Category: Taxes Made Simple
-
The White House says Arizona taxpayers averaged $3,659 in refunds in 2026, crediting President Trump’s tax law
The White House says Arizona taxpayers saw average refunds of $3,659 in 2026 and credits President Trump’s tax law for the bigger checks. The claim appears in an October 14, 2026 release as the president returned to the state. It is a state-wide average, so it says little about what any one household got back.…
-
The IRS says a refund on a return that was never filed generally becomes Treasury property after three years, so late filers can lose the money for good
People who skipped a tax return and are owed a refund do not have forever to claim it. The IRS says taxpayers usually have three years to file and claim a refund, and if they do not, the money becomes the property of the U.S. Treasury. The warning came in a March 2026 IRS release…
-
The IRS can take credit and debit card tax payments directly starting October 19, but the card processing fee falls on the payer and is not refundable as tax
Starting October 19, the IRS can accept credit and debit card tax payments directly. Any processing cost the agency pays to take a card will be billed back to the person paying, and that charge is not a tax, so it cannot be refunded or credited later. For households that put a tax bill on…
-
The IRS gives taxpayers 30 days to add bank details after a CP53E letter, and if they do not, it mails a paper refund check after six weeks
Taxpayers who are owed a refund but have no working bank account on file now get a 30-day window to fix it. The IRS mails a CP53E notice, and the person has 30 days to add bank details through an IRS online account. If nothing is done, the IRS issues a paper refund check after…
-
Tennessee disabled veterans can file a 2026 application for state-paid property tax relief
Tennessee is taking 2026 applications for property tax relief for disabled veterans who own and live in their homes. The state pays part or all of the property taxes a veteran has already paid, based on up to $175,000 of the home’s market value, through a program run by the Comptroller of the Treasury. The…
-
Refugees and asylees no longer qualify for Kentucky Medicaid under federal changes that began Oct. 1, and lose Marketplace premium tax credits starting Jan. 1, 2027
Federal changes that took effect October 1, 2026 end Medicaid eligibility in Kentucky for refugees and asylees. On January 1, 2027, those same groups also lose the premium tax credits that lower the cost of Marketplace health plans. Kentucky says affected Medicaid members will be contacted. The Kentucky Health Benefit Exchange spells out both dates…
-
The IRS lets a widow or widower who sells the home within two years of the spouse’s death, before remarrying, keep the larger married-couple home-sale tax exclusion
Surviving spouses who sell the family home within two years of the death, and have not remarried, can keep the larger home-sale tax exclusion that married couples get. That means up to $500,000 of profit can be excluded from tax instead of the usual $250,000 for a single owner. The rule comes from the tax…
-
Louisiana voters decide Nov. 3 on an amendment letting parishes or cities, with local voter approval, add a senior homestead exemption reaching $30,000 of assessed value at 81
Louisiana voters will decide on Nov. 3 whether to let parishes and municipalities give older homeowners a bigger property tax break. The proposed constitutional amendment would add a senior homestead exemption that grows with age and reaches $30,000 of assessed value for homeowners 81 and older. Passing it at the statewide ballot box is only…
-
The IRS lets a widow or widower who has not remarried file jointly for the year of the spouse’s death, with special filing benefits possible for two more years
For the year a spouse dies, a surviving widow or widower who has not remarried can still file a joint tax return with the late spouse. The IRS treats the survivor as married for that whole year. For the two years after, special filing benefits are possible too, but only for a survivor raising a…
-
The IRS says taxpayers usually have three years to file and claim a refund, and money left unclaimed after that becomes the property of the U.S. Treasury
People who skipped a tax return in a year when they were owed money back usually have three years to fix that, and the IRS says the clock is not forgiving. In its March 20, 2026 release, the agency said taxpayers who do not file within the window lose the refund to the U.S. Treasury.…