Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Taxes

2020 is the year of COVID-19. The deadly coronavirus pandemic has totally upended our lives, real and tax.

Obviously, our actual lives and those of our families, friends, neighbors and larger circles in which we usually travel are the most important.

But part of keeping those sectors safe and ongoing is trying to hold on to some sort of normalcy. That's why here at the ol' blog, tax posts remain on my list, if no longer at the top of my list.

And, of course, that means keeping up with — or trying to — with how COVID-19 has affected our tax lives.

Thus was born this special Coronavirus and Taxes blog page. Here you'll find coronavirus links from official government websites, professional associations, firms and tax policy think tanks, as well as, of course, the ol' blog.

I'm kicking it off with COVID-19 posts from Don't Mess With Taxes because, well, it's my blog! The following posts are ones that are predominantly focused on new laws, Treasury and/or IRS rulings and proposed legislation that does or might affect our taxes. This list will be updated as I post new coronavirus tax items.

IRS is resuming issuance of tax balance-due notices (Oct. 25, 2020)
In the wake of disasters & COVID-19, will the IRS be ready for the 2021 tax season? (Oct. 24, 2020)
Nov. 10 is national COVID economic relief registration day (Oct. 23, 2020)
COVID-19 relief payment deadlines are just days away (Monday, Sept. 28, 2020)
COVID EIPs await non-filers nationwide, especially in some NY ZIP Codes (Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020)
COVID tax credits highlighted by IRS during National Small Business Week (Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020)
No 1099-C for forgiven PPP loans, but this tax form still issued in other taxable canceled debt cases (Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020)
State revenue loss due to COVID-19 not as bad as feared (Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020)
1 million+ Californians top list of missed COVID payments (Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020)
Senators push for end of forced deferral of federal employee payroll tax (Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020)
IRS special letter going to non-filers with info on how to get COVID tax relief payments by year's end (Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020)
Federal workers are forced payroll tax deferral guinea pigs (Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020)
Treasury clears up Trump's payroll tax order. Just kidding! (Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020)
IRS approves e-signatures for 10 tax forms, temporarily (Friday, Aug. 28, 2020)
Tax injured spouses to get catch-up COVID-19 payments (Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020)
IRS waives some bad check charges (Monday, Aug. 24, 2020)
COVID-created tax refund interest payments going to nearly 14 million filers (Sunday, Aug. 23, 2020)
IRS stops sending nonpayment tax notices until it clears COVID snail mail backlog (Saturday, Aug. 22, 2020)
W&M chair to IRS: Stop sending COVID-delayed notices (Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020)
IRS knows some recently issued nonpayment notices are wrong. Now what? (Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020)
Get government benefits? Have kids? You get one more chance to claim added COVID cash (Friday, Aug. 14, 2020)
IRS now sending some erroneously denied COVID-19 dependent relief payments (Monday, Aug. 10, 2020)
Trump COVID executive actions sidestep stalled Congressional relief talks (Sunday, Aug. 9, 2020)
Home office tax deduction still available, just not for COVID-displaced employees working from home (Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020)
4 August tax moves to make during pandemic Dog Days (Monday, Aug. 3, 2020)

If you've made it this far you probably know that tax changes due to COVID-19 began well before early August. The White House, and therefore Congress, started taking notice of this serious health threat in March. In the ensuing months, there have been many pieces of tax legislation, as well as special tasks assigned the Internal Revenue Service, that were prompted by the pandemic. In fact, there have been so many new tax laws and actions that I've moved the earlier tax-related COVID-19 posts to another special page, Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Taxes: And so it began. There you'll find tax posts that were published from Tuesday, March 10, through Friday, July 31.

There also are some posts during this time frame, which started in early March (and, as noted in the box above, have been moved to a new overflow blog page), that tangentially reference COVID-19's effects on taxes, but not enough so to make the official coronavirus cut above.

If you're interested in seeing those, too, you can browse the new Coronavirus COVID-19 category. The posts above (as well as those on the second page with the earlier items)will show up, too, but just keep scrolling to find others that didn't make this coronavirus tax specific list.

Now to other off-blog resources.

First, there are the official government sites. The image above recommends Coronavirus.gov, which basically is a landing page (like this), so below are my suggestions.

Internal Revenue Service (IRS): Coronavirus Tax Relief and Economic Impact Payments

Treasury: How the Treasury Department is Taking Action

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Social Security Administration (SSA): Social Security & Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

Federal Trade Commission (FTC): Coronavirus - What the FTC is Doing

Health and Human Services (HHS): COVID-19 Portal

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB): A guide to COVID-19 economic stimulus relief

Department of Education (Ed): COVID-19 ("Coronavirus") Information and Resources for Schools and School Personnel

Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Frequently Asked Questions

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response (note the rumor control section)

U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS): Coronavirus/COVID-19 Related Scams

USA.gov: Government Response to Coronavirus, COVID-19

And, of course, there are other sites following the pandemic's tax effects.

Many of my fellow tax bloggers are doing great jobs tracking the intricacies of COVID-19 tax changes. So are the members of the great #TaxTwitter community.

But in order to keep this page from following the excessive pieces of coronavirus legislation when it comes to length, I've focused below on web pages posted by professional firms, associations and other taxcentric entities that are providing valuable coronavirus-related tax information and advice.

National Association of Tax Professionals (NATP): COVID-19 Tax News & FAQ

American Institute of CPAs (AICPA): Coronavirus (COVID-19) tax resources (n.b., the state tax roundup)

Thomson Reuters: COVID-19 resource center

Wolters Kluwer: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources for Tax & Accounting Professionals

KPMG: Coronavirus (COVID-19) tax developments

Deloitte: COVID-19 tax policy updates

EY US: Responding to COVID-19

Grant Thornton: COVID-19 Resource Center

RubinBrown: Coronavirus Preparedness Resource Center

EideBailly: The New Coronavirus (COVID-19) Organiational & Individual Impacts

Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP): COVID-19 Tax Policy Resources

The Tax Foundation: Tax Policy And The Coronavirus (note the state-by-state legislative and global country-by-country fiscal measures trackers)

Avalara: COVID-19 Tax Relief Roundup

Employee Benefit News (EBN): Coronavirus Impact

But wait, there are more: Naturally, things will change as the virus itself and our tax reactions to it evolve, so I'm asking for your help.

I know I've missed some good sites. Please let me know. I'll probably see your suggestions sooner if you let me know via Twitter where, in case you don't know, I'm @taxtweet. You also can drop me an email note.

I'll update this page as regularly as I can. You'd think that I'd have more time by essentially being on house arrest during Austin's coronavirus stay-home order, but it seems that the hours in the days also are affected by these bizarre circumstances (and my discovery of new things to stream).

Thanks for your assistance and patience. And, of course, be safe!

Taxes are important, but they are just taxes. The well-being of everyone and your families is everything, the only thing.

Original post began April 4, 2020

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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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Kudos Et Cetera

National Association
for Women in Communications
Winner, Best Personal Blog
2012, 2014 & 2017
Plutus Financial Bloggers Awards
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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