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.
This is a topic which is close to my heart... Many thanks! Where are your contact details though?
Posted by: Jacob | Tuesday, December 03, 2013 at 06:40 AM
Do I detect a hint of sarcasm? ;-D
Posted by: Kay | Monday, April 08, 2013 at 04:55 PM
Goodness gracious I was beginning to panic! You have saved me thank you!
Posted by: Tulisaa | Monday, April 08, 2013 at 01:20 PM
Great tips here! If I had one quick tax tip to give this season, it would be to look for discounts on H&R Block, Tax Act, and TurboTax. Here's some that we put together: http://www.financialsprout.com/best-turbotax-discount-codes-and-coupons/
Posted by: Rob | Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at 11:18 AM
Thanks so much for this. And the previous comment about ringing a town bell...that is awesome! Unfortunately we don't have that, but if we did, i would most certainly go and ring it!
Posted by: comprehensive insurance | Monday, March 18, 2013 at 05:01 AM
I can use all the help I can get with taxes... I just wish I had found this a little earlier!
Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Simon | Monday, March 11, 2013 at 06:41 AM
Thanks so much for the information.
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Posted by: Tips_commodity | Saturday, February 16, 2013 at 12:34 AM
Sun, I'm not exactly sure what issues you're having with the mobile links, but here's the joint vs separate filing link: http://www.bankrate.com/finance/money-guides/tax-filing-for-couples.aspx?ic_id=nwsltr_taxtip_20130214
Posted by: Kay | Friday, February 15, 2013 at 10:11 AM
When I go to your marriage tax article on my iPhone safari keeps taking me to the home page weird... Thanks your articles are timely and well written. I was curious about filing joit vs filing separately and bam there it was :)
Posted by: Sun | Friday, February 15, 2013 at 09:15 AM
Krista, the IRS says it plans to start processing returns claiming education credits on Thursday, February 14, 2013
Posted by: Kay | Friday, February 08, 2013 at 02:10 PM
When can this aoc tax credit be filed for 2012?
Posted by: krista | Friday, February 08, 2013 at 12:56 PM
Do you ever ring a bell when you finish your taxes? My town has a good sized one over by South Park Centre. People are supposed to ring it whenever they've done an accomplishment. Finishing my taxes is accomplishment enough for me, so I get to ring it then.
Posted by: billshields2 | Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 08:35 PM