Natural Disasters: General storm warnings

No place in the world is disaster proof. Mother Nature unleashes her horrors globally and year-round via hurricanes, tornadoes, wild fires, floods, blizzards and more.

This special Natural General Storm Warnings Page, part of the overall Storm Warnings collection of Don't Mess With Taxes blog posts about disasters and the associated tax implications, offers some general posts on weather alerts and potential trouble when it looks like Mother Nature is about to turn into Mommy Dearest.

So, since time is of the essence when a bad wind or rain or overflowing river or winter blizzard or whatever is approaching, here are some general storm warning stories.

Storm Warnings

Thanks to the Internet, we not only get better, earlier warnings of dangerous storms, we get incredible — in both the good and horrific definitions of that word -- photographs and videos of the destructive side of Mother Nature. Here are some of those instances, as well as general storm-related stories.

Disasters mean some taxpayers get more time to pay September's estimated taxes (Sept. 13, 2023)
IRS sending second clarification notice to disaster area filers (June 28, 2023)
Californians in disaster areas get erroneous IRS tax due notices (June 8, 2023)
Beware: Land sharks & recovery scams follow every disaster (Sept. 29, 2022)
FEMA wants to end flood insurance for repeatedly doused areas (July 27, 2022)
More disasters mean more catastrophe-related scams, including charitable tax donation deduction ploys (Oct. 19, 2021)
Hurricane Ida is on her way. Get ready NOW! (Aug. 28, 2021)
Fake tax promises, other phony ploys — including disaster-related cons — are part of the 2021 IRS Dirty Dozen (June 30, 2021)
State disaster declarations could trigger quicker IRS tax relief under House bill (June 11, 2021)
A dozen disaster scam warnings (Sept. 21, 2020)
File major disaster claims on Form 4684 (March 3, 2020)
Deadly weekend storms disrupt Tax Day 2019 (April 15, 2019)
Hurricane season 2018 is over, but disasters don't follow calendars so be ready year-round (Dec. 1, 2018)
Disaster victims could get tax relief as part of new tax bill; IRS already offering some easier retirement plan access (Nov. 29, 2018)
Rain tax or fee? Name matters mainly in political debates (Oct. 29, 2018)
Tax cuts, not disaster spending, produced record deficit (Oct. 20, 2018)
Tax help or not, hurricane season 2018 is officially here (June 1, 2018)
Hurricane Jose is back; Eastern Seaboard could be affected (Sept. 15, 2017)
Dangerous Hurricane Harvey threatens Texas coast (Aug. 24, 2017)
Tropical storm season 2017 heats up with two June storms in Gulf region (June 19, 2017)
FEMA relief for victims of Golden State's January storms; Expect similar help for California's latest deadly weather (Feb. 18, 2017)
Mother Nature angry as summer 2016 winds down (Aug. 25, 2016)
California victims of massive methane gas leak won't owe federal tax on some recovery payments (July 24, 2016)
Oklahoma again a bulls-eye for deadly May tornadoes (May 10, 2016)
IRS tells flooded Houston taxpayers not to worry about filing their tax returns late (April 19, 2016)
Tornadoes, other wild November weather: Be ready! (Nov. 17, 2015)
Be ready for Mother Nature's outbursts (Halloween 2015 Central Texas flooding, etc.) (Oct. 30, 2015)
Hurricane Joaquin intensifies, threatens East Coast...maybe (Oct. 1, 2015)
Victims of early summer's severe storms get tax help (July 17, 2015)
Houston, we could have more flood problems (June 15, 2015)
Flooding and tornadoes as we head toward hurricane season (May 24, 2015)
Tornadoes, tropical storm: Pick your spring weather poison and get ready now (May 7, 2015)
Heading into the tropical storm...maybe (Aug. 23, 2014)
Simultaneous Atlantic, Pacific hurricanes underscore the need for physical and financial storm preparation (Aug. 5, 2014)
Preparation is key as severe weather seasons overlap (July 7, 2014)
Arthur kicks off 2014 hurricane season, ruins July 4 celebrations (July 3, 2014)
Tornadoes. Again. Be prepared, physically and on tax front (June 17, 2014)
Moore, Oklahoma, still recovering from horrific 2013 tornado; other areas receive tax relief for 2014's severe storms (May 20, 2014)

Looking for more or other disaster info? Check out the separate Storm Warning pages on preparing for a disaster, steps to make your recovery smoother and quicker, how to donate to groups that help disaster survivors and additional disaster resources.

Today's Tax Tip

Student loan repayment tips — Around 40 million former college students had their loan repayments put on pause during the COVID-19 pandemic. This month, those payments are back on schedule. Check out these 4 tips to help you deal with the resumption of this higher education obligation. (Oct. 1, 2023)
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

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

Hello 👻 👻 👻 Ghouls
Spooky October is here!
Halloween, of course, is one reason that October is the most BOOtiful month of the year.
But the impending mid-October extended tax filing deadline, which is on the 16th this year, also is pretty darn scary!

Read about the history of jack o'lanterns

But the October tips below should help at least ease our tax fears this month.
Oct. 1: This month, folks who borrowed money to pay for their college courses must start paying it back after a 3½-year pause that began with the COVID-19 pandemic. If you're one of the 40 million who now must come up with monthly payments, these 4 student loan repayment tips might help.

Oct. 6: The deadline for most procrastinators to file their extended 2022 tax year returns is just 10 days away. If you're going to use this first October weekend to at least start working on that 1040, check out the ol' blog's monthly tax tip links a bit higher up in this column. The January through April ones should be most helpful.

And since you'll probably file electronically, why not do it the least expensive way. For many, that's by using Free File, the online tax preparation and e-filing option that's, as the name says, free for taxpayers whose adjusted gross income (AGI) is $73,000 or less, regardless of your filing status.

It's still operational. You can select from seven tax prep companies that are part of the Free File Alliance and participating at the IRS.gov site.

Oct. 9: So we're heading into another week and you've still not finished your extended tax return. No judging. I've been there. The good news is that today is the legal, federal Columbus Day holiday or, in many states and cities, now designated Indigenous People's Day. If you don't have to go into work, this is a great day to work on your soon-due tax return.

Oct. 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 got lots of financial thanks for doing your job well. Remember, though, that those tips taxable income

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 if you got at least $20 in gratuities in September for doing a good job 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.

Oct. 16: This is it! The absolutely final deadline to file your 2022 tax year return. Not to belabor things, but in addition to the filing tips mentioned earlier in this October tax tasks list, the IRS has some suggestions on getting the job done.

Oct. 23: Now that you're finally done with your 2022 return, it's time to work on reducing your 2022 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 April, that you owed a lot or got a big refund, you should use the IRS' online estimator tool to make sure a more appropriate amount of income tax comes out of each of 2023's remaining paychecks. If your withholding tweak gets you more money each payday, consider putting some of it into retirement savings, either your workplace 401(k) or a traditional or Roth IRA .

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 the Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico hurricane season ahead of us.

Florida again got whacked by a major "I" storm, Hurricane Idalia, which also did major damage in Georgia and South Carolina. Others have churned out in the Atlantic this fall, so don't let up on storm preparations. The best we can do is be ready for the next system (or whatever possible disaster is common in your area). And we're likely to get at least one more tropical system, since the season officially runs through November. The countdown clock below can help you keep track of how many more days we have to worry about tracking tropical storms.

If (when) that happens, the ol' blog's special Storm Warnings pages also can help, whether you're preparing for, recovering from, or 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.

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 Forms 2023 page.

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JK Lasser 2023 taxes
Dealing With the IRS
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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 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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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
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

October 2023

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, 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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Just in case,
backup countdowns.

Filing Extension Time Left
Hurricane Season Ends In
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