Entry bubble Tax Rebates for Americans

By: Sommer | February 15, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

Tax Refund Check Envelope


Tax season this year is the most exciting one for me and my husband yet since we’ll itemize so we can take our first ever mortgage interest deduction. And, in May we’ll be among the millions of Americans who will also receive the famed tax rebate checks the government has talked about for the last month.

In order to qualify, Americans will have had to file their 2007 tax returns. The IRS will then use your return to determine your eligibility for the rebate. They anticipate that singles with incomes under $75,000 will receive a maximum of $600 and for married people with incomes under $150,000 the checks will max out at $1,200. Households will also receive $300 additional for each dependent child under 17. Low-income Americans and beneficiaries of certain government programs have special eligibility.

Keep your eyes open for fraud since this new rebate provides the perfect opportunity for scamsters to take advantage of the unsuspecting public. The IRS will not call or email taxpayers about these payments! If you receive a scam email forward it to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov. Remember that the IRS will only contact you by mail about these payments.

Now that we’ve got business taken care of, I want to know what you’re planning to do with your check. Will you go on a vacation, invest it, use it to pay off debt or something else? We’re planning to use ours to start a college savings plan for our new son.

| Comments [23] | envelope Email This Entry | Tags: family  irs  money  rebate  refund  sommer  taxes 

 

Entry bubble Moving Out!

By: Jake | October 15, 2007 | Category: General

postal stamp: return to sender for better address

The apartment hunt is over! I found a new place in Alexandria and I move in early November. One of the first things I will do is tell various government agencies about my change of address.

I've found in the past the best place to start is the post office. I can change my address at any post office, or go online and do it for a dollar. After changing my address, the U.S. Postal Service will forward my mail to my new address for a year.

Though USPS will not tell people who mail me I have moved, they will forward my address change information to the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS will send my tax forms to the last address change furnished by myself or USPS. The last time I moved I did not change my address with the Internal Revenue Service and my tax forms arrived at my new address (though the IRS also got my new address when I changed for W-2's at work).

If this move were taking place during tax season and I had filed my tax return before changing my address, I would have notified my old post office and the IRS of the change so my refund and any other materials went to my new address. If you are collecting social security benefits,  have a passport or receive other services from federal agencies you should notify them of your address change.

For address changes on the state level, I've found the best place to start is at the state motor vehicles office. I can get my driver's license and car registration updated here, and most department of motor vehicles offices also allow you to update your voter registration.

Many municipalities require you give notice if you have a vehicle in their limits, so they can assess and collect property tax.  In the past I have received bills from former counties, so I will notify my old municipality so they don't send me a personal property tax bill.

After all the address changes are done, the Pueblo website has a moving checklist of things I need to do. I will be addressing things such as choosing a mover and utilities next week.

| Comments [2] | envelope Email This Entry | Tags: address  apartments  change  housing  irs  moving  taxes  usps