Tax Felon Friday

Tax Felon Friday began last summer. Specifically on July 7, 2023.

The idea popped into my head as I was searching for a blog post topic and wishing I was out enjoying the summer day. Voilà! A new feature was born.

It lived past its summer origin, and as I posted the first tax crime related item on a Friday — this Friday, Jan. 19; the two earlier Friday posts of 2024 were devoted to the new filing season — I decided to collect all the previous Tax Felon Friday posts, and future ones, on a new blog page.

I do post about tax and financial crime on other days, when the impetus for the posts is more timely. But when such items get posted on Fridays, they'll get the Tax Felon Friday appellation and end up here, as well as in the general tax crimes category.

So if tax crime is your jam, bookmark this page. Also check out the tax crime posts that appeared on other week days by perusing, as I mentioned, the tax crimes category.

Now I'm off to watch some non-tax true crime TV shows!

Social media financial influencer pleads guilty to Ponzi scheme that cost investors more than $11 million (June 13, 2025)
Treasury sanctions major crypto cyber scam facilitator (May 30, 2025)
Miami man pleads guilty to conspiracy in $3 million false tax filing scheme (May 16, 2025)
IRS gets John Doe summons for gig economy tax investigation (Dec. 27, 2024)

No Tax Felon Friday on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, because the final post of the 1o-part 2025 tax inflation series (it starts with next year's tax brackets), the adjustments to the standard optional mileage rates, was finally announced.
IRS launches new tax enforcement campaign; focus includes offshore havens, deferred fees, whistleblower information (Dec. 13, 2024)
IRS-CI chief likens tax law enforcement unit’s recent successes to takedown of Al Capone (Dec. 6, 2024)

No Tax Felon Friday on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, because the day after Thanksgiving was the fifth and final Tax Turkey to Avoid in 2024. Check out all five in this post-Turkey Day tax collection.
Former NJ nursing home magnate pleads guilty to $38 million tax fraud (Nov. 22, 2024)
2 men charged in Trojan horse hack of tax professionals (Nov. 15, 2024)
Tax preparer and his company enjoined from using questionable tax scheme (Nov. 8, 2024)
Some tax penalties increase in 2025 due to inflation (Nov. 2, 2024; bumped to Saturday, Nov. 3, 2024, because of, you got it, the tax inflation post noted below)

No Tax Felon Friday on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, because of the continuing 2025 tax inflation series, specifically Part 4 on medical tax breaks.
Georgia accountants get prison time for roles in $1.3 billion conservation easement scheme (Oct. 18, 2024)

No Tax Felon Friday on Fridays, Oct. 4, 2024, or Oct. 11, 2024, because of hurricane tax news.
Bad tax shelter advice (and more) leads to Florida man's federal indictment (Sept. 27, 2024)
Offer in Compromise tax debt deals are real, but beware aggressive OIC promoters (Sept. 20, 2024)

No Tax Felon Friday on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, because, well, Friday the 13th!
IRS collection from rich nonfilers exceeds $1.3 billion (Sept. 6, 2024)
Crowdfunding tax consequences for organizers and recipients (Aug. 30, 2024)

I'm pretty sure tax crimes were committed on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, but there was no Tax Felon Friday post that day. Instead, there was hurricane tax news.
Florida man pleads guilty to evading $2.4M in federal taxes (Aug. 16, 2024)
Hurricane Debby victims in Florida, Georgia, and North and South Carolina get tax relief (plus a warning about disaster-related scams) (Aug. 9, 2024)
Lawmakers look to end tax penalties assessed wrongfully imprisoned U.S. taxpayers (Aug. 2, 2024)
Illegal income is taxable income (July 26, 2024)
IRS virtual currency tax compliance enforcement can be improved, says agency watchdog (July 19, 2024)
Senate bill seeks expansion of Congressional whistleblower protections (July 12, 2024)
IRS CI chief discusses his priorities & goals for the division (July 5, 2024)
Personal assistant heading to jail for $2.7 million in embezzlement and tax evasion (June 28, 2024)
HMRC error lets suspected tax schemer avoid £14M penalty (June 21, 2024)
Acclaimed Swedish crime writer gets jail time for tax evasion (June 14, 2024)
Crypto billionaire, D.C. settle tax residency tax dispute for $40 million (June 7, 2024)
GOP presidential candidate found guilty of federal tax fraud (May 31, 2024)
Tax evasion plea could land former Big Law partner in the Big House (May 24, 2024)

I'm pretty sure tax crimes were committed on Friday, May 17, 2024, but there was no Tax Felon Friday post that day. Instead, there was new about the IRS' fourth and final Taxpayer Assistance Center (TAC) Saturday opening in 2024.
MLB superstar Ohtani’s former translator agrees to bank and tax fraud guilty plea deal (May 10, 2024)
'Bitcoin Jesus' accused of $48 million in tax evasion related to the crypto currency (May 3, 2024)
Maryland woman pleads guilty to collecting but not remitting $2.7 million in employment taxes (April 26, 2024)
FinCEN's proposed expansion of anti-money laundering rules gains support (April 19, 2024)
Ghost tax preparers, global tax schemes, and wealthy filers wrap up the 2024 IRS Dirty Dozen (April 12, 2024)
Fake business tax credits, bogus charities, and phishing and smishing all make the 2024 IRS Dirty Dozen list (April 5, 2024)
DoJ touts successes in taking down unscrupulous tax preparers (March 29, 2024)
RI man gets 8-year prison term for decade-long Ponzi scheme and tax evasion March 22, 2024)
Guy Ficco will become new IRS CI chief on April 1 (March 15, 2024)
Beware of products touted as tax-favored medical savings plan eligible (March 8, 2024)
Non-filing millionaires are latest IRS targets (March 1, 2024)
FTC alleges H&R Block deleted customer tax data, used deceptive advertising (Feb. 23, 2024)
COVID task force PPP investigation results in 2 more convictions (Feb. 16, 2024)
Texas man charged in apparent first-ever criminal crypto capital gains tax case (Feb. 9, 2024)
Former tax preparer gets 27 months in prison, ordered to repay Treasury $4.7 million (Feb. 2, 2024)
New client, BOI scams proliferating as tax season 2024 begins (Jan. 19, 2024)
IRS welcomes voluntary disclosure of dubious ERC claims (Dec. 22, 2023)
Crypto fraud, international scheming, greedy families: All are in IRS CI's top 10 tax crime cases of 2023 (Dec. 15, 2023)
IRS investigators identify $37 billion in tax & financial crimes (Dec. 8, 2023)
How to report tax scams and fraud (Dec. 1, 2023)
Tax penalties, some increased in 2024 for inflation, could add to what you owe Uncle Sam (Nov. 24, 2023)
IRS warns of butchers seeking willing pigs (Nov. 17, 2023)
Las Vegas man headed to jail for nearly $2M in tax evasion (Nov. 10, 2023)
GOP anti-IRS efforts aid tax cheats, cost U.S. Treasury (Nov. 3, 2023)
Tax fraud committed by both ghost employees and ghost employers is scary and costly (Oct. 27, 2023)
Two men who gambled on tax evasion schemes lost (Oct. 20, 2023)
Former IRS consultant pleads guilty to stealing and sharing Trump (and others) tax data (Oct. 6, 2023)
Don't fall for tax text message scams (Sept. 29, 2023)
Florida pass-through company tax evasion scheme ends in owners' jail time (Sept. 22, 2023)
Artificial grass tax evasion scheme ends in real prison time for company owner (Sept. 15, 2023)
AI will be part of expansive IRS crackdown on wealthy, corporate tax evaders (Sept. 8, 2023)
Lubbock man headed to jail for $4 million in PPP fraud (Sept. 1, 2023)
COVID federal fraud sweep recovers $836 million, produces 371 criminal charges (Aug. 25, 2023)
D.C. restaurateurs plead guilty to 1.35 million in tax evasion, separate COVID relief fund fraud (Aug. 18, 2023)
AI start-up gets $12.5M to upgrade, expand tax evasion tracking technology (Aug. 11, 2023)
Impatient Senators want Treasury/IRS to act now on crypto tax evasion rules (Aug. 4, 2023)
Crypto regulation effort moving in Senate (July 28, 2023)
Be on guard against summer surge of tax schemes (July 21, 2023)
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti to stand trial for alleged Spanish tax evasion (July 14, 2023)
NXIVM cult investigator facing tax crime sentencing (July 07, 2023)

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)
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

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

☀️ 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.

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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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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 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.

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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
…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

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

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Photo by Hans Isaacson on Unsplash
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Tell it to the Hill

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.

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