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!

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.
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.
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

Tips to meet Oct. 15 extended filing deadline — Today is Columbus Day, a federal holiday. But there’s no holiday break for taxpayers who are waiting until the last minute to file their extended 2023 tax return. Here are some tips to help you finish the job by tomorrow’s Oct. 15 deadline. (Oct. 14, 2024)
The 2024 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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Tick ... Tick ... Tick

Tax Season 2024 continues!

We made it. Tax Day 2024 is finally over. For most of us. An estimated 19 million taxpayers got an extension to file their 2023 tax year return. That's fine.
In fact, the Internal Revenue Service appreciates some of us spreading out our filings. It gives the agency time to process the surge of returns
that came in on April 15.

But enough about Uncle Sam's tax collector and its 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 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 still adding up 2024 tax bill.

Finally, 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

👻 👻 👻 👻 👻
Hello Boys & Girls & Ghouls!
Spooky October is here!
👻 🕷️ 🎃 🕸️ 👻

Halloween, of course, is one reason that October is the most BOOtiful month of the year.
But the impending Oct. 15 extended tax filing deadline also is pretty darn scary!

Read about the history of jack o'lanterns

There’s no way to escape the seasonal 😱 frights. But the October tips below should help ease any tax fears this month.
Oct. 1: OK, let’s cut to the October chase. The deadline for most procrastinators to file their extended 2023 tax year returns is just 15 days away. Whether you’re just starting on that Form 1040 (really?) or just need to add the finishing touches, check out the ol' blog's monthly tax tip links a bit higher up in this column. The January through April ones that focused on the main Tax Day deadline should be most helpful.

Most taxpayers file electronically, and the Internal Revenue Service’s Free File option is still available through Oct. 15 for taxpayers with adjusted gross income of $79,000 or less, regardless of your filing status.

One of the eight tax software companies participating this year should meet your no-cost filing needs. If your income is too high, you still can file for free by using Free File's Free Forms option.

Oct. 7: Halloween brings us all types of scary situations, but Mother Nature can be a true witch. She showed her dark side late last month as deadly and devastating Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Florida Big Bend, and then barreled through the south. Even as rescue and recovery efforts continue for Helene, our eyes remain on the tropics. Hurricane season runs through Nov. 30 and late-season storms are not uncommon. So, if you haven’t already, make your storm preparations.

We’re still far from the predicted number of tropical systems for the 2024 season. Uncle Sam's official forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center said we could get 17 to 25 total named storms, which are those with winds of 39 mph or higher. Of those, eight to 13 are forecast to become hurricanes, meaning winds of 74 mph or higher. Four to seven becoming major hurricanes; that’s category 3, 4 or 5, with winds of 111 mph or higher.

Here’s hoping their storm predictions were too high. But regardless of the count, it only takes one to wreck your world. So, get ready for whatever dangerous weather that’s common where you live. If that is hurricanes, 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 special 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.

Oct. 10: Do you work 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 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 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.

Oct. 14: Today is the federal Columbus Day holiday. Yes, that is what is still officially on the federal calendar. But many states, cities, and even the White House now also designate today as Indigenous People's Day.

If today is a holiday for you, it’s the perfect time to finish up your extended 2023 tax return. You must get the form to the IRS by tomorrow, or at least have the envelope postmarked 10/15 if you are snail mailing a paper tax return, or you’ll get hit with late-filing and, if you owe more than you paid when you got your extension, late-payment penalties and interest charges. So get to work! See the Oct. 7 info for some help here.

Oct. 15: It’s extension Tax Day!
File. Now!

Oct. 21: With your 2023 tax return finally done, it's time to work on reducing your 2024 tax bill. One way to do that is to reduce your taxable income, but in a way that’s to your benefit. Yes, I’m talking about contributing to your retirement plan(s), either your workplace 401(k) and/or a traditional or Roth IRA .

Oct. 28: Been seeing some frost on the pumpkins or whatever you grow in your yard? That’s a signal to get yourself and your home ready for the coming colder weather. The Inflation Relief Act includes extension of older and addition of new energy-related tax breaks, including some for residential energy improvements.

Oct. 31: Boo and Happy Halloween! No time for taxes today. Got to get your costume ready for tonight’s trick-or-treating with the kiddos, or if you’re on your own, for that theme party with a cauldron of some fitting potent potable! Whichever way you celebrate, have fun and stay safe!

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 2024 page.

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Look for it on bookstore shelves
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Find out more about my book and excerpted chapters at the FT Press
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You can read more
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Kay Bell helps you build
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Kay Bell breaks down taxes and
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A collection of Kay Bell stories
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How to Keep More
of What You Win"

Tax Reading Room
You also might enjoy these other tax tips from some of my tax-writing colleagues:
J.K. Lasser 2024 Taxes
Taxes for Dummies 2024
Tax Savvy for Small Business

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Kudos Et Cetera

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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
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 2024

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Photo by Kay Bell
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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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