tax-cat

Self-Employed Taxpayers Get Bigger Deduction For Medical Expenses
By Tax Cat on February 23, 2011 1:15 PM   23 Comments
As a self-employed certified tax cat, I make sure to take advantage of every opportunity possible to reduce my taxable income. The health insurance premiums I pay for me and my litter have always worked to bring that number down, but they never did anything to reduce the amount I had to pay in Medicare and Social Security taxes. Until now. More »

Jackson Hewitt Sues H&R Block Over "Trash Talk"
By Tax Cat on February 1, 2011 12:15 PM   18 Comments
It probably goes without saying that I love a good cat fight, that's why I'm licking my paws and purring with delight over the news that Jackson Hewitt has bared its claws to take on the biggest feline of them all, H&R Block. More »

How To Get Free Tax-Prep Help
By Tax Cat on January 28, 2011 2:15 PM   19 Comments
What many taxpayers don't know when they step into H&R Block, Jackson Hewitt or go to some tax-preparation site is that there are several thousand IRS-approved volunteers out there willing to do the job for free if you qualify. More »

H&R Block Revives AOL Business Plan, Blankets Nation With Unwanted CDs
By Laura Northrup on January 26, 2011 8:00 AM   54 Comments
If you had a pulse and/or a mailbox in the '90s, you received some AOL disks in the mail. They promoted a free trial, but everyone knows their real purpose: to have their labels peeled off and to be used for file storage. AOL eventually switched to read-only CDs, then switched to total irrelevance. But their familiar promotional tactic is back: adopted by tax preparers H&R Block to distribute their income tax software. More »

8 Tips For Picking The Right Tax Preparer
By Tax Cat on January 24, 2011 12:30 PM   49 Comments
You know that I love you all and would just love to prepare every last one of your 1040s this year. But between my existing clients and that centipede I can't seem to catch, I'm booked solid through tax day. More »

Awesome Holiday Gives You Until April 18 To Do Taxes
By Tax Cat on January 5, 2011 11:45 AM   45 Comments
Tax Cat here. Yes, I'm sorry, it's me again. What? You're glad to see me? You're going to itemize? Oh, I can't stop purring. Well, I know Consumerist readers are already hard at work preparing their 2010 returns — and never, ever procrastinate — but I thought I'd pop in and mention that a little-known D.C. holiday that celebrates the freeing of slaves (called "Emancipation Day") is being observed on April 15th. That means that since taxes can't be due on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays — you get until April 18th this year to file your taxes! More »

Donate To Consumerist And Get A Tax Deduction
By Tax Cat on December 28, 2010 3:15 PM   16 Comments
Tax Cat here, taking over from my cousin Holiday Cat, to remind you of an important deadline: You have until midnight on Friday to make a donation to Consumerist and use it as a deduction on your 2010 taxes. Consumerist? Tax deduction? That's right. Consumer Media LLC, a not-for-profit Delaware limited liability corporation, publishes The Consumerist. We're looking to raise $10,000 in the next few weeks. Help us now, and 2011 will be an even more awesome year for this site. That is why you should give us some money. Also: there are other reasons. More »

(Mutt0n)

Google's Tax Responsibility Gets Lost In Bermuda Triangle
By Phil Villarreal on October 22, 2010 9:15 AM   109 Comments
Bermuda is not only a land of beautiful beaches — as well as a cornerstone of a famed mysterious triangle known for making things disappear — it's where Google goes to protect billions in profits from the sticky fingers of Uncle Sam. More »

Save Thousands; Create Your Own Crappy Gap Logo In Seconds
By Chris Morran on October 8, 2010 2:15 PM   44 Comments
As soon as The Gap's underwhelmingly crappy new logo hit the internet, many puzzled haters commented that they could make the same logo with even the most bare-bones design software. Well, now they don't even have to go to that minimal effort with Crap Logo Yourself. More »

Are You Eligible For Tax Credits? Follow This Handy Flowchart
By Laura Northrup on March 12, 2010 12:35 PM   20 Comments
Do you suspect you may be eligible for tax credits for to purchasing a new home or remodeling an existing one, but would like a sleek, simple infographic to guide you? Fixr is here to help, with a simple guide to this year's tax credits. More »

5 Tax Changes The IRS Thinks You Should Know About
By Meg Marco on February 25, 2010 5:09 PM   18 Comments
The IRS tells Tax Cat that the rules have changed slightly this year. Learn how you can benefit. More »

(Alberto Cueto)

TurboTax Charged Me $30 For An Upgrade I Didn't Realize I'd Ordered
By Phil Villarreal on February 9, 2010 9:30 AM   118 Comments
Cindy says TurboTax sped her through a filing session that ended with her paying about $30 to upgrade to the deluxe version, even though she didn't realize she'd made such a purchase. These are the sorts of issues that make Tax Cat purr in quizzical contemplation. More »

Help! My W-2 Is Late And I Want Justice!
By Meg Marco on February 1, 2010 4:26 PM   72 Comments
Tax Cat here. Reader Jason wants to know what to do when your lazy former employer doesn't send your W-2 on time. More »

(Photo: Consumerist)

See If You Qualify For One Of These 2009 Tax Deductions
By Phil Villarreal on January 21, 2010 8:45 AM   32 Comments
Personal finance blogger Mrs. Micah unleashed a mammoth list of 2009 tax deductions on her blog, Finance for a Freelance Life. More »

(Photo: chadwbecks)

IRS Opens Can Of Whoopass On Paid Tax Preparers
By Ben Popken on January 4, 2010 1:16 PM   83 Comments
Tax Cat here! Calling it a "game changing event for the tax system", the IRS announced in a press conference call, that they invited me, a tax cat, to that they're launching 6 sweeping regulatory reforms to clean up the paid tax prep industry. The IRS is not naming names but I'm growling at you, H&R Block and Jackson Hewitt. Numero uno: More »

ISP Donates to United Way to Make Up For Internet Outage
By Laura Northrup on April 23, 2009 3:15 PM   49 Comments

—>Reader Jon in Washington state has some issues with his ISP, Broadstripe. Namely, the periodic outages he experiences, and how the company decided to make up for the most recent one.  More »

It's Tax Day! Here Are Some Post Offices That Are Open Late...
By Meg Marco on April 15, 2009 6:21 PM   57 Comments

—>Today is the day, folks. You'll need to finish up your taxes and send them on their way to the IRS.  More »

Good News! You Got A Tax Cut! Bad News! You Might Want To Adjust Your Withholding!
By Meg Marco on March 31, 2009 2:16 PM   51 Comments

—>CNN points out that while it's wonderful to be getting the "Making Work Pay" tax credit right away through your employer adjusting your withholding — some people might end up getting more credit than they really are entitled to — meaning they may end up owing money at the end of the year.  More »

Tax Break: IRS Announces New Car Buyers Can Deduct Sales Tax
By Meg Marco on March 30, 2009 6:50 PM   89 Comments

—>The IRS just announced that new car buyers can deduct the state and local sales and excise taxes on their 2009 tax returns next year, according to our furry little tax adviser.  More »

Everyone Can Now File Their Taxes Electronically For Free
By Carey Alexander on January 26, 2009 12:45 AM   41 Comments

—>This year the IRS is letting each and every one of us file our taxes electronically free of charge. Didn't the IRS already let all of us eFile our taxes for free, you ask? No. The IRS has a program called Free File, which provides free commercial tax help to anyone making less than $56,000 per year. This program, enticingly known as Free File Fillable Tax Forms, is different...   More »