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Don't Mess With Taxes

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Don't Mess With Taxes Privacy Policy

Privacy key on computer keyboard_Photo by Richard Patterson via Flickr
Photo by Richard Patterson via Flickr

As noted on the ol' blog's Table of Contents page, I follow my own privacy policy when it comes to interactions with and information provided by readers. You can find details on that by clicking over to the ToC and scrolling down to the section titled, in red, Privacy Policy.

The Cliff Notes version is I don't collect and definitely don't share any data that readers give to me, either via email or RSS subscriptions, comments on blog posts or email.

That said, Don't Mess With Taxes is hosted on Typepad, a blogging service owned by Endurance International Group.

As such, your visits to Don't Mess With Taxes, either via my Typepad subdomain or directly at Don't Mess With Taxes, is governed by Endurance's privacy policy.

That privacy policy, as updated Dec. 21, 2019, includes the follow.

Information Collected From You
We obtain the following information about you as described below. We collect this data for the purposes described under How We Use Your Information.

Information you voluntarily provide to us
We collect the following information from you when you provide it to us:

  • Information you provide prior to any registration process, such as your email when you provide it to us;
  • Information that you provide during any registration process, including in connection with a co-branded offer (such as your name, company name, email address, phone number, billing address or credit card information, geographic location and industry);
  • Information you provide, when you call or email us (for support or otherwise) or when you use Typepad/Endurance products or services; and
  • Payment information, including credit card data that you provide to Typepad/Endurance (by way of associated partners, customers or other services or otherwise) when you make a purchase via such sites or services.

Information we collect about your usage and devices
We collect data relating to your online activity on our websites, including the following:

  • IP address; 
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  • How you got to Typepad/Endurance services and any links you click on to leave; 
  • When you update your information, communicate with us, or order new services; 
  • Metadata about your use of Typepad/Endurance services and emails sent to you (including clicks and opens); 
  • Metadata about how your customers, contacts, and users interact with the Typepad/Endurance-provided services; 
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  • Any device or other method of communication you use to interact with Typepad/Endurance services.

Any collected data is stored in a variety of places within the Typepad/Endurance infrastructure, including system log files, back end databases and analytics systems.

Information We Aquire From Social Media
Typepad/Endurance collects information from third party social networking sites, including information that they provide to us if you use your credentials at such social networking sites to log into some of our Services (such as your name and email address to pre-populate our sign-up form).

The information you allow Typepad/Endurance to access varies by social networking site, and depends on the level of privacy settings you have in place at the social networking site. You can control and find out more about these privacy settings at the applicable social networking site.

Information We Aquire From Other Sources
Typepad/Endurance also collects the following information from other sources:

  • Information you provide to at seminars or to our partners;
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  • Information that is publicly available; and
  • Information you consent to us receiving from third parties.

We also collect information that you may provide during your telephone conversations with us, which we may monitor or record.

We may combine any information we collect about you with other information we have about you to help us update, expand and analyze our records, identify new customers, and provide products and services that may be of interest to you. If you provide us personal information about others, or if others give us your information, we will only use that information for the specific reason for which it was provided to us.

How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect, both on its own and combined with any other information we collect about you, for the following business and commercial purposes:

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  • To facilitate your movement through our websites or your use of our services;
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  • To diagnose problems with Typepad/Endurance servers or services;
  • In connection with Typepad/Endurance security and compliance programs;
  • To administer Typepad/Endurance websites;
  • To communicate with you;
  • To target current or prospective customers with Typepad/Endurance products or services through online advertisements served on third-party sites by third-party vendors, such as Google (subject to your consent where required by applicable law);
  • To assist us in offering you a personalized experience or otherwise tailor Typepad/Endurance services to you; and
  • As otherwise described in this privacy notice.

We also use the information we receive to produce reports on trends and statistics, such as mobile search trends, email open rates by industry, campaign best practices or the number of users that have been exposed to, or clicked on, our websites or evaluated or purchased our products or services.

Typepad/Endurance also records telephone conversations for quality control purposes, to train employees and for the companies' own protection.

Sharing of Information
We will only share certain personal information with:

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Further information about the third parties with whom Typepad/Endurance share personal information is available here.

When we share your personal information with certain third-party partners, including marketing and advertising partners, that information includes your name, email address and other information enabling partners to:

  • Assist you in using Typepad/Endurance services,
  • Contact you with offers, services or products that may be of interest to you, and
  • Provide you with their products or services.

Typepad/Endurance partners may use cookies and similar technologies in order to provide you advertising based upon your browsing activities and interests.

When you leave comments on Don't Mess With Taxes, the data shown in the comments form, including your IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection, is collected. This also is used by Google Analytics to determine data on blog readership.

Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if you have visited the other website. These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking and monitor your interaction with their content that is shared on Don't Mess With Taxes. This could include tracking your interaction with the embedded content.

If you wish to opt out of interest-based advertising click here, or if you are located in the European Union, click here. Please note you will continue to receive generic ads.

Click here to access Typepad/Endurance's Cookie Notice.

Typepad/Endurance partners are prohibited from using your contact information for any purpose beyond those set forth above without your consent. Further information about certain partners we share personal information with is available here.

Additional information and details about Don't Mess With Taxes/Typepad/Endurance's full privacy policy.

Thank you for reading and for your trust in me and the ol' blog regarding your data and privacy.

Today's Tax Tip

  • Tax-smart financial gifts for grads (and the givers) — Got some new high school or college graduates in your life? Here are six financial gifts, most with some tax benefits, that they (and you) will enjoy. (May 31, 2023)

  • Tax Tip; click pencil for all tax tip links

  • The 2023 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
    Open sign
    Kay Bell — Native Texan
    (the blog title totally makes sense now, right?). Professional journalist. Tax geek.
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My Other Accounts

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Tick ... Tick ... Tick

  • Tax Season 2023 Continues!

    Tax Day 2023 is finally over … unless you're one of the millions who have more time to file — looking at you taxpayers abroad and those in major disaster areas — or you got an extension to file your 2022 tax year return. That's fine. In fact, the Internal Revenue Service appreciates some of us spreading out our filings, especially when it means we are taking the time to submit a complete and correct return.

    This tax focus shift means the ol' blog will continue to provide filing tips through the Oct. 16 extension deadline. Yep, it's a day later this year, since 10/15 is on Sunday. But I haven't forgotten my organized taxpayer readers, who are looking for ways to reduce their 2023 tax year bills. Yep, that amount already is adding up, but there are moves you can make. The monthly tips and reminders a little further down this column can help everyone, regardless of which tax year now is in your sights.

    Those on extension should also keep a keen eye on the countdown clock below. It will help you track the days tick, tick, ticking off toward that absolutely final fall filing due date. They'll speed by quickly when you're having tax fun, and aren't we always having tax fun?!?
    Note: I'm in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.


Time for Tax Tasks


  • monthly tax moves


  • ☀️ Hello 🌞 June! ☀️
    We are so happy to see your radiant face, bringing us the start of summer. Some brightness and warmth and a sunny attitude are definitely what we need to fully recover from tax season, even one that wasn't that bad.


    via GIPHY


    June 1: Summer conjures dreams of lazy beach days. But for full-time coastal residents, June is less welcome. Today is the start of the Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico hurricane season. While there's a low pressure in the Eastern Gulf, at least we made it to opening day without an official system forming. That gives us time to prepare for hurricane season, a chance some folks got recently thanks to special sales tax holidays.

    Hurricane satellite image

    Uncle Sam's official forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center expect 2023 to bring 12 to 17 named storms, with five to nine possibly becoming hurricanes. As many as four of those storms 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. That includes claiming uninsured losses from a major natural disaster as an itemized tax deduction.

    June 5: With school out, working parents need to make child care arrangements. Consider day camps. Not only do they offer some supervision of your kiddos while you're at the office, the activities' costs also count toward claiming the child and dependent care credit.

    June 12: 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 got lots of financial thanks for doing your job well, but don't forget that those tips are taxable income.

    restaurant check tip iStock
    Whether you're dining in or, still COVID leery and 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 you, as the server or delivery person, must account for those tips. If you got at least $20 in gratuities in May, you must report the amount by today (it's usually the 10th, but since that was Saturday, it moves to the next business day) by using Form 4070 to let your employer the total of the tips you took in last month.

    June 14: Happy Flag Day! It's not a day-off-work federal holiday, but Flag Day has been an official day to celebrate the Star-Spangled Banner since 1949. If you need to buy a U.S. flag to fly today, you also might get a tax break. Several states exempt the national symbol from sales tax. Check with your state's tax department to see if you can save on your patriotic display.

    June 15: It's Tax Day, this time for U.S. citizens or resident aliens living and working abroad, as well as military personnel stationed outside the United States.

    This mid-June day also is the deadline for the second estimated tax payment for the 2023 tax year.

    June 18: Happy Father's Day!

    Happy Father's Day

    Dad might not say so, but he appreciates being recognized, so take time today to let him know you care. And if your father is getting on up in years, take the time when you visit to make sure he doesn't need some added help from you. If you provide Pop a little, or even a lot of assistance, there's a chance you could get some help from a couple of tax credits.

    June 19: It's Juneteenth. This date marks when Texans finally received word that all slaves were free. And although it is our newest federal holiday, it is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.

    Juneteenth


    June 21: It's official at 10:58 a.m. Eastern Time. Summer is here, arriving on this longest day of the year.

    Summer sun

    Many charitable groups help people cope with the heat. If you itemize, your gift to such IRS-qualified nonprofits could be tax deductible on next year's tax return.

    June 26: If you missed spring cleaning, summer's also a good time to determine what you can do without. If that includes clothing or household items, you also can donate those and claim the fair market value of the items.

    June 30: If you got an extension to file back in April, or by June 15 if you're a taxpayer living overseas, remember that Free File, the online preparation and electronic filing web page for eligible taxpayers created by the IRS' partnership with the Free File Alliance, is still operational.

    IRS Free File; click image for details

    You can prepare and e-file as its name says at no cost if your adjusted gross income (AGI) is $73,000 or less, regardless of your filing status. You should be able to find a software that works for you from the seven tax prep companies that are participating.

    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

  • 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 2023 page.

What are you looking for?

  • Looking for something in particular? Start with the Table of Contents.
    Or check out the Archives, where you can review posts by month and category. Or enter specific keywords in the box below to search
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  • Wondering what happens to your information once you subscribe? Don't worry. Don't Mess With Taxes respects your wish not to be a mere data source. Check the ol' blog's privacy policy at the Table of Contents page, as well as on the separate Privacy Policy page.

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  • Kay Bell helps you build
    a solid tax foundation in
    "Personal Finance: An Encyclopedia
    of Modern Money Management"




    Kay Bell breaks down taxes and
    estate planning for millennials in
    "Future Millionaires' Guidebook"



    A collection of Kay Bell stories
    is included in
    "The Gambler's Guide to Taxes:
    How to Keep More
    of What You Win"




  • Tax Reading Room

    You also might enjoy these other tax tips from some of my tax-writing colleagues:

  • JK Lasser 2023 Taxes
    JK Lasser 2023 taxes

  • Dealing With The IRS
    Dealing With the IRS

  • JK Lassers 1001 Deductions
    JK Lasser 1001 Deductions
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    If you click on the product links above and/or buy the items,
    I will be compensated.

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

Kudos Et Cetera

  • Association for Women Clarion Award Winner
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    2012, 2014 & 2017

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    Celebrating the Best
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    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.

©©©©© & ®®®®®

  • Don't Mess With Taxes®
    is a registered trademark
    of S. Kay Bell.

    All content on this site is
    © 2005-2023 S. Kay Bell
    dba Write Here, a division of
    SKB Editorial Services, LLC

  • And a bit of housekeeping.
  • Note 1: Some of the links on this site
    are affiliate links. That means that
    if you click through from
    a Don't Mess With Taxes link
    and then buy the product,
    I receive a commission.

    Note 2: Links to outside content
    might become inactive due to changes
    at the copy's originating website.
    If you discover dead links, please e-mail me the details. Thanks.

    Note 3: The banner art for the ol' blog
    is courtesy Pictures of Money
    via Flickr Creative Commons.
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COVID-19 & Taxes

  • COVID-19
    Coronavirus has wreaked havoc
    on the 2020 and 2021 tax seasons.
    These three Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Taxes pages have details:
    March-July 2020,
    August-December 2020,
    January-December 2021, and
    January-December 2022
    You can find medical coronavirus resource links in the next section.

COVID-19 Resources

  • COVID-19
    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

June 2023

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Tell it to the Hill

  • DMWT Politics Posts
  • While it's easy to rail at the IRS, for the most part we can thank — or blame — our tax laws on Congress and the White House. 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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