Category: Taxes Made Simple
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September 15 is the next estimated tax deadline for retirees and self-employed filers who expect to owe $1,000
The federal tax calendar has one more date on it before the year runs out, and it lands on Tuesday, September 15. That is the deadline for the third estimated tax payment of 2026, and it is the one that catches people who do not think of themselves as taxpayers with deadlines at all: a…
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The IRS is retiring First Time Abate for automatic penalty relief, so eligible filers no longer have to ask
On July 8 the IRS announced that it is retiring its most widely used penalty waiver and replacing it with a process that grants the same relief before a penalty is ever charged. The old program required a taxpayer to know the relief existed and to ask for it. The replacement, called the Automatic Exemption…
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Michigan renters and homeowners have until September 30 to claim the home heating credit, and a tax extension will not help
The window to claim Michigan’s 2025 home heating credit closes on September 30, 2026, and it closes on postmarks rather than intentions. A claim that leaves the house on October 1 is late no matter how good the reason. That single date governs a benefit that reaches renters as well as homeowners, and it does…
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Minnesota is adding nearly 15% to 2025 homestead refunds, and homeowners who already filed do not need to do anything
The Minnesota Department of Revenue is applying a one-time boost to 2025 Homestead Credit Refunds from inside its own processing system, which means the money reaches most homeowners without a form, a request, or a phone call. A return that is already on file gets recalculated on the state’s side, and the larger refund goes…
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Identity theft victims wait nearly two years for refunds; the IRS answers 19% of calls on the line that releases them
One IRS telephone line exists for a single job. When a return is frozen because the agency suspects someone else filed it, the Taxpayer Protection Program line is where the real taxpayer calls to prove identity and get the held refund released. It is not a general help line. For the households routed to it,…
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More than 14 million returns hit IRS filters this year, delaying a million refunds about 5.5 weeks
The IRS processed about 139 million individual income tax returns during the 2026 filing season. More than 14 million of them did not move straight through. Those returns were suspended during processing, held inside the agency’s automated screening filters before any refund could be released. Measured against the season’s own total, that is close to…
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Adopting in 2026 can bring a $17,670 tax credit, with up to $5,120 refundable.
Families completing or pursuing an adoption in 2026 may have a federal tax credit available for qualifying costs. The maximum is substantial, but the refundable portion is smaller, income limits apply, and the timing rules differ depending on the type and status of the adoption. The 2026 maximum has two parts The adoption credit can…
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Even non-itemizers can deduct up to $1,000 in cash gifts to qualified charities this year.
A tax change for 2026 gives charitable donors a reason to save receipts even when they plan to take the standard deduction. The new break applies to qualifying cash gifts and has separate limits for single and joint filers, so the amount donated is not automatically the amount saved on the tax bill. The deduction…
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Free File vs. Paid Software: Who Actually Qualifies
IRS Free File covers taxpayers with 2025 income of $89,000 or less, yet many pay for software anyway. Here is who qualifies and how to use it.
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Where’s Your Refund? How the IRS Tracker Actually Works
The IRS refund tracker has three stages, updates once a day, and needs three pieces of info. Here is how to read it and when to actually worry.
