By the Numbers 2025

Hello brand spanking new 2025! Why so cordial? Because this year should be a relatively easy one as far as taxes.

Congress didn't make any major tax changes, at any point last year, so we're dealing with tax provisions that are pretty familiar.

Also, we're again on the usual tax calendar with its familiar deadlines. We know that unless a major disaster disrupts our lives in the early part of the year, we'll need to get our taxes done by April 15.

Another thing that's the same this year is this page. OK, it's a different page, but it's the 2025 version of the ol' blog's long-standing feature By the Numbers.

So what counts? Taxes are, of course, all about the digits. As far as those that make it into BtN (as I refer to it), 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 sometimes skewed judgement) with taxes, federal or state, it counts!

And yes, I am the final judge and arbiter. So if you thing the math here on this page might not seem to add up, no worries. The BtN collection isn't something the IRS is going to audit!

They all have some sort of tax connection, although sometimes it's tangential and/or is based on what some say (OK, what the hubby says) is my penchant for absurdist humor.

However, there is nothing funny in the figures selected for the first BtN recognition of 2025. It's a post on those who were in disaster areas, as mentioned earlier, last year and whose 2023 tax year filing deadlines were delayed into 2025.

I promise, though, that I'll find some lighter numerical fare for future BtN honorees.

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 tallied.

Regardless of the timing, you can always find the numbers at the links in the ol' blog's right column under the multicolored numbers box, the same one that's pictured at the top of this page. A click on the image will take you to the BtN category showing all the figures that have been featured. A click on the red By the Numbers text under the image will bring you to this collection of the 2025 tax numbers, with the most recent figure and blog post at the top of the list.

So here we go into the 15th year of the ol' blog's numerical tradition, with a jumpstart from the last BtN honoree of 2024.

11,443
IRS has lost 11,000+ employees so far this year under Trump/Musk cuts (May 11, 2025)
22.6 percent
Trump's FY26 budget seeks 23% cut in domestic programs (May 4, 2025)
May 1, 2025
May 1 is disaster-delayed Tax Day for filers in 8 states (April 27, 2025)
3
Rapid-fire IRS leadership changes during tax filing week (April 20, 2025)
April 15
April 15 is the deadline for more than just filing Form 1040 (April 13, 2025)
Form 4868
File for an extension if you can’t finish your taxes by April 15 (April 6, 2025)
58 percent
Most Americans favor raising taxes on higher-earners and big businesses (March 30, 2025)
3
How your state pays for its roads (March 23, 2025)
$2.4 trillion
Proposed IRS layoffs could cost U.S. $2.4 trillion (March 16, 2025)
IRS Notice 2025-16 and IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-17
IRS announces 2025 tax year allowances for international locales with expensive housing (March 9, 2025)
$220,000
Oscars swag bags hold $220,000 in taxable goodies (March 1, 2025)
20 percent
House Budget chair proposes halving estate tax rate (Feb. 23, 2025)
15,000
IRS could fire 15,000 employees this coming week (Feb. 16, 2025)
5
IRS auctioning Tekashi 6ix9ine property to cover some of the rapper’s tax debt (Feb. 9, 2025)
Feb. 2
When Tax Groundhog Day, aka fixing a prior return by filing Form 1040-X, is wise (Feb. 2, 2025)
10
IRS Criminal Investigation’s top 10 cases of 2024 (Jan. 26, 2025)
50
GOP looking at 200+ spending cuts and tax changes (Jan. 19, 2025)
Oct. 15, 2026
California wildfire victims qualify for tax relief, including delayed Oct. 15, 2025, filing and payment deadline (Jan. 12, 2025) And yes, the year 2026 in the link is correct; it's a special deadline that disaster area filers must meet to decide which tax year to claim a tax deduction for disaster losses.
Feb. 3, May 1, Sept. 30
Taxpayers in 24 states and 2 territories facing disaster-delayed 2023 filing deadlines (Jan. 5, 2025)
Dec. 31
Tax matters that matter on December 31 (Dec. 29, 2024)

Need more numbers? You can recount the featured figures from 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Today's Tax Tip

Tax-saving HSA contribution limits go up in 2026 — The amounts that health savings account (HSA) owners can put into this tax-advantaged medical plan is going up next year. The increase is part of the IRS’ adjustment this week of the 2026 limits for HSAs, associated high deductible health plans (HDHPs), and the lesser-used health reimbursement arrangement (HRA). (May 2, 2025)
The 2025 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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Tax Year 2025 Continues!

We made it. Tax Day 2025 is finally over. For most of us. When the filing season started on Jan. 27, the IRS said it expected more than 140 million individual tax returns for tax year 2024 to be filed by April 15. When the month started, the agency was around 39 million short of that number. While many taxpayers no doubt got their 1040s in by Tax Day, million every year get an extension to file. That's fine.

In fact, the Internal Revenue Service appreciates some of us spreading out our tax submissions. It gives the agency time to process the surge of returns that arrive en masse on April 15.

But enough about Uncle Sam's tax collection 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 extended 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 2025 tax bill.

The monthly tips and reminders a little further down this column can help you finish up your extended 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 2025 tax bill.
Note: I'm in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.

Time for Tax Tasks

💐 May 💐 is 💐 here! 💐

You've got to love a month that starts with a celebration, at least globally. But even though May Day isn’t an official or very big deal here in the United States, there still are lots of other May celebrations. Cinco de Mayo. Mother’s Day. Memorial Day.

May Pole Dance via GIPHY

In between, we can celebrate the arrival of the month that, for most taxpayers, means the main 2025 tax task of filing our returns is behind us. Now it’s on to shower-fed flowers, balmy days, and additional tax moves to take care of so that the rest of the year goes smoothly. Let the May tax merriment begin!
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.

State Tax Help

Don't forget your state taxes!
Forty-two states and D.C. collect personal income taxes. But even if you live in of the eight states without any 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 2025 page.

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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 2025 Taxes
Tax Savvy for Small Business 2025

Taxes, Accounting, and Bookkeeping
3-in-1 Bible 2025

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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
It is 2025 and, yes, it's still an issue
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

May 2025

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Red yucca and orb spider after April shower. (Photo by Kay Bell)
...............................................

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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