By the Numbers 2022

Hello 2022. Please promise you'll be kinder to all us weary taxpayers. We've been dealing with the havoc wreaked by COVID-19 on our personal and tax lives for way toooooo long!

I know the number we're most looking forward to is zero, as in no more cases of the coronavirus. I know, but a gal can dream.

Until then, we'll just have to be content in 2022 with more tax-related numbers. After all, what are taxes without all the digits?

What counts? Speaking of tax digits, By the Numbers recognition can go to just about any and every thing that can be counted in even a remote way as connected to taxes.

And yes, I am the final judge and arbiter. So you know sometimes the math might not seem to add up. No worries. This isn't something the Internal Revenue Service is going to audit!

The potential figures range from tax rate percentages to dollar amounts to titles of tax legislation to raw numbers and more. Much, much more.

If it can be associated (per my judgement) with taxes, federal or state, it counts!

Weekend counting: In keeping with the counting tradition, the By the Numbers honorees will be added to this page's running roster after they are highlighted in a post.

That usually will be on Sundays. Sometimes, though, a number gets early recognition, showing up on Saturday or even at the end of the traditional work week. And if some breaking tax news forces its way onto the ol' blog on Sunday, then the number will appear the next week.

But whenever they show up, they are counted.

Regardless of the timing, you can always find the numbers at the link in the ol' blog's right column under the multicolored numbers box, the same one that's pictured on this page. A click there will bring you to this collection of the all the year's tax numbers, with the most recent figure and blog post at the top of the list.

So here we go into the 12th year of the ol' blog's numerical tradition. And if you want to reminisce, you can recount the featured figures from 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021.

$20,000
IRS will delay $600 1099-K reporting for a year (Dec. 23, 2022)
$45,523.27
Inflation jacks up the cost of the 12 Days of Christmas gifts (Dec. 18, 2022)
60 euros and 5,000 euros
Italy PM seeks to ease limits on cash transactions, despite tax evasion concerns (Dec. 11, 2022)
3.7 million
IRS warns that tax refunds in 2023 might be smaller. Here are 3 reasons why (Dec. 4, 2022)
Dec. 31
Tax Turkey to Avoid #5: Losing FSA money you left in your health care account (Nov. 27, 2022)
1.2%, 11.2%, 61%, 87%, & 25%
Retirement savings' values have dropped, but some trends are positive (Nov. 20, 2022)
4.2 million
IRS tax return backlog is dwindling (Nov. 13, 2022)
90.6 percent
IRS-Criminal Investigation tax crime efforts pay off domestically and globally in FY22 (Nov. 6, 2022)
$496 billion and $540 billion
Tax Gap now $496 billion, says IRS (Oct. 30, 2022)
22
United States is mid-pack in global tax system rankings (Oct. 23, 2022)
Nov. 17, 2022
IRS Free File to stay open until Nov. 17 to help nonfilers claim missed tax credits (Oct. 16, 2022)
26 U.S.C. § 6861 and § 7429
Court OKs IRS' $1.4B jeopardy assessment in largest-ever tax fraud case (Oct. 9, 2022)
Feb. 15, 2023
Floridians have new Feb. 15, 2023, tax deadline in wake of Hurricane Ian devastation (Oct. 2, 2022)
$335 million
MO man get 8 years for $335M fraud, $615K tax schemes (Sept. 25, 2022)
46 percent
2.9 million children escaped poverty in 2021 thanks to expanded Child Tax Credit (Sept. 18, 2022)
46.6 million
Lots of NFL football & betting this first Sunday of the season (Sept. 11, 2022)
2
'Tax' typo in $2 taxi fare dispute leads to 2 nights in jail (Sept. 4, 2022)
84,000
Offshore tax loophole helps U.S. tax cheats (Aug. 28, 2022)
$26,611,411.13
Federal FBAR suit seeks $26 million in penalties (Aug. 21, 2022)
10 percent
Taxpayer Advocate recommends compensation for some no-change audits (Aug. 14, 2022)
98 months
Spanish officials want Shakira to serve 98 months in jail if convicted of tax evasion (Aug. 7, 2022)
$124 billion
IRS gets lots more money under inflation reduction bill (July 31, 2022)
42 percent
UK officials cracking down on tax cheats (July 24, 2022)
$855.4 million
New Mexico movie/TV shoots bring in record $855.4 million (July 17, 2022)
May 13, 1971
Tax committee chair seeks investigation into IRS leaders' knowledge of Comey, McCabe audits (July 10, 2022)
72 percent
July 4th highway travel robust despite gas prices & no federal fuel tax holiday (July 3, 2022)
$13.6 billion
House appropriations panel OKs $13.6 billion for IRS in FY23 (June 26, 2022)
30,000
Down market offers opportunity for tax-loss harvesting (June 18, 2022)
June 15
June 15 is tax deadline for filers abroad, estimated tax payers, and some Puerto Rico residents (June 12, 2022)
$200,000
KY homeowners get 8 years of free services due to tax office recording error (June 5, 2022)
$1,418
Revolutionary sailors' report of misconduct led to first U.S. whistleblower law (May 29, 2022)
$63 million
Kansas tax officials lose multimillion-dollar residency case (May 22, 2022; yes, a second one this week)
5
Treasury awards $639M to 5 states for small business support programs (May 20, 2022)
$163 billion
$163 billion in unemployment fraud run up during pandemic (May 15, 2022)
1,589
Upstate NY homeowners get property tax, STAR rebate scare (May 8, 2022)
IRS N-2020-10
2022 tax-related housing cost adjustments for expensive international locales (May 1, 2022)
2
Tax tradition return redux: Biden and Harris again release their tax returns (April 24, 2022)
$100 million
IRS won't accept checks of $100 million or more (April 17, 2022)
June 15 redux
Taxpayers abroad (including military postings) get until June 15 to file tax returns (April 10, 2022)
May 16 & June 15
Tax Day is delayed until May 16, June 15 for some disaster victims (April 3, 2022)
April 1
RMD deadline for some older account owners is April 1. No fooling (March 27, 2022)
58 percent
Survey says most of us think our tax bills are too high (March 20, 2022)
$12.6 billion
$12.6 billion headed to IRS in fiscal 2022 funding bill (March 13, 2022)
March 12
IRS TACs open for walk-in tax help on Saturday, March 12 (March 6, 2022)
H.R. 6806
Is the end near for sports stadium tax breaks? (Feb. 27, 2022)
April 8
Improve the IRS by joining the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (Feb. 20, 2022)
$37,500 gold, $22,500 silver, and $15,000 bronze
Super Olympian Sunday 2022: Medal money, taxes, & NFL (Feb. 13, 2022)
64 percent
U.S. expatriations dropped dramatically in 2021 (Feb. 6, 2022)
$600
Personal cash app transfers are NOT part of new IRS reporting rule (Jan. 30, 2022)
$27,800
Standard deduction amounts for 2021 tax returns (Jan. 23, 2022)
8
Free File 2022 is open; 8 companies offer no-cost tax software (Jan. 15, 2022)
10
IRS-CI countdown of 2021's Top 10 criminal tax cases (Jan. 9, 2022)
EO 14058
Biden executive order calls for improved IRS telephone, online options (Jan. 2, 2022)

Today's Tax Tip

4 September tax moves — Sept. 1 marked the arrival of Meteorological Fall, but it's still pretty darn hot across much of the United States. As we await the crisp chill of autumn, here are four cool tax moves to make this month. (Sept. 3, 2024)
The 2024 Tax Tips offer ways to file your annual return, along with post-filing advice, important tax news and, of course, ways to cut your current tax year bill. You'll find the monthly assemblages on their own respective pages: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December. Remember, tax tasks and tips don't stop after you file your annual return!

All About Kay

OK, some about Kay

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

Tax Season 2024 continues!

We made it. Tax Day 2024 is finally over. For most of us. An estimated 19 million taxpayers got an extension to file their 2023 tax year return. That's fine.
In fact, the Internal Revenue Service appreciates some of us spreading out our filings. It gives the agency time to process the surge of returns
that came in on April 15.

But enough about Uncle Sam's tax collector and its issues. The focus now is on all y'all who filed for extensions, giving you another six months to complete your return. Let's get started on meeting that new Oct. 15 deadline. It will be here before you know it.

The monthly tips and reminders a little further down this column can help you finish up your Form 1040. There also will be tax tidbits each month that make sure you meet other tax deadlines. And, of course, you'll find advice on ways to cut your still adding up 2024 tax bill.

Finally, keep an eye on the countdown clock below. It will help you track yet more days tick, tick, ticking off toward that absolutely final fall filing due date.
Note: I'm in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.

Time for Tax Tasks

🍁 Hello 🍁 September 🍁
🍂 Fall 🍂 is 🍂 here! 🍂

OK, fall’s not here yet, at least not here in Texas according to still quite-warm temperatures. But forecasters say cooler weather — like highs in the 80s; yes, everything, especially weather, is relative — is on its way, and that meteorological promise gives up hope.

via GIPHY

As we get ready for the promised bit of chill, September also is a great month to make some cool tax moves, like those listed below. So, grab a sweater (or not yet), and let's go!
Sept. 1: Today is Meteorological Fall, the three months from Sept. 1 through Nov. 30 when days get shorter and cooler, but not cold. It's also the start of the annual National Preparedness Month. This year’s theme is “Start a Conversation,” since it's important to talk with your loved ones about potential emergencies. It's also critical to be prepared, as the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico hurricane season usually peaks in September.

We’ve already had three tropical systems do enough damage to prompt Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) major disaster declarations. The 2024 tropical storm season’s second named storm, Hurricane Beryl, landed as “just” a category 1 on the Texas coast, but still took 38 souls and left Lone Star State residents facing an estimated $30 billion in damages.

Hurricane Debby made two U.S. landfalls, in the Big Bend area of Florida and then again in South Carolina before moving up the Eastern Seaboard, producing disaster declarations all the way up to Vermont. Tropical Storm Ernesto, followed, slamming the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as spawning deadly rip tides along East Coast beaches as the storm moved toward Bermuda.

And, coinciding with Meteorological Fall, we’ve still got three months of the 2024 hurricane season to go!

That has coastal residents on edge, since Uncle Sam's official forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center say we could get 17 to 25 total named storms, which are those with winds of 39 mph or higher. Of those, eight to 13 are forecast to become hurricanes, meaning winds of 74 mph or higher. Four to seven becoming major hurricanes; that’s category 3, 4 or 5, with winds of 111 mph or higher.

Regardless of the count, it only takes one to wreck your world. If you haven’t already, get ready for not just tropical systems, but whatever dangerous weather that’s common where you live. The countdown clock above 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 collection of special pages with posts offer tax advice on preparing for, recovering from, and helping those who sustain damages from the many ways that that weather goes wild.

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

When you get back to work after this three day holiday, take a few minutes to check the federal tax amount that’s coming out of your paychecks. If you need to adjust your withholding so that you have the most accurate amount of taxes withheld, now is the time to do that. Submitting a new W-4 early this month will mean any changes are spread over the last four months of the year, making any impact less noticeable.

Sept. 3: If you live in Auglaize, Crawford, Darke, Delaware, Hancock, Licking, Logan, Mercer, Miami, Richland, or Union counties in Ohio, today is your Tax Day. The Internal Revenue Service granted individual and businesses in those counties tax relief since they were declared major disaster areas following a tornado outbreak in March.

Sept. 10: Do you work 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 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 August 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. Use Form 4070 to let your employer know the total tips you took in last month.

Sept. 16: Today is the deadline to pay your third installment of estimated taxes. This tax is due on income that’s not subject to withholding, such as investment earnings or contract work. Most estimated tax filers make the payments four times a year. The September payment is for such earnings received in June, July, and August. It’s usually on the 15th, but since that was Sunday, the deadline is pushed to the next business day — today!

Sept. 23: Sept. 22: The Autumnal Equinox arrives today at 8:44 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time in the Northern Hemisphere, marking the first day of Fall for all us who don't follow the meteorological fall calendar. Adjust for your time zone, since the equinox occurs at the same moment worldwide. It's also a go-to day to think about home maintenance that will help you weather the coming colder weather. The Inflation Relief Act includes extension of older and addition of new energy-related tax breaks, including some for residential energy improvements.

Sept. 30: Wow! Where did September go? That’s a good question to ask if you got an extension to file your 2023 tax return earlier this year. The last day of this ninth month means that your absolutely final Oct. 15 due day is another month closer. So you might want to get to work on that Form 1040 now. The easiest way to do do is to use tax software and electronically file.

If your adjusted gross income is $79,000 or less, you should check into Free File, the no-cost online tax preparation and electronic filing program offered by the IRS and its Free File Alliance partners. It’s open through the Oct. 15 extension deadline. This year, eight tax software companies offer programs to qualifying taxpayers.

Note that the Free File $79,000 or less income threshold applies to all filing statuses. If your income is too high, you still can file for free by using Free File's Free Forms option.

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 Forms 2024 page.

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A collection of Kay Bell stories
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How to Keep More
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Tax Reading Room
You also might enjoy these other tax tips from some of my tax-writing colleagues:
J.K. Lasser 2024 Taxes
Taxes for Dummies 2024
Tax Savvy for Small Business

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

Kudos Et Cetera

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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 interpretation and 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. While I work to ensure each post's accuracy, the items are not recommendations of any specific tax action(s) you should or should not take. Similarly, mentions of commercial tax products or services are not endorsements.

In other words, my ramblings on the ol' tax blog are free advice, and you know what they say about getting what you pay for. That's why when it is time for you to file your own taxes, I urge you to get additional, professional, paid-for guidance from an accountant, Enrolled Agent, or other reputable, qualified tax preparer who is familiar with your individual tax circumstances.

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COVID-19 & Taxes

Coronavirus has wreaked havoc
on the 2020 and 2021 tax seasons.
These five Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Taxes pages have details:
March-July 2020
August-December 2020
January-December 2021
January-December 2022
…and so it continues into 2023
…and, alas, into 2024
You can find medical coronavirus resource links in the next section.

COVID-19 Resources

Need help finding a coronavirus vaccine in the United States?
Call 1-800-232-0233
or TTY 1-888-720-7489.
More information and resources at:
CDC Vaccines
CDC Booster Shots
HHS Combat COVID
USA.Gov COVID Info

September 2024

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Photo by Kay Bell
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Tell it to the Hill

While it's easy to rail at the IRS, for the most part we can thank — or blame — Congress and the White House for our tax laws. So if you have an issue with tax legislation or want a tax bill passed, you need to let your federal legislators and the White House occupant know of your concerns. You can find out who in Washington, D.C., to contact (and how), as well as get information on your local lawmakers for matters, tax or otherwise, closer to home, at USA Gov.

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