The financial news that actually matters
The IRS has issued fresh guidance at the start of tax season that could change how millions of Americans get refunds and make payments to the federal government. The changes in the IRS new tax payment rules do not alter how people file their tax returns. It does, however, push the tax system further away…
Americans aged 65 and older have a new tax break to pay attention to when filing their 2025 federal returns: an extra deduction worth up to $6,000 per eligible person. For some married couples, that can mean as much as $12,000 in added deductions on one return. The catch is that the benefit of the…
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has opened the door to a possible extension of the 2026 federal tax filing deadline. Taxpayers, however, are still stuck in a familiar position: preparing for April 15 while Washington leaves room for something else. That tension is what makes this filing season different. The IRS has already begun accepting 2025…
Tax filing season is about to begin, and for millions of Americans the 2026 calendar comes with more moving parts than usual. The Internal Revenue Service is set to begin accepting 2025 federal returns on Jan. 26, while a string of tax-law changes tied to the One, Big, Beautiful Bill could alter how much many…
The IRS has opened its Free File program ahead of the official start of tax season. This gives millions of taxpayers who earned $89,000 or less in adjusted gross income for 2025 a chance to get their returns ready early at no cost. That early opening does not mean refunds started going out in early…
Homeowners planning a renovation may see headlines about the Trump tax law and become curious. They may wonder whether a new kitchen, upgraded HVAC system, or finished basement now comes with a business-style tax break. The short answer is that the new home improvement tax deductions law could help some property owners. However, it may…
Retirees aged 65 and older stand to keep significantly more of their income out of the IRS’s reach. This development starts effectively with tax year 2025, thanks to a newly enlarged standard deduction. This reform targets seniors and a lesser-known strategy involving charitable IRA withdrawals. Together, these two provisions create a tax-free retirement income strategy…
The One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act was signed into law on July 4, 2025 as Public Law 119-21. The law has rewritten several rules governing tax deductions for individuals. The IRS on its part, has spent months translating the IRS deduction changes 2026 into concrete guidance for the 2026 filing season. With new breaks for…
Most homeowners know they can write off mortgage interest. That single line item, however, barely scratches the surface of what the tax code allows. The IRS publishes a web of guidance across multiple publications that, taken together, outlines at least eight additional breaks. Interestingly, many filers either misunderstand or skip them entirely causing them to…
The Internal Revenue Service set the maximum Earned Income Tax Credit for tax year 2026 at $8,231 for families with three or more qualifying children, a bump from $8,046 in 2025. That increase, driven by annual inflation indexing and shaped by provisions in the One, Big, Beautiful Bill, means larger families filing returns in early…