May 1: It’s not such a merry day for some taxpayers. Not only did the residents of eight states have to earlier deal with a major natural disaster, their Tax Day that was delayed because of those damages is today, May Day, no doubt prompting a mayday call from some affected filers.
May 2: The rest of us made it through last month, the one that is home to the annual U.S. filing deadline. Did Tax Day mean you got or are expecting a big refund from that filing? Or did you end up owing Uncle Sam a lot? Either way, with your most recent taxes fresh in your mind, it's a good time for a paycheck checkup to determine whether you should adjust your payroll income tax withholding.
May 5: ¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo! Fiestas are always en vogue in Tejas, but the epitome of them is this Mexican holiday.
No, it is NOT Mexican Independence Day, and May 5 tends to spur more festivities here north of the border, especially when it comes to imbibing margaritas, the Lone Star State's unofficial cocktail. With every Cinco toast, remember that the cost of state and federal alcohol taxes are included in the mixing.
May 11: Happy Mother's Day!
Your mom meant it when you were young and she told you she didn’t need a gift today. But she definitely will appreciate a longer-than-usual hug on her special day. Love, flowers, and the best of health and happiness to every mother, from the new ones just discovering the joys, tax and otherwise, of new parenthood to those gracefully maneuvering their Golden Years and getting some year-round tax-advantaged help from their families.
May 12: If your job is as a server at a restaurant or at any other establishment where gratuities from customers are part of your compensation, I hope you get all the tips you deserve for doing your job well. Remember, though, that those tips are taxable income.
Whether you're dining at your favorite eatery or getting food, groceries and/or prepared meals, delivered to your home, if a tip isn't included on your restaurant or delivery bill, click the image above to calculate how much to tip the person who brought it to you.
And if you got at least $20 in gratuities in April for your extraordinary services as a food server or hair stylist or parking valet or whatever job where tipping is common, you must report that amount by today, a bit late since the normal 10th of the month deadline fell in May on Saturday. Use Form 4070 to let your employer know the total tips you took in last month.
May 19: Millions of taxpayers got an extension to file, or automatically got a later Tax Day due to a major disaster declaration. These individuals can still file electronically, which the IRS recommends. E-filing will speed up processing of returns whenever they are filed, as well as help Uncle Sam get refunds out more quickly. And yes, some late filers are due refunds.
The IRS-Free File Alliance partnership offers no-cost online tax preparation and electronic filing to taxpayers whose adjusted gross income (AGI) is $84,000 or less, regardless of filing status at the official IRS.gov Free File website.
Even better for eligible late filers, Free File will be available through the Oct. 15 extension deadline, with the same eight software companies that participated last year back for the 2025 filing season.
If your income is too high, you still can file for free by using Free File's Fillable Forms option.
May 23: Millions of Americans will be welcoming the unofficial start of summer this long Memorial Day weekend. It’s also when gasoline prices always seem to increase. Some of the pump price is attributable to fuel excise taxes. If pump prices climb too much, that may prompt you to look more closely into getting an electric vehicle (EV) before your next road trip, and before the current White House and Congress eliminate the potential $7,500 tax credit for some EVs.
May 26: Yes, the end-of-May long weekend is a time for fun. But don’t forget the real reason for the Memorial Day holiday. Take time to honor the military personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice. And don't forget about their families. There are some tax considerations offered survivors of lost soldiers, sailors, and air crew.
May 31: You filed your tax return six-plus weeks ago and you’re still waiting on your refund. What the what?! Quit fuming and check your refund’s status using the IRS' "Where's My Refund?" online tracking tool.
Small Business Tax Calendar: If you run your own company, you know there are myriad important filing, deposit and record keeping dates throughout the year that your company needs to meet. You also can track key business and individual tax deadlines in IRS Pub. 509.
I appreciate truth, but it seems that this show is nothing more than helping people to live under IRS fear a little more comfortably. I don't think "The IRS Hitman" has really had a change of heart, just a change of career. If he did he would be helping people be free from the fear, not submitting to it.
Fear makes people do insane and irrational things to cope/adapt to it. Such as ignore logic or reality.
If you want to see an example of this try asking a simple question like "what law makes the average US citizen liable to file a tax return and pay an income tax?" To many people this question is to be avoided/dodged/skirted etc at all costs as attempting to answer this question causes the fear in them to spike and they aren't capable of coping with that fear. So instaed of dealing with the question they would rather ignore/dodge it or make attacks of the messenger delivering the question.
The answer to this question? If you go look for yourself you won't find any such law, but for most people that doesn't matter. Fear is what matters and that is what decides for them.
I said that I appreciate truth, most people don't, unless it gets them what they want, and equally if believing a lie gets them what they want they go with that. Which group do you choose to be in?
Posted by: Abraham Clark | Wednesday, June 09, 2010 at 01:05 PM
While I find the concept interesting in light of what happened in Austin I'm not comfortable with the title.
Posted by: Toni McIntyre, CPA, E. A. | Monday, May 24, 2010 at 09:36 AM
As the Producer & co creator of the IRS Hitman, I’d like to offer you a bit more information. First of all, I'm certain we never touted the show as... "beat the IRS."
A "casting cal" was sent out, looking for people (not clients) with real IRS tax problems and interested in being in a new reality tv show. The response was overwhelming. I was shocked by so many people in trouble with the country’s largest collection agency called the IRS.
There are no “actors” in the show, and no made up stories. The lives the IRS Hitman has gone on to help are real, & actual IRS cases. No Reenactments. These are actual people in peril of financial disaster. Tough to make that up.
So...
Tune in on Sunday, June 6 and be prepare to be surprised.
Don Campbell
Producer
Reality TV with A Bullet:
The IRS (+) Hitman
irs-hitman.com
Posted by: don campbell | Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 06:15 PM