We're starting to see economic stimulus payments (or tax rebates) in our bank accounts! Or at least some of us are. If you want to know when you'll get it, the Internal Revenue Service has created a "where's my stimulus payment" webpage where you can enter some information and see when you should get your payment.

The IRS is sending payments out in order of the last two digits of a taxpayer's social security number. So those of you who qualified for the payment, opted for direct deposit and whose SSN ends in 0-20 got rebates last week.

The IRS rebate schedule says that those of us with higher numbers at the end of our SSN will have to wait a few more weeks to get our direct deposit payments. Those who opted for paper checks will start to get checks in mid-May.

This SSN schedule assumes the IRS processed your tax return by April 15. If the IRS did not process your return by April 15, you should get your economic stimulus payment up to two weeks after you receive your refund (regardless of direct deposit or check it seems). If you did not expect to get a refund or you filed your return after April 15, it will take a minimum of six weeks after you file to receive your stimulus payment.

If you don't remember or don't know how much money you qualified to receive, you can use the IRS Economic Stimulus Payment Calculator to find out. Keep in mind you could receive less than the amount calculated here if you owe back taxes, child support, money for student loans and other reasons. Around the same time you get your payment, the IRS will send you a notice to break down how it was calculated. Keep this statement for your records.

If you did not file your 2007 income tax or an extension, you can still file your federal income tax by October 15, 2008 to see if you qualify for an economic stimulus payment. The sooner you file though, the sooner you'll get results.

If you have other questions call the IRS or contact your local IRS office.  

There wasn't a whole lot of April Fooling going on at Gov Gab headquarters this week, I'm sorry to report—except for the person who went nuts with a roll of double-face tape at lunchtime and stuck the office refrigerator door shut. I don't know who would do such a thing. But I regress. I mean, digress...

I wanted to tell you about another kind of fooling involving your email and tax season.

This year, more than 80 million tax returns will be filed electronically. And with America's growing comfort with online transactions—from shopping and auctions to banking and investing—scammers know you'll pay attention when you get an email that seems to be from a company or government agency you do business with, saying that there's a problem with your account. Scammers have gotten so good at spoofing—masquerading online as legitimate government agencies and businesses—to "phish" your personal and financial information out of you that even really web-savvy people are being fooled.

As we’re approaching tax time, scammers in the guise of the IRS are sending email messages reporting that you have an unexpected tax refund. And, they say, if you click the link in their email and enter information about yourself and your bank account, they'll send your refund. Don't believe it. Follow those instructions and you're likely to have your bank account drained instead.

How do you know what's real? Take a minute right now to read the IRS' alert about phishing emails and other tax scams. They also explain how to report fraudulent IRS email messages so they can investigate and catch the scammers.

If your email in-box is anything like mine, besides the confidential messages from Nigerian bankers and spam offering cheap prices on medications, you'll see other phishing schemes. I've gotten fake email allegedly from eBay, PayPal and more than a dozen banks and mortgage companies--most of which I don't even do business with. And they all request personal and financial information from me because my "account has been breached" or they want to update my records. Baloney. The government agencies and companies you do business with will not email you out of the blue about your account. When you get email messages like these, avoid opening them. But if you accidentally do, don't click any links in the email—they'll take you to a spoofed site instead of the real thing.

To find out if an email message is really from a company or agency, type the company or agency’s name or url into a search engine to make sure you get onto the legitimate site. Then on the home page, look for "contact us" or "security" or "report fake email/phishing" for instructions on determining whether an email is the real deal, and on reporting or forwarding the fake email for investigation.

As I've been writing this, I got another fake IRS email. It looks a lot like this. I forwarded it right on to the IRS for investigation. It makes me really mad when someone tries to take advantage of me—and of you. Please be careful online, and I'll do the same.

For the past month, I've been coming home to a mailbox filled with letters from charities, asking for end-of-the-year donations. I think I've gotten more of those than I have catalogs and holiday cards combined, this year. And no wonder--charitable giving is down all over the country right now and nonprofits know that the holiday season traditionally brings out the spirit of giving, while people think about making last minute, end-of-the-year contributions for tax deductions.   

Whatever motivates you, if you're considering some year-end charitable contributions, I've got some quick tips to help you understand the basic tax rules about charitable giving and to help you find charities you can trust to be good managers of the work they do and the money you send them.

Over the last couple years, the IRS has tightened its rules about keeping record of your donations and about what you donate and how it's valued.

If you're giving a cash, check or credit card donation, you'll need a written record of the transaction from the charity or from your bank, with the name of the charity, the date and the dollar amount of your contribution. Used to be, you only needed a written record of a contribution if it was over $250. Now, if you want the tax credit, you need the paperwork, regardless of the dollar amount.

Have clothing or household items you're boxing up for Goodwill, the Salvation Army or another nonprofit that accepts used goods? The new rule is, what you donate has to be in good, used condition or better for you to receive a tax deduction for the donation.  If the stereo's broken or the shirt is full of holes, you won't get a tax break for it. So save the charity the trouble of disposing of it for you and send those things directly to the trash or recycling bin!   

I see ads all over the place from charities asking people to donate their used vehicles.  It can be a good deal if old Betsy is up on blocks in your yard and you'd need to have it hauled or towed away and you wouldn't expect to get much for it from the junk man. But if you're donating a car, truck, boat or recreational vehicle that's in running condition, primarily for the reason of getting the tax break, you may want to think a little about it. If the charity you donate your vehicle to will in turn sell it at auction, you'll be entitled to claim only the gross proceeds from the sale--which is usually well below Blue Book value. The charity is required by the IRS to contact you after the auction to let you know what that dollar amount was.  If, however, the charity you donate your vehicle to improves or uses the vehicle, or if it gives the vehicle or sells it to a person in need at significantly below fair market value, you may then be able to claim the fair market value of the vehicle on your tax return.

Before you entrust your vehicle or cash to a nonprofit, it makes sense to check out the organization--making sure it's reputable and that it manages its programs and funds well. While the overwhelming majority of nonprofits are good organizations that work hard to create change and help the world and its inhabitants, fraudulent "charities" still abound. And they love targeting seniors and anybody else they can get to trust them.

Be wary of any "charity" that phones you, unsolicited, for a contribution and refuses to mail you written information about the organization or its tax ID number when you ask for more facts in writing about it before you give. And never entrust your bank account, credit card or Social Security number to anyone over the phone. I know this sounds like common sense, but when you're on the line with someone skilled at playing on your emotions by telling you that you can help save starving kids in Africa, puppies at the local pound or provide for the children of fallen firefighters, it's easy to let your defenses down and give a potential scammer all the information he or she needs to clean out your checking account. 

Your local Better Business Bureau and state regulatory and licensing agencies are good places to find out if an organization you're considering donating to is registered with them or has had complaints filed against it. Online databases like Charity Navigator and Give.org track the work and financial management of hundreds of major nonprofit organizations.  And there are also a few specialized financial accountability groups you can find online that track specific types of nonprofits like religious charities.

When you find charities you can trust that are doing work that inspires you, giving to them feels good...not just during the holidays, but anytime.