Books Kay wrote as sole author or as a contributor
The Truth About Paying Fewer Taxes: I wrote this book in 2009 as part of the popular FT Press "truth about" series. It covers just what the title says.

Personal Finance: An Encyclopedia of Modern Money Management: This reference book, published by ABC-CLIO in 2015, is designed for high school and college students and the educators who teach those subjects. I contributed chapters on an overview of the federal tax system, tax returns, tax deferral, online personal finance options, and flexible spending accounts.

Future Millionaires' Guidebook: I joined several of my Bankrate colleagues to produce this Book Baby ebook in 2012. My chapters? Taxes of course! I provided a comprehensive (but succinct) look at everything from payroll withholding to deduction options to saving for retirement. In addition, I wrote the estate planning chapter, which included, you guessed it, the tax component of this important financial step and cited the wise words of the great Canadian rock bank Rush.

The Gambler's Guide To Taxes: How to Keep More of What You Win: Several of my Bankrate.com tax articles are included in this handbook, published by Lyle Stuart in 2003, for bettors looking to protect more of their winnings from the IRS.

Other writings by Kay
Bankrate Taxes as former contributing tax editor
Last Week at My Other Tax Blog for some of my tax bloggy thoughts at Bankrate

Worth: A look at personal finance from the pages of Austin Woman magazine

Crazy Woman Driver: Kay's auto racing rants and raves from the pages of Randall-Reilly truckers' magazines

As time goes on, I'll be tweaking this index, adding new features, refining what's here.

If you're looking for something not listed here, try the search feature over in the right column under the "What are you looking for?" header.

Don't forget the Archives page, which compiles all my posts chronologically by month, as well as alphabetically lists the categories for my blog posts.

Finally, you can always contact me — via email or send a 140-character Twitter message (I'm @taxtweet) or jot a wall note at the ol' blog's Facebook page — if you have questions about a tax topic you think/know I blogged about but can't find.

If you want to get the ol' blog's tax news and information on a regular basis, you can subscribe via RSS, email or social media.

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Today's Tax Tip

Tax holiday shopping tips — Most U.S. classrooms, despite a COVID-19 Delta variant surge, are planning to welcome students back this fall. Several states also are getting ready with back-to-school sales tax holidays. Here are 6 shopping tips if you go hunting tax-saving bargains. (July 28, 2021)
The 2021 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. While we're waiting for the 2021 calendar pages to flip and fill up with timely tax tidbits, check out 2020 (and earlier) tax years' advice.

COVID-19 & Taxes

Coronavirus has wreaked havoc
on the 2020 tax season.
These three Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Taxes pages have details:
March-July 2020,
August-December 2020, and
January-… 2021

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 Season 2021 continues!
Tax Day 2021 is finally over … unless you're one of the millions who got an extension to file your 2020 tax year return. That's fine. In fact, the Internal Revenue Service appreciates some of us spreading out our filings, especially in a year like this where it's dealing with so many other COVID-19 related tax tasks. But enough about Uncle Sam's tax collector. The focus now is on you and your still-to-be-completed 2020 return. Let's get started! Your new Oct. 15 tax filing deadline will be here before you know it.

The monthly tips and reminders a little further down this column can help you finish up your returnon time. Once that's done, then look for tips each month that offer advice on ways to cut your still adding up 2021 tax bill.

Also 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

July 1: Today is the beginning the new fiscal year for many states, meaning some new tax laws take effect today across the country. They include a new tax on sports betting in Louisiana, rate changes in Idaho and Iowa, and tobacco-related taxes in Utah and Virginia. Your state tax department's website should have details.

July 4: Happy 245th Birthday, America!

Although the official federal holiday is Monday, July 5, most jurisdictions across the United States are holding festivities today and, for fireworks viewing, tonight. Enjoy your celebrations safely, from both coronavirus health and pyrotechnic perspectives.

Most of us will never be totally independent of taxes, but we can celebrate fewer tax hassles by paying attention to what we might owe and how we can reduce that amount throughout the year. Such attention to tax details is especially important given the changes and tax breaks created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic effects. One of those kicks in this month, with the Internal Revenue Service beginning delivery of advance payments of the Child Tax Credit (AdvCTC) to eligible families.

July 9 & 10: If you qualify for the AdvCTC but want or need help in filing a 2020 tax return to ensure you get the payments, the IRS is ready to help these two days. It and community groups in 12 metro areas are holding AdvCTC Free Tax Prep Days.

July 12: It's looking like it's going to be a more normal — remember what that was like? — summer, thanks to more of us being vaccinated against the coronavirus. That means more restaurants will resume table service. Be sure to share your happiness about being served in person again with your waiters. If you're still a bit hesitant about going to a packed eatery, also tip the food delivery folks still bringing meals to your door.

If a tip isn't included in your restaurant check or food delivery charge, click the image above to calculate how much to tip.

Those of you getting the tips, remember that your tips are taxable income. If you got such added financial thanks that came to a total of at least $20 last month, whether as a waiter/waitress or hair stylist or valet or whatever job where gratuities are common, you need to account for them today. Report them to your employer on Form 4070.

July 15: This is the day the AdvCTC should start showing up if you provided a bank account for direct deposit. While the payments aren't taxable income, if your family situation has changed in 2021 from the 2020 tax data used to calculate it, you might have to repay some of the early credit amounts when you file next year.

July 19: Speaking of life and family changes, if you've had any since last tax year, it's time for a paycheck checkup. This will help determine whether you need to adjust your payroll withholding. Even if things haven't changed, a withholding review is warranted if you were surprised by the refund you did (or didn't) get last year.

July 23: Potentially destructive weather is one area where you definitely don't want surprises. We're well into the Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico hurricane season. There were three named storms in June, but so far the United States has been lucky. No major storm has hit, as least not as I type this on July 1.

The longer it takes for storms to form, the longer we have to prepare for what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) expects to be an active 2021 tropical storm season. Even if we don't get the predicted 20 named storms, with possibly 3 to 5 reaching major status, 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 on itemized tax deduction.

July 28: Speaking of filing, if you got an extension back in May, giving you until Oct. 15 to finish your 2020 tax return, you don't have to wait until then. You can get to work on that now. And whenever you do get around to finishing your taxes, the IRS recommends you do so electronically. You can do that and possibly save some money by using Free File, the online no-cost tax preparation and e-filing partnership between the IRS and Free File Alliance.

The official Free File site at IRS.gov this season offers nine participating tax software options if your adjusted gross income is $72,000 or less, regardless of filing status. If you make too much to use the online software, look into using Free File's fillable forms. Both the online Free File and fillable forms are available through October's extension due date.

July 30: Wow, the end of the month is already here! That means the new school year is just around the corner. So are the usual back-to-school sales tax holidays. Although Alabama kicked off the tax-free events on July 16, most are in August. But four more state sales tax holidays begin this final July weekend. You'll find details on the ol' blog as the details are firmed up and near this and next month. Until then, you can get an idea of shoppers' potential tax savings by reviewing 2020's sales tax holidays.

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 Publication 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 Fiesta! page.

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0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 ...

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

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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July 2021

Tell it to the Hill

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, use the federal legislator locator above to find just who on Capitol Hill should hear your concerns. And for matters tax or otherwise closer to home, you can find info on your state and local elected officials at USA Gov.

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Table of Contents