Author: Elizabeth Blessing
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Trump’s promise of no tax on Social Security became a $6,000 deduction for people 65 and older, and the IRS says it starts shrinking once income tops $75,000 for single filers
The 2025 tax law that the White House calls “no tax on Social Security” does not exempt Social Security benefits from tax. What it created is an extra $6,000 deduction for each person 65 or older, and the IRS says that deduction starts shrinking once income tops $75,000 for single filers. For married couples filing…
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IRS delays tax deadlines into 2027 for Florida, Washington, Nebraska and Guam disaster areas
Which tax deadline applies to a taxpayer in a disaster area this fall depends on the disaster, not the state. The IRS has now pushed filing and payment deadlines into 2027 for four areas: Knox County, Nebraska, to January 7; six Washington counties and three tribes to February 1; Guam to February 4; and 27…
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SSA’s 2026 example: a $300 Social Security check leaves $714 in SSI
A person who gets a $300 Social Security check and also qualifies for Supplemental Security Income is left with $714 in federal SSI under Social Security’s own 2026 example. The agency’s guide, Understanding Supplemental Security Income, 2026 Edition, subtracts $20 from the check and then takes the remaining $280 off the $994 federal rate. Total…
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New Jersey fraudster gets 200 months; ring deposited a $13.9 million stolen Treasury check
A federal judge in the Southern District of New York sentenced Laquan Williams, 42, of Florham Park, New Jersey, to 200 months in prison on October 13, which is 16 years and 8 months. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced the sentence in a press release dated October 14.…
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A Decatur, Georgia courier got 14 years and must repay $886,799.84 after collecting gold from a senior citizen in a fake FTC agent scam
Javed Ashiq did not make the phone calls, according to federal prosecutors. They say the 52-year-old, who lives in Decatur, Georgia, was the courier who collected an elderly victim’s gold bars and cash and handed them to the people running the scam. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia announced on October…
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Toyota’s free Land Cruiser fuel-line repair covers about 106,000 2024 to 2027 models
Toyota is recalling about 106,000 Land Cruisers in the United States over a fuel tube connection that can come apart, and the fix is free. The company’s October 14 recall announcement covers certain model year 2024 to 2027 Land Cruiser vehicles. Dealers will inspect the connection and add a clamp at no cost, and Toyota…
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Treasury plans to pay the first Saver’s Match deposits in 2028 on retirement contributions made in 2027
A worker who puts money into a 401(k) or an IRA in 2027 and qualifies for the new Saver’s Match will see the matching deposit in 2028, not in 2027. Treasury and the IRS say the first payments begin in 2028 and are based on contributions made in the 2027 tax year. The delay comes…
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Puget Sound Energy customers would pay $28.31 more a month for electricity in January 2027 under the rate hike Washington’s attorney general is fighting
The average Puget Sound Energy household would pay $28.31 more a month for electricity starting in January 2027 if Washington regulators approve the utility’s rate request, according to Attorney General Nick Brown. His office filed expert testimony against the request with the Utilities and Transportation Commission, and its July 30 announcement puts that first-year jump…
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Oil-heated homes face an average $2,115 winter heating bill, EIA forecasts
A home that heats with oil is forecast to spend an average of $2,115 from November through March, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) says in its Winter Fuels Outlook, published October 6. That is 21 percent more than last winter, and the most of any heating fuel. The same week, EIA’s first heating-oil survey…
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Trump’s order directs Treasury to defer federal diesel excise taxes incurred October 5 through December 31, but does not cancel them
The one thing President Trump’s diesel order does not say is when the deferred tax has to be paid. Executive Order 14435, signed October 5, 2026, directs the Treasury Department to postpone payment of federal diesel excise taxes incurred from October 5 through December 31, 2026. It does not cancel them. The order’s text leaves…