Personal finance

Grace Cary Washington has issued stimulus checks to about 127 million households over the past two weeks. Some payments went to those who didn’t need the money. But that’s not necessarily bad — the answer largely depends on one’s view of check targeting and how easily that can be achieved. The concept of trying to

zimmytws | iStock | Getty Images The Social Security Administration has sent information to the IRS that will help clear the way for almost 30 million people to receive their $1,400 stimulus checks, lawmakers said on Thursday. The development comes after Democratic leaders on the House Ways and Means Committee gave the agency 24 hours

RgStudio | E+ | Getty Images A second batch of $1,400 stimulus payments has been sent, bringing the total number of checks issued so far to about 127 million for a total of about $325 billion, according to the Treasury Department, IRS and Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Additional tranches will be issued in the

Wednesday is Equal Pay Day, a reminder of the persistent income inequality between men and women. Currently, women earn just 82 cents for every dollar earned by men, according to an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data by the National Women’s Law Center. As a result, March 24 marks just how far into the new year full-time

A small business owner in Chinatown, San Francisco Source: CNBC Beginning April 6, small businesses and non-profits can apply for up to 24 months of relief, with a maximum loan amount of $500,000, the Small Business Administration announced Wednesday. The previous limit for such businesses was six months, with a maximum loan amount of $150,000.

ozgurcankaya The IRS recently extended the filing deadline for individual tax returns to May 17 from April 15. You may still want to file by the original date. That’s because the extension only applies to individual returns, from taxpayers who file an IRS Form 1040. For people who make estimated tax payments, including the self-employed

Seniors, who are 65 and over, wait in line at the Department of Health Sarasota COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Sarasota, Florida, U.S. January 4, 2021. Octavio Jones | Reuters As $1,400 stimulus checks go out, some lawmakers are expressing concern that recipients of Social Security and other federal benefits have yet to get the money

Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images The IRS issued guidance Tuesday on a new unemployment tax break that makes more people eligible for the benefit. The American Rescue Plan waives federal tax on up to $10,200 of unemployment benefits collected last year, per person. But the $1.9 trillion Covid relief measure, which President Joe Biden signed

Economic stimulus checks are prepared for printing at the Philadelphia Financial Center May in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Jeff Fusco | Getty Images A second batch of $1,400 stimulus checks is scheduled to land in people’s bank accounts on Wednesday, March 24. Those checks began processing on Friday and may be available in some accounts even earlier,

An H&R Block office in San Francisco, Calif. David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images TurboTax and H&R Block updated their online software to account for a new tax break on unemployment benefits received last year, according to company officials. However, state tax returns may still be a source of trouble for some taxpayers filing electronically.

Getty Images New $1,400 stimulus checks could be landing in your mailbox soon. Government agencies including the Treasury Department, IRS and Bureau of the Fiscal Service on Monday announced a second batch of payments will be sent this week. While that includes more direct deposit payments, it also includes a large number of mailed paper

Jamie Grill | The Image Bank | Getty Images The financial uncertainty created by the global pandemic has made an impact on Americans of all generations and income levels. Even as the economy starts to show signs of recovery, too many Americans are still unemployed, and the uncertainty over the shape of economic recovery lingers.

Getty Images Watching your retirement account grow can be exhilarating. However, if it’s a 401(k) or individual retirement account holding pre-tax contributions, don’t forget Uncle Sam owns a portion of the balance you see.  “All too often, investors look at their traditional 401(k) statement forgetting that they have a partner invested there alongside them,” said

When it comes to handling money, many people aren’t sure exactly how to start. Women are even further behind than men, making less on average and saving and investing less. They also don’t have as much confidence in investing as men, research shows. With women living, on average, longer than men, it’s imperative that they

Tetra Images | Getty Images Stimulus checks aren’t the only cash infusion hitting U.S. households. On top of those $1,400 direct payments going to most adults, more than 42.5 million tax refunds were issued in the first four weeks of the tax season, which started Feb. 12, according to data released by the IRS on

Members of the Ohio National Guard at the Mid Ohio Foodbank in Columbus. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and rising unemployment, demand placed on food banks around the U.S. has grown rapidly. Matthew Hatcher | SOPA Images | Getty Images The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan signed into law by President Joe Biden on

IRS headquarters in Washington, D.C. Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images The IRS plans to automatically process refunds for taxpayers who had unemployment income in 2020 and filed their tax returns before legislation passed that made those benefits tax-free. The American Rescue Plan, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11, made

Marko Geber | DigitalVision | Getty Images The child tax credit payments authorized in the latest Covid relief bill may not be sent monthly and may not even start in July, IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig said. The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11 contained a significant

Getty Images As the government pushes millions of $1,400 stimulus checks out the door, some Americans could come up empty handed. The reason: overdue unpaid debts. The issue prompted Capitol Hill lawmakers to enter into a crossfire of sorts on Thursday over whether or not those checks can be garnished, as some looked to change

FatCamera | E+ | Getty Images There already was a child-care crisis in America. Then Covid hit. Child-care centers shut down. Working parents lost care and child-care workers found themselves without jobs. Parents, namely mothers, left jobs or reduced hours to fill the gap. The Biden administration and Congress responded with $39 billion in funding