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Hoxton/Sam Edwards | Getty Images After kicking off tax season with customer service and technology upgrades, the IRS this week unveiled a new option allowing taxpayers to respond more easily to certain agency notices.  The new feature lets taxpayers and professionals respond to nine notices online by digitally uploading requested documents, rather than responding by

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., questions IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig at a Senate Finance Committee hearing. Tom Williams | Pool | Reuters President Joe Biden‘s nominee to lead the IRS answered questions during a Senate Finance Committee hearing this week, highlighting key issues from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Daniel Werfel,

vitapix | E+ | Getty Images Planning to sell some investments this year? It’s less likely to affect your 2023 tax bill, experts say. Here’s why: The IRS made dozens of inflation adjustments for 2023, including the long-term capital gains brackets, applying to investments held for more than one year. This means you can have

Seb_ra | Istock | Getty Images A bill that’s pending in the Senate aims to battle a persistent danger to older adults and other vulnerable individuals: financial exploitation. In a nutshell, the measure would allow so-called registered open-ended investment companies — which can include mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, hedge funds, some annuities and other pooled

Bill Oxford | E+ | Getty Images Tax season is underway, and the IRS has issued nearly 8 million refunds worth about $15.7 billion as of Feb. 3, the agency reported. The average refund amount was $1,963, down from last year’s average payment of $2,201 at the same point in the filing season. Of course,

While the thought of funding your retirement adequately might be daunting, if you start planning now you’ll certainly be thankful later. Retirement usually entails replacing your former annual salary with other income sources to keep up with your lifestyle. While Social Security may cover part of your budget, the rest of your money will most

Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., speaks at a news conference announcing the state and local taxes caucus outside the Capitol on April 15, 2021. Sarah Silbiger | Bloomberg | Getty Images A group of bipartisan House representatives relaunched the SALT caucus last week, calling for relief from the $10,000 limit on the federal deduction for state

Prathanchorruangsak | Istock | Getty Images Whether you’re starting a new job or updating retirement savings goals, you may need to choose between pre-tax or Roth 401(k) contributions — and the choice may be more complex than you think. While pre-tax 401(k) deposits offer an upfront tax break, the funds grow tax-deferred, meaning you’ll owe

Portra | DigitalVision | Getty Images Tax season is underway but millions of filers who received state tax rebates or payments are in limbo after the IRS told taxpayers to pause on filing returns. The reason for the delay hinges on one question: Are these payments taxable on federal returns? Filers in more than 20

As a young physician, Dr. Elizabeth Clayborne saw a need for a better way to stop nosebleeds, a common condition she saw at the hospital where she worked, especially among children. She developed a bandage-like device for your nose and secured patents for her invention, called “NasaClip.” Then, in 2020, the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore area physician

President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address on March 1, 2022. Win Mcnamee | Getty Images President Joe Biden will again call for a “billionaire minimum tax” during his State of the Union address on Tuesday. While details haven’t been released, Biden previously proposed a billionaire minimum tax in his 2023 federal

Tim Bieber | Photodisc | Getty Images Amid stock market gyrations, recession fears and loftier payouts, consumers last year pumped a record sum of money into annuities, a type of insurance that offers a guaranteed income stream. Buyers funneled $310.6 billion into annuities in 2022, according to estimates published by Limra, an insurance industry trade

AsiaVision | E+ | Getty Images Most Americans can file their taxes for free — but many don’t seize the opportunity. Roughly 70% of taxpayers qualify to use IRS Free File, but only 2% used it during the 2022 filing season, according to the National Taxpayer Advocate’s annual report to Congress. A public-private partnership between

Moyo Studio | E+ | Getty Images The first Social Security check was issued 83 years ago. The check, for $22.54, went to retired legal secretary Ida May Fuller of Ludlow, Vermont. Today, in 2023, the average retirement benefit is $1,827 per month, according to the Social Security Administration. The maximum Social Security benefit for

Allison Michael Orenstein | Getty Images As the tax season kicks off, seniors may be facing new questions this year. A record 5.9% Social Security cost-of-living adjustment last year likely pushed up their income. Meanwhile, other income, such as required minimum distributions, other retirement account withdrawals or part- or full-time work may make filing more

D3sign | Moment | Getty Images It’s tax season, and Americans are confronted by a lot of tax jargon when preparing their returns. Two types of tax breaks stand out among all the lingo: credits and deductions. Each lowers your tax liability, which is the total annual tax owed on your income. (That figure can

Djordje Krstic | Istock | Getty Images Fewer borrowers will be able to claim the student loan interest deduction for 2022, with federal loan payments on hold for the duration of the year. But some people may still qualify. Prior to the pandemic, nearly 13 million taxpayers took advantage of the break, which allows borrowers

ozgurcankaya As tax season begins, you may be eager to file your tax return for a faster refund and to check the annual task off your list. For most filers, the tax deadline is April 18, and the IRS urges Americans to prepare before filing to avoid processing and refund delays, along with future IRS

A worsening macroeconomic climate and the collapse of industry giants like FTX and Terra have weighed on bitcoin’s price this year. STR | Nurphoto via Getty Images After a tough year for crypto, you may be looking for ways to turn steep losses into possible tax breaks. The digital currency industry lost nearly $1.4 trillion

John Miller | iStock | Getty Images A group of House Republicans is revisiting the Fair Tax Act, which would replace certain federal levies with a national sales tax and decentralize the IRS. While the plan may not get a floor vote and wouldn’t make it through the Democrat-controlled Senate, policy experts say the plan