We got a 3% cost of living raise at work; however, after increasing the tax deductions to where they should be after last year’s Making Work Pay Tax Credit, some people are actually taking home less money than they did last year.

I’m willing to bet most companies did not give a raise, so many people will be looking at a smaller take home amount.

I am one of the few who … click here to continue reading Did Your Paycheck Just Get Smaller?

Last year we chose to file an extension, so our taxes weren’t due until October 15th. I actually thought we were done on April 4th, and had posted about that but then I went and read a book on self-employment taxes and got myself all freaked out.  This year I hope to have them done by April 15th. It is just too nerve wracking waiting for six more months.

Anyway, we … click here to continue reading What Arizona Did With Our 2008 Tax Refund

Whew. What a relief to FINALLY have them done, and on their way. I am still a little bit nervous that I have not gotten everything, but I have done my very best. I never did find an accountant, darn it! I am going to keep that on my list of things to do for the businesses. I really hope this coming year I will have our taxes done early, … click here to continue reading Our Taxes Are in the Mail Today

I haven’t done a lot of donating to thrift stores over the years. I tend to hang onto things forever and ever, building up my clutter nest in my bedroom. Therefore, I never really thought about how one would go about putting a value on the things they donated.

Besides, we have never been able to itemize. At any rate, I never really thought about it before, but while looking at … click here to continue reading What’s the Value of your Donated Items?

I’ve been asking friends and acquaintances if they have a CPA they can recommend. I have received a few recommendations, but several weren’t taking new clients.

Then the other day, one of our auditors came by to start the proceedings for the yearly audit at my job. While she was asking the normal questions, it occurred to me that she might be able to help me.  I asked her, and she … click here to continue reading I Think I Found An Accountant

I know I’m talking to the choir here, but I thought I’d give a heads up on the Stimulus Payment Email Scam that I received in my inbox just a few minutes ago. Apparently this has been going around the Internet since last year, although this is the first time I’ve seen or heard about it. It was pretty authentic looking, but upon closer inspection I did find … click here to continue reading IRS Stimulus Payment Email Scam

I read over at Paid Twice’s blog today that you can check at the IRS website to see when to expect your stimulus check. I was a little bit concerned when I noticed the statement accompanying my results.

Look there at the bottom, which I circled in red and highlighted in yellow. You can click on the image to get a bigger version. It says:

“Remember, in order to qualify for the … click here to continue reading Deadline for Filing Taxes to Receive Stimulus Check?

One of the main reasons I’ve never taken my taxes to be done by a professional is because I never could figure out how they could do a better job than I could.

I mean, if you really think about it, only YOU can know what you spent your money on in the past year, and only YOU can figure out which deductions can be taken. You still have to keep … click here to continue reading 2007 Taxes Completed