30, so be ready. The countdown clock below can help you keep count of how many more days you have to track the tropics.

You also can find tips on getting ready, physically and financially, for hurricanes, as well as tax help for recovery efforts and tax deductions for donations to those who are hit by natural disasters at the ol' blog's Storm Warnings pages.

Small Business Tax Calendar: Important filing, deposit and record keeping dates throughout the year that your company needs to know. You can get more tax calendar information at the IRS' online calendar page and view the full year's important business and individual tax dates in IRS Pub. 509.

State Tax Help

Don't forget your state taxes!
Forty-three states and D.C. collect personal income taxes. But even if you live in of the seven states without an income levy, you still face other state (and local) taxes.

State Tax Departments provides links to your state's Web page. The companion page, Tax Tidbits, is the compilation of blurbs about each state's tax laws. And for more state tax news, check out all our state tax bloggings.

0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 ...

Taxes are all about the numbers.
Check out these (mostly) weekly
By the Numbers figures.

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Kudos Et Cetera

National Association
for Women in Communications
Winner, Best Personal Blog
2012, 2014 & 2017
Plutus Financial Bloggers Awards
Celebrating the Best
in Personal Finance
Winner, Best Tax Blog
2011 & 2013

I gotta tell ya ...

AKA Disclaimer:
I am a professional journalist who has been covering tax issues since 1999.
I am not a professional tax preparer.
The content on Don't Mess With Taxes is my personal opinion based on my study and understanding of tax laws, policies and regulations. It is provided for your private, noncommercial, educational and informational purposes only. It is not a recommendation of any specific tax action(s) you should or should not take. Similarly, mentions of products or services are not endorsements. In other words, my ramblings on the ol' blog are free advice and you know what they say about getting what you pay for. That's why when it comes to filing your taxes, I urge you to get additional, professional, paid-for guidance from an accountant, Enrolled Agent or other qualified tax preparer who is familiar with your individual tax circumstances.

©©©©© & ®®®®®

Don't Mess With Taxes®
is a registered trademark
of S. Kay Bell.

All content on this site is
© 2005-2019 S. Kay Bell
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Note 1: Some of the links on this site
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If you discover dead links, please e-mail me the details. Thanks.

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