By the Numbers 2019

The 2019 tax year started awkwardly. The Internal Revenue Service is getting ready to open a filing season that involves the first major tax law changes in more than three decades but it's stymied by a partial government shutdown.

While we're waiting for the folks in Washington, D.C., to get their acts together, life and taxes go on. We still have to deal with the annual onslaught of forms and documents and, of course, numbers.

Then when that's done and we're assessed the damage, we have to make tax moves for 2019 so that our result will be less taxing this time next years.

All this means that we're going to be awash in lots and lots of tax-related numbers.

At least from my standpoint, all these figures provide plenty of fodder for the 2019 version of By the Numbers.

This is the ninth year for this numerical tradition here at the ol' blog.

And in keeping with the numeric posts of 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 2017 and 2018, I'll select a new figure each week.

The figures will range from tax rate percentages to dollar amounts to titles of tax legislation to raw numbers and much, much more. Basically, I'll choose any and every thing that can be counted in even a remote tax way as the weekly feature.

Again as in past years, I'll try to get the relevant figures up each weekend, usually on Sunday. But sometimes stuff happens, meaning the number goes up early or, more often than not, late.

Regardless of the timing, you can always find a link to the new number on the ol' blog's home page under the multicolored numbers box (pictured on this page, too!), as well as on this special page. The newest post each week will go at the top of the list.

So welcome 2019. Let's make you count!

1.4 percent
Trump's tariffs caused job losses and price increases, says Federal Reserve report (Dec. 29, 2019)
2020
Tax law changes, from extenders to disaster relief to retirement and more, now official (Dec. 22, 2019)
30 percent
Greece to require digital transactions to fight tax evasion (Dec. 15, 2019)
100
IRS criminal investigators tout 2019 successes, look to year 101's tax crime challenges (Dec. 8, 2019)
4
States continue court fights over SALT deduction limit (Dec. 1, 2019)
36
Drought-stricken farmers, ranchers get more time to report tax on livestock forced-sale gains (Nov. 24, 2019)
$3,900
Cryptocurrency tax compliance effort a success for asset owners and IRS (Nov. 17, 2019)
10
10-part series on the 2020 inflation adjustments to popular tax provisions (one post a day from Nov. 6, 2019, through Nov. 15, 2019; link goes to Part 1, which has an index to the other 9 posts)
23 trillion
National debt passes $23 trillion for first time ever (Nov. 2, 2019)
7.25 percent
Chicago mayor seeks increase in city's cloud tax (Oct. 27, 2019)
$115,000
Philadelphia collects $115,000 in soda tax fines (Oct. 20, 2019)
$?
The last fee-free PTIN season starts Oct. 16 (Oct. 13, 2019)
20
Taxpayers in 19 states & D.C. now can get special IRS IP PIN to fight tax identity theft (Oct. 6, 2019)
$1 million
KC Chiefs take $1M sales tax fight to MO Supreme Court (Sept. 29, 2019)
281
281 people arrested in connection with global email scams (Sept. 22, 2019)
$15 trillion
Tax version of 'Phantom Menace' comes to $15 trillion in global tax haven money moves (Sept. 15, 2019)
100
IRS celebrating 100 years of capturing tax criminals (Sept. 8, 2019)
$460
New tariffs today mean higher prices for U.S. consumers (Sept. 1, 2019)
$74 million
Projecting marijuana tax revenue is an iffy exercise (Aug. 25, 2019)
$230,000
Treasury and IRS tax auctions offer bargains (Aug. 17, 2019)
18 U.S. Code Section 1030
Former college student pleads guilty to trying to hack Trump's taxes (Aug. 11, 2019)
229
U.S. Coast Guard, created to collect some taxes for a young America, turns 229 (Aug. 4, 2019)
1
Tax scores upset win, this time in horse race, not Congress (July 28, 2019)
34
Remembering former IRS Commissioner Mortimer Caplin (July 21, 2019)
1040
IRS proposes Form 1040 changes for 2019 filings (July 14, 2019)
900,259.362
Tax audits drop, according to latest IRS data (July 7, 2019)
85 percent and 95 percent
Tax cheating is wrong, say most U.S. taxpayers (June 30, 2019)
$2,215,587 and $735,933
Former government tax attorney pleads guilty to tax evasion (June 23, 2019)
$4.8 million and $1.4 million
Tax Court judges reject companies' payment plan offers (June 15, 2019)
47.6 percent
Big Jeopardy winner owes more than $1 million in taxes (June 9, 2019)
W-4
IRS reworks W-4 to help taxpayers withhold correct amounts (June 2, 2019)
$102 million
Trump's golf outing costs reach $102 million and counting (May 26, 2019)
570,000
Mismatched tax ID numbers worry workers, employers and Social Security (May 19, 2019)
80 percent
Tax break gifts for moms on Mother's (and every) Day (May 12, 2019)
51 percent
Most small business owners happy with new tax law (May 5, 2019)
Rev. Proc. 2019-18
Pro athlete trades get tax relief from IRS (April 28, 2019)
$2.7 billion
IRS technology upgrade will require up to $2.7 billion (April 21, 2019)
50 million
5 tax tips for snail mail filers (April 14, 2019)
$50,851
IRS audit interest piqued by DIFferent deduction amounts (April 7, 2019)
$2,915
Tax refund wait prompts alleged assault (March 31, 2019)
12
2019's Dirty Dozen tax scams repeat last year's list (March 24, 2019)
$1,408,482,000
More than $1.4 billion in tax refunds awaiting claims by taxpayers who didn't file in 2016 (March 18, 2019)
$3.50 and $16
Taxes on your St. Patrick's Day green beer (March 17, 2019)
July 31
Alabama tornado victims' tax deadline now July 31 (March 10, 2019)
$3,143 and $3,226
2019's average tax refunds finally surpass 2018 amounts (March 1, 2019)
$2,640
Smaller tax refunds could slow U.S. economy (Feb. 24, 2019)
26
Expired tax extenders not yet on track for renewal (Feb. 17, 2019)
$30,000
Grammys swag bag worth a taxable $30,000 (Feb. 10, 2019)
33
Super Bowl prop bets could pay off nicely for gamblers and the IRS (Feb. 3, 2019)
14,000
IRS workers calling in sick by thousands during shutdown (Jan. 25, 2019)
$1,000
IRS offers tax penalty relief to some who didn't have enough withheld or paid too little estimated taxes (Jan. 20, 2019)
22* 35
22 days and counting into the longest federal government shutdown ever (Jan. 12, 2019) *Day count will be updated, well, daily until the shutdown ends.
6
6 top tax issues of 2018 and what to expect in 2019 (Jan. 6, 2019)

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Weekly Tax Tip

Don't overlook tax ballot initiatives — Yes, voting for president and your other government officials is important. But you also likely will see a ballot question or two when you cast your vote on Nov. 3. And several of them are tax-related. Here's a look at 2020's tax ballot measures. (Oct. 30, 2020)
Check out all the latest post-Tax Day tax advice in the 2020 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 got an extension and are still working on your 2019 return, you can get a refresher of the 2020 Filing Season Tax Tips at their respective monthly pages:
January, February, March, April, May, June and July.

COVID-19 & Taxes

Coronavirus has wreaked havoc
on the 2020 tax season.
This Coronavirus (COVID-19) & Taxes page has details.

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 Year 2020 Countdown
It's over! We cleared the final 2019 tax year extended filing deadline, unless you get more time because your filing was affected by a major natural disaster; you can find those delayed due dates in #7 of this final filing tips post. For most of us, though, the passage of Oct. 15 means it's time to focus on the Form 1040 that we'll file next year. In most cases, that means we have until Dec. 31 to make moves that will reduce our already accruing 2020 tax bill. The countdown clock below will make sure you don't miss out making important tax-saving moves the rest of this year. And the Tax Tasks below the counter will list tax actions to take in each of these final 2½ months of the year.
Note: I'm in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.

Time for Tax Tasks

Boo! The scariest month of the year is here and ramped up in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Read about the history of jack o'lanterns

Oct. 1: In addition to medically masked adults and costumed child-size Halloween goblins and ghouls descending on your neighborhood at the end of this month, one of the scariest October items is that countdown clock a little higher up in this column. It's a stark reminder for millions of ultimate procrastinators that their deadline to file extended 2019 tax returns is nearly over. Don't worry. I'll remind you again as Oct. 15 nears.

But why push the deadline? Gather all the documents you need to file your Form 1040, like your W-2 and any 1099s and receipts associated with your self-employment income, be it full-time or side hustle earnings. This tax preparation checklist can help.

Oct. 5: OK. You're ready to finally file that Form 1040 before the 15th. Great! Now make sure you don't overspend to do so. Check out Free File, the IRS/tax software industry partnership that offers eligible taxpayers access to online tax preparation programs and federal return e-filing at no cost.

This year 10 software companies are participating at IRS.gov's Free File webpage. It's available for taxpayers with adjusted gross income of $69,000 or less regardless of filing status. If you make too much to use the online software, look into using Free File's fillable forms.

Oct. 12: So another week slipped by without you filing your taxes. No judging. I've been there. The good news is that today is the federal Columbus Day holiday or, in many states and cities, now designated Indigenous People's Day. If you don't have to head into the office or check in on some work from home Zoom calls, this is a great day to deal with your extended taxes. The IRS has some final filing tips.

Oct. 13: Some restaurants that closed earlier this year as part of pandemic precautions across the country have reopened. Other eateries stuck with take-out meals and deliveries. Whether you're able to dine in or still getting food brought to your house, remember to tip your server or delivery person.

If a tip isn't included in your food delivery charge, click the image above to calculate how much to tip the person who brought it to you.

As for servers who now are back on the job, remember that your tips are taxable income. If you worked at least some of September at a job where you got gratuities, you need to account for them today if they came to at least $20 last month. Use Form 4070 to report your tips today to your employer.

Oct. 15: It's here! The absolutely, positively final filing deadline for your 2019 return. Get your Form 1040 and any of the now just three schedules you need en route to the IRS today or you'll face penalty and interest charges.

E-filers, whether using the previously mentioned Free File or a paid-for tax software package, technically have until midnight their time to hit "enter" on their computer keyboard. But I suggest you don't push that deadline. A late technical problem by either the IRS or your software provider could turn into a costly late-filing issue.

If you're sending in an old-fashioned paper return, check with your Post Office to make sure you get your tax envelope there in time to be postmarked today. That's your paper filing proof of timely tax filing.

Today's also the deadline to touch base with the IRS if you didn't get a COVID-19 economic impact payment and want the money this year. This is the case if you didn't have to file a return for 2018 or 2019. The only way the IRS will know where to send your coronavirus stimulus money is for you to provide your info using the online Non-Filers Tool. If you don't do so by today, you'll have to wait until 2021 for your money.

Oct. 21: Now that your 2019 return is finally done, it's time to work on reducing your 2020 tax bill. One easy step to take now is to review your payroll withholding. If you find, whether you filed this month or back in July, that you owed a lot or got a big refund, you should use the IRS' online withholding tool to make sure a more appropriate amount of income tax comes out of each of 2020 remaining paychecks. If your withholding tweak gets you more money each payday, consider putting some of it into your retirement savings.

Oct. 25: Many folks' retirement money is in a workplace account, typically a 401(k). That's just one of the employer-provided benefits that companies offer their workers. And October is open enrollment season at many companies. Take time to carefully review what's offered before enrollment ends.

Oct. 31: Sure, it's Halloween. But even scarier than the ghosts and monsters wandering your neighborhood tonight is the knowledge that we still have another month of hurricane season ahead of us. If your area hasn't been hit by any tropical system so far, good for you. But your luck might not hold, as the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico hurricane season runs through the end of November. So that you're ready for another Hurricane Laura or, hopefully, a less severe storm, prepare now.

Uncle Sam's official forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) expect 2020 to bring as many as 19 named storms, with six to eight possibly becoming hurricanes. Three to six could reach major status, which is category 3, 4 or 5 with winds of 111 mph or higher. Regardless of the count, it only takes one to wreak havoc. The countdown clock below can help you keep track of how many more days you have to worry about tracking any size or type of tropical storms.

You also might want to check out the ol' blog's special Storm Warnings.
These multi-page collections of posts offer tax advice on preparing for, recovering from and helping those who sustain damages from the many ways that that weather goes wild.

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.

Tax Forms

Thanks to our increased use of tax preparers and computer software, many of us don't see our tax forms until we sign and file them. But knowing what's on these documents, either in paper or digital form, and why the IRS wants it is key to understanding our tax system. And knowledge definitely is power, especially when it comes to tax savings. Find this valuable information in the ol' blog's special Tax Form Tuesday page.

Mapping Your Tax Route

Do you get lost doing your taxes? Check out the Taxpayer Advocate Service's Taxpayer Roadmap.

This publication, designed along the lines of a subway map, shows the many routes and detours of a taxpayer's journey through our elaborate Internal Revenue Code and the Internal Revenue Service's enforcement of our tax collection system.

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Taxes are all about the numbers.
Check out these (mostly) weekly
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Kudos Et Cetera

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for Women in Communications
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2012, 2014 & 2017
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Celebrating the Best
in Personal Finance
Winner, Best Tax Blog
2011 and 2013
Lifetime Achievement Nominee 2020

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.

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October 2020

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