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Natural Disasters: Preparing for disasters

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 Disasters Preparation Page, part of the overall Storm Warnings collection of Don't Mess With Taxes blog posts about disasters and the associated tax implications, provides information on what you should do to get ready when Mother Nature is about to turn into Mommy Dearest.

Storm-Warning-Severe-Weather-Warning

So, since time is of the essence when a natural disaster is bearing down on you, here goes with ways to get ready for the various catastrophes that many of us will face at some point in our lives.

 

Preparation

Being prepared is the absolute best first move. Trust me, the hubby and I have been through a couple of hurricanes and our pre-storm planning made dealing with the aftermath much more tolerable.

The National Hurricane Center says when preparing for the natural disaster on which it focuses, you need to develop a family plan, have a place to go to ride out the storm, secure your home and have a pet plan.

All of those apply to every type of disaster.

On the physical front, make sure you family members in potential harm's way know what y'all plan to do in case of a storm.

Where will you go? Stay at home or go to relatives' homes or a shelter? Which relatives? Where is the nearest shelter? Does it accept pets?

Make sure every family member knows his or her role in storm preparation and recovery. Also make clear the steps each takes if your family is separated, for example at work or school, when the disaster hits. Also give every family member a list of important telephone numbers.

For disasters that could require you to do without electricity for a while, have an emergency kit that includes shelf-stable food and plenty of water, not only for drinking but also sanitary use. Don't forget that hand-held can opener! And lots of batteries or converters that can plug into your car's lighter or special outlet for radios and TVs as well as your cell phone.

You also need a financial disaster kit.

Have a credit card with a large enough credit balance to cover an extended stay at a motel if you have to leave your home and friends and family can't take you in, at least for the full term of your displacement.

Have some cash on hand. Your temporary relocation site might not be near a fee-free ATM. If power is out, retailers won't be able to process credit or debit transactions.

Have your insurance documents, for bother your home and auto coverages, handy. Make sure you have your insurance cards and numbers of your agents in case you need to make a claim. And don't forget your medical insurance material in case, God forbid, you need treatment during or after the disaster.

Round up all your other financial documents, such as bank statements, credit card bills, family records (birth, marriage, death certificates), photocopies of credit and identification cards and an inventory of your home, including both the items inside and your surrounding property.

Tax records definitely should be in your financial disaster go-kit. If you do have to file claims for disaster damage, this data will help.

Don't Mess With Taxes posts that have more details are below, with newer ones listed first:

  • With hurricane season 2023 heating up, it's time to prepare (Aug. 28, 2023)
  • Time to get ready for Hurricane Hilary and her expected dangerous flooding for California (Aug. 19, 2023)
  • Document your property for tax, insurance claims before storms hit (June 4, 2023)
  • Hurricane preparation tips for those who are older, have special needs (June 1, 2023) 
  • Summer's arrival heralds sales tax holidays, including for storm prep products, in FL & TX (May 23, 2023) 
  • Don't be lulled by slow 2022 hurricane season. Prepare now (Sept. 5, 2022; Updated Sept. 15, 2022; Nov. 7, 2022; and Dec. 16, 2022) 
  • Not-Alex provides 2022 tropical storm season warm-up for disaster and tax preparations (June 4, 2022)
  • With Agatha already arrived, it's time to get ready for the rest of 2022's hurricanes (May 31, 2022) 
  • Hurricane Ida is on her way. Get ready NOW! (Aug. 28, 2021) 
  • 6 hurricane prep tips for businesses (Aug. 11, 2021) 
  • Tax-free shopping starts Memorial Day weekend in TX & FL (including storm prep items) (May 26, 2021) 
  • Atlantic hurricane season starts early for 7th straight year (May 22, 2021) 
  • Disaster season 2021 is here. Get ready! (March 24, 2021) 
  • Florida's hurricane prep sales tax holiday runs May 29-June 4 (May 29, 2020)
  • Hurricane season 2020 early start means it's time to prepare (May 17, 2020)
  • A pre-disaster inventory can pay off when filing insurance or tax claims (April 28, 2020)
  • Sales tax holidays still on in Missouri and Texas despite COVID-19 concerns (April 23, 2020)
  • Massive, potentially dangerous storm system underscores need for safety, financial and tax preparations (Jan. 10, 2020)
  • 7 tips to ensure your pets' safety during a disaster (Aug. 31, 2019)
  • IRS and other government resources can help you deal with a natural disaster (Aug. 28, 2019)
  • 4 tax and financial tips on the eve of Hurricane Season 2019 (May 30, 2019)
  • Getting ready, physically & fiscally, for natural disasters (May 21, 2019)
  • Hurricane season 2018 is over, but disasters don't follow calendars so be ready year-round (Dec. 1, 2018)
  • 5 disaster preparedness moves for businesses (Sept. 12, 2018)
  • LA, TX hold tax holidays over Memorial Day weekend (May 24, 2018)
  • Texas sales tax holiday encourages emergency preparedness (April 26, 2018)
  • Snowbound businesses get more time to file tax extensions (March 13, 2018)
  • Alabama kicks off 2018's hurricane sales tax holidays (Feb. 24, 2018)
  • Tropical Storm Otto threatens Central America (Nov. 21, 2017)
  • 4 things to do now as Hurricane Irma approaches U.S. (Sept. 5, 2017; updated Oct. 8, 2018)
  • Catastrophe Savings Accounts (CSAs) offer homeowners in Alabama, Mississippi and South Carolina tax-advantaged way to prepare for storm recovery (June 20, 2017)
  • Texas' emergency preparedness sales tax holiday coincides with 2017 hurricane season's early start (April 22, 2017)
  • Get ready for Hurricane Matthew NOW! (Oct. 5, 2016)
  • Prepare for Hurricane Matthew hit and aftermath (Oct. 4, 2016)
  • Already active hurricane season 2016 is finally official (June 1, 2016)
  • Wet Memorial Day weekend in advance of official hurricane season. Time to get ready for more storms (May 29, 2016)
  • Virginia, Louisiana drop end-of-May hurricane prep tax holidays (May 28, 2016)
  • Texas' April 23-25 emergency preparation sales tax holiday is too late for some Lone Star State shoppers (April 22, 2016)
  • Tax prep before disaster strikes (June 17, 2014; Bankrate.com)
  • Tornadoes. Again. Be prepared, physically and on tax front (June 17, 2014) 
  • Preparation is key as severe weather seasons overlap (July 7, 2014) 
  • Tax holidays on tap for hurricane prep, Energy Star appliances  (May 23, 2014)
  • California wildfire season has arrived, reminding us that it's time to prepare for it and other natural disasters (May 3, 2013) 
  • Tax records at top of one Superstorm Sandy survivor's evacuation list (Nov. 13, 2012) 
  • Last-minute hurricane prep tips (Oct. 28, 2012)
  • Take a pre-disaster inventory of your home (May 27, 2012; updated May 25, 2018)
  • TS Alberto threat fizzles, providing time to get ready for 2012 hurricane season (May 21, 2012)
  • Hurricane season 2012 arrives early as Alberto forms off South Carolina coast (May 19, 2012)
  • Fire break, or getting a "go bag" ready (Sept. 6, 2011)
  • Get disaster help from the IRS; Before storms strike, prepare! (June 1, 2011) 
  • Insurance tips for storm season (Aug. 21, 2008)
  • Time to prepare for Mother Nature's less maternal side (May 24, 2006)     

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

 

 

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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)

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


    Flickering Jack O'Lanterns
    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.

    IRS Free File; click image for details

    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

    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 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.

    Hurricane satellite image


    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

  • 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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  • 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
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  • JK Lassers 1001 Deductions
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    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

  • 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
    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

October 2023

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 31        

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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