Category: Taxes Made Simple
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A retirement match that Treasury is implementing under Executive Order 14403 starts with 2027 contributions and pays nothing out until 2028
Nothing is payable under the Saver’s Match today, and nothing will be until 2028. The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service announced in August 2026 that they intend to write the rules for the federal program, which begins with contributions made for 2027. Until proposed regulations appear, the dollar figures attached to the match…
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An executive order directs Treasury to defer the federal excise tax on dyed diesel used on the highway through December 31, with no interest or penalties
A presidential order signed on October 5, 2026, tells the Treasury to put off a fuel tax bill for a set group of buyers. The executive order, titled Emergency Tax Relief on Diesel Fuel, covers the federal excise tax on dyed diesel used on the highway, and it sets a deferral period that runs from…
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The IRS now removes failure-to-file and failure-to-pay penalties automatically for taxpayers with three clean years, and sends a confirmation notice
Late-filing and late-payment penalties have long been the part of a tax bill that feels most avoidable in hindsight. On August 10, 2026, the Internal Revenue Service announced a process that removes some of them without anyone asking. Taxpayers with a clean three-year record can have failure-to-file and failure-to-pay penalties lifted automatically, and the agency…
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Four exceptions extend the three-year limit on claiming a federal tax refund, including a presidentially declared disaster and combat zone service
A federal tax refund does not wait forever. The Internal Revenue Service says the law sets a deadline for claiming a credit or refund for any given tax year, and once it passes the claim is barred. The same IRS page also lists four exceptions that stretch the clock, and they cover very different situations:…
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The IRS has pushed deadlines for filers in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza all the way to September 30, 2027
Taxpayers whose homes or businesses sit in Israel, the West Bank or Gaza have until September 30, 2027 to file federal returns, pay federal taxes and handle other time-sensitive tax actions. The Internal Revenue Service announced the postponement on September 30, 2026, as release IR-2026-116, with the details set out in Notice 2026-63. It is…
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Indiana’s storm filers get until February 1 to file, but the IRS says the payments that were due on April 15 are not covered
The IRS has pushed the federal tax deadline for Indiana storm victims to February 1, 2027, and the same release spells out a limit that is easy to miss: the payments that were due on April 15, 2026 are not covered. Filing relief and payment relief are not the same thing here, and the agency…
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Indiana’s disaster relief reaches 21 counties and the IRS applies it automatically by address
Marion County, which holds Indianapolis, is one of 21 Indiana counties where the Internal Revenue Service has pushed federal tax deadlines to February 1, 2027 after severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding that began August 11. Taxpayers in those counties do not file a form, send a letter or make a call to get…
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A married couple would claim the proposed scholarship credit’s $3,400 maximum only if each spouse contributed
The largest scholarship credit a married couple could take on one joint return is $3,400, and the proposed rules attach a condition to it: each spouse has to have made qualified contributions of up to $1,700. The figure is double the $1,700 ceiling for an individual, but the proposal does not treat a joint return…
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Treasury set a December 15 hearing on the proposed rules for the new scholarship tax credit
The IRS has scheduled a public hearing for Tuesday, December 15, 2026, at 10 a.m. Eastern Time, to take testimony on proposed regulations for the new federal tax credit for contributions to scholarship granting organizations. The hearing is attached to a notice of proposed rulemaking with a longer comment calendar behind it, and one condition…
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Indiana storm victims also get until February 1 for estimated tax payments that came due on or after August 11
The third installment of 2026 estimated federal income tax came due on September 15, and in 21 Indiana counties it did not have to be paid on that day. A self-employed worker, partner or S corporation shareholder in the area can make that payment, and the one that follows in January, as late as February…