• Home
  • Table of Contents
  • Tax Tips
  • Credits
  • Deductions
  • Refunds
  • State Taxes
  • Politics/Laws
  • Tax Terms
  • Archives

Don't Mess With Taxes

Translating taxes into money-saving English

Home Table of Contents Tax Tips Credits Deductions Refunds State Taxes Politics/Laws Tax Terms Archives

May 2023 Tax Tips

Make May merrier with these post-Tax Day filing, and 2023 planning, tax moves.

Tax tip pencilOK, maybe a merry tax month is a bit of a stretch. But if you made it through Tax Day without too much damage, then May indeed may be a month of celebration.

To borrow from Thomas Dekker's poem "The Merry Month of May" — 

O the month of May, the merry month of May,
So frolic, so gay, and so green, so green, so green!

Sure, the Elizabethan dramatist and pamphleteer was talking about the flora emerging from winter in his poem, which first appeared in Dekker's 1599 play "The Shoemaker's Holiday."

But the green reference also can apply to money, notably for our purposes, tax dollars.

May can be the month you get the refund from your return filed in April.

Or it can be a month of budget tightening as you deal with a shortfall from having to pay the U.S. Treasury more than you expected on Tax Day.

May also can be the month you take steps to make sure this year's tax situaiton, and next year's filing, produce better results than this year.

The tax tips gathered here, after being first featured in upper right corner of the ol' blog, can help. You'll find pieces of advice for folks who missed Tax Day or whose tax deadline has been delayed due to a major disaster or who are done with 2022 taxes and are now working on reducing 2023's tax bill.

So that you may put them to use as early as possible this May, here goes.

    1. Still haven't filed your taxes? Do this now! — Yes, you read this nag friendly reminder right after you missed Tax Day. Now weeks have passed, and the penalty charges, not to mention the 7 percent interest the IRS tacks on, are adding up. Daily. The only way to stop it is to file a return as soon as possible. That's one of 4 tax moves folks who didn't file a return on April 18 need to make. Now. (May 1, 2023)
    2. May tax moves that can make for a merrier month — Sorry to interrupt your May merriness, but you might want to take a brief break to check out these four tax moves to make this month. They could help save you some tax dollars, and that's definitely a reason for merry-making. (May 2, 2023)
    3. Toasting Cinco de Mayo and alcohol tax revenue — Yes, this post originally was published on a prior Margarita Day. But since that adult beverage also is part of Cinco de Mayo celebrations, at least here in Texas, the always animated in every sense of the word Sterling Archer's recipe and the associated federal and state alcohol tax info deserve a toast today. ¡Salud! (May 5, 2023)
    4. Free File is open through Oct. 16 extension — If you got an extension to file, or just missed April 18 Tax Day, you still have no-cost filing options. Free File, the Internal Revenue Service's partnership with the tax software industry is open through the Oct. 16 extension deadline. This year, taxpayers with adjusted gross income of $73,000 or less can use one of the free preparation and e-filing options offered this year by 7 companies. Made too much to use the software? Check out the IRS' Free Fillable Forms. (May 7, 2023)
    5. IRS TAC walk-ins welcome on Saturday, May 13 — Need some in-person tax help? The Internal Revenue Service's final walk-in weekend at selected Taxpayer Assistance Centers is this Saturday, May 13. Taxpayers who can't make it on a weekday should check out the TACs that will be open this coming Saturday. This last group is 45 TACs in 26 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C., open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time. No appointments needed. (May 9, 2023)
    6. IRS to resume sending suspended tax notices — The IRS is getting back to business as usual, at least when it comes to notices. It plans to send millions of tax balance due notices related to 2022 filings starting at the end of the month. Then later this year, it will gradually resume delivery of other tax notices it suspended back in February 2022. (May 10, 2023)
    7. 10 tax notice tips — Nobody likes getting a letter from the Internal Revenue Service. But if you get one, then the first thing to do is pay attention. Ignoring the notice could get you in more, and more costly, tax trouble. Here are 10 things to do when an envelope with an IRS return address shows up in your U.S. Postal Service box. (May 11, 2023)
    8. Get IRS online withholding help — Now's a good time to adjust your withholding. With more than half a year left, any changes to your paycheck — either more or less take-home pay — won't be so noticeable. The Internal Revenue Service can help you get your withholding just right. Use IRS.gov's Tax Withholding Estimator. Here's what you'll need to make sure the online tool's calculation is correct. (May 16, 2023)
    9. State free e-filing options — If you have to file a federal tax return, you probably have to file a state one, too. Most states follow the Internal Revenue Service's lead in asking their residents to submit returns electronically. Most states also offer free online state tax filing options. (May 20, 2023)
    10. HDHP, HSA inflation bumps for 2024 — Inflation has dropped a bit, but it's still enough to prompt the IRS to make adjustments to high deductible health plan (HDHP) and associated tax-advantaged health savings account (HSA) limits in 2024. (May 23, 2023)
    11. Summer's arrival brings sales tax holidays in Florida and Texas — Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer. The long weekend also is the start of sales tax holiday season. Texas has three days of no taxes on certain energy- and water-saving products, starting May 27. In Florida, shoppers will start the holiday weekend with sales tax exemptions on hurricane preparedness products, followed season the Sunshine State's wide-ranging no-tax Freedom Summer. (May 27, 2023)
    12. 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)

*****

Spring spelled out in flowers

*****

If you got an extension to file and are still working on your tax return, feel free to check out this year's earlier monthly tips. The January through April ones are available by clicking on the links below.

And yes, you also can click on the June through December links, but you'll just be greeted by an enthusiastically animated gentleman urging you to, as we (or at least me) say in Texas, "Whoa Up!" His GIF visage will be replaced by appropriate tax tips when those months finally do arrive.

January July
February August
March September
April October
May November
June December

 

 

Advertisements

🌟 Search Amazon Business and Money Books 🌟
The text link above and image links below are affiliate ads. If you click through and then buy a product, I receive a commission.




 

Today's Tax Tip

  • Added summer income means more tax considerations — If you’re taking on added jobs this summer instead of taking a vacation, be aware of the tax implications. Students at their first paying job are encountering the Internal Revenue Service for the first time. And workers well past their school days but who are earning extra via summer gigs could face new self-employment tax challenges. (June 15, 2025)


  • Tax Tip; click pencil for all tax tip links

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

My Other Accounts

Tick ... Tick ... Tick

  • 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


  • monthly tax moves


  • ☀️ Hello 🌞 June! ☀️
    Your radiant face, bringing us the start of summer, is long overdue. We need your consistent warmth and a sunny attitude to fully recover from tax season, even one that didn’t throw us too many curveballs.

    via GIPHY


    And let’s be honest. We’re not really in the mood for summer tax tasks. But there are some that do need attention, especially if you got an extension to file back in April. Taking care of these tax matters now can make the coming 2026 filing season go smoothly. Even better, some tax moves can mean you’ll owe Uncle Sam less. So grab your sun visor, and let’s get to them!


  • June 1: Summer conjures dreams of lazy beach days. But for full-time coastal residents, June also brings the start of the annual Atlantic (and Gulf of Mexico) hurricane season, which runs through Nov.  30. Federal forecasters once again are forecasting a more active than usual hurricane season. And while the tropical storm season heats up in August and September, now is the time to get ready.

    Hurricane satellite image

    Uncle Sam's official forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center say we could get 13 to 19 total named storms, which are those with winds of 39 mph or higher. Of those, six to 10 are forecast to become hurricanes, meaning winds of 74 mph or higher. Three to five of the storms this season could become 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 wreak havoc. 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 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.

    June 6: With school out, working parents need to make child care arrangements. Consider day camps. I know, many filled up earlier this year, but check out the options in your area. Not only do day camps 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 10: 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.

    restaurant check tip iStock
    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.

    If you got at least $20 in gratuities in May 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.

    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: 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 papa a little, or even a lot of assistance, there's a chance you could get some help from a couple of tax credits.

    June 16: It's Tax Day again, this time for taxpayers living and working abroad. That includes military personnel posted outside the United States or Puerto Rico. This automatic filing delay until mid-June officially is on 6/15, but is a day later this year because the 15th was on Sunday.

    Today, June 16, also is the one-day-later deadline for the second estimated tax payment for the 2025 tax year.

    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, and is celebrated on June 19, not on a nearby Monday, it is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.

    Juneteenth


    June 20: At 10:42 p.m. Eastern Time it’s official. Summer is here, arriving on this longest day of the year.

    Summer sun

    It’s also a dangerous season for many who don’t have air conditioning. Many charitable groups help people cope with the heat. If you itemize, your gift to such IRS-qualified nonprofits this summer — or any day in any season in 2025 — could be tax deductible on the tax return you file next year.

    June 30: If you got an extension to file back in April, you don’t have to wait until the final Oct. 15 deadline to do so. You can get this tax task out of the way so you don’t have to think about it for the rest of the summer. You also might be able to file electroncally at no cost if your adjusted gross income (AGI), regardless of your filing status, is $84,000 or less by using the official IRS.gov Free File website.

    IRS Free File; click image for details

    Eight software companies are part of this year’s IRS-Free File Alliance partnership option at IRS.gov. They will be available through the Oct. 15 extension deadline, but again, you don’t have to wait. And if your income is too high, you still can file for free by using Free File's Fillable Forms option.

    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


  • 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.

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
    Don't Mess With Taxes.

Search

Subscribe:
E-mail, RSS or both!

  • Enter your Email


    Powered by FeedBlitz
  • RSS

Affiliate Books

  • The Truth
    About Paying Fewer Taxes
  • Are you a tax geek? Got tax geek friends? Do you or they just want to make sure you don't overpay the IRS? Then my book, "The Truth About Paying Fewer Taxes," is for all y'all.

    Look for it on bookstore shelves
    or order a copy (or two!) from
    Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

  • TruthAboutPayingFewerTaxes
  • Find out more about my book and excerpted chapters at the FT Press
    Truth About Paying
    Fewer Taxes
    Web page
    .

  • You can read more
    of Kay's tax insights in ...


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


    Personal Finance Encyclopedia

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

    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"


    The Gamblers Guide to Taxes

  • Tax Reading Room

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

  • J.K. Lasser 2025 Taxes
    J.K. Lasser 2025 Taxes

  • Tax Savvy for Small Business 2025
    Tax Savvy for Small Business 2025

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

  • ~~~~~~~
    Don't Mess With Taxes
    is an Amazon Affiliate.
    If you click on the product links above and/or buy the items,
    I will be compensated.

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

  • 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
    National Association
    for Women in Communications

    Winner, Best Personal Blog
    2012, 2014 & 2017

  • Plutus Award Winner
    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 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.

Privacy Policy

  • 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.

©©©©© & ®®®®®

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

    All content on this site is
    © 2005-2025 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.
Blog powered by Typepad
Member since 11/2005

COVID-19 & Taxes

  • COVID-19
    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

  • 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 2025

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30          

..................................................


  • Seafoam on beach by Hans Isaacson on Unsplash
    Photo by Hans Isaacson on Unsplash
    ...............................................

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 — 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.
  • Don't Mess With Taxes •
  • Powered by Typepad
Top