Author: Elizabeth Blessing
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Treasury launches TrumpIRA.gov on January 1, 2027, listing IRAs that take the Saver’s Match
Treasury says TrumpIRA.gov, a federal website listing IRAs that accept the new Saver’s Match, will officially launch on January 1, 2027. The Internal Revenue Service announced the date in an August 7, 2026 release, IR-2026-89, which began putting Executive Order 14403 into effect. Until then, no official list of qualifying IRA providers exists, so a…
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Tennessee voters decide November 3 whether to ban a statewide property tax
Tennessee voters will be asked on Tuesday, November 3, to write a ban on a statewide property tax into the state constitution. The measure appears on ballots as Amendment 2, and a yes vote would stop the General Assembly from ever creating such a tax. Tennessee does not levy a state property tax today, so…
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Home heating oil averaged $6.190 a gallon October 19, up $2.66 in a year
Households that heat with oil are starting the season at a much higher price. The U.S. Energy Information Administration put the national average for residential heating oil at $6.190 a gallon on October 19, up $2.664 from the same week a year earlier and up 5.2 cents from the week before. The figures, published Wednesday,…
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Older and disabled Oregon homeowners with household income up to $70,000 can still file by December 1 to defer property taxes, with a late fee of up to $180
Oregon’s property tax deferral program for senior and disabled homeowners is still taking applications, but only late ones. The Oregon Department of Revenue says late applications for 2026 may be filed with the county from April 16 through December 1, along with a late fee. The program lets a qualifying homeowner borrow from the state…
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Social Security generally pays children of a deceased worker 75% of the parent’s benefit, though a family maximum can lower every survivor’s check
When a parent who paid into Social Security dies, the agency can pay monthly checks to the worker’s children. Social Security says children generally get 75% of the parent’s benefit, but a cap called the family maximum can pull every survivor’s check down. The rule matters most to widowed parents and grandparents raising children, because…
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SSI stops for any month a recipient spends entirely outside the U.S., and after 30 days abroad a recipient must be back 30 straight days to qualify again
Supplemental Security Income pays only to people who are living in the United States, and a long trip abroad can stop the checks. The Social Security Administration’s rule is built around calendar months and a 30-day clock. A recipient who spends an entire month outside the country is ineligible for that month, and one who…
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The Justice Department offers rewards starting at $10,000 for health care fraud tips that lead to criminal charges
The Justice Department will pay people $10,000 to $30,000 for information that leads to criminal charges in health care fraud and related cases, under a program it announced October 20. The Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program, known as WHIP, is run by the department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division. The department calls it the first whistleblower rewards…
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The IRS shuts its online IP PIN tool from mid-November to mid-January
The IRS says its online tool for getting an Identity Protection PIN will go offline in mid-November for annual maintenance and generally come back in mid-January. The agency made the announcement in an October 22 news release, IR-2026-127, aimed at taxpayers who plan to file early in 2027. Anyone who wants an IP PIN for…
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Voters in seven states decide 12 property tax measures November 3
Property tax is on the ballot in seven states on Tuesday, November 3, and homeowners in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Wyoming will see 12 statewide measures between them. Some would cap how fast a home’s assessed value can climb. Others would widen exemptions or ban a tax outright, and several would…
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Medicare’s Part B late penalty adds 10% to the monthly premium for each full 12 months a person could have had Part B but did not sign up
Medicare charges a permanent surcharge to people who skip Part B when they were first able to have it. The rule is simple and the math adds up fast: an extra 10% on the monthly premium for each full 12 months a person could have had Part B but did not sign up. With Medicare…