IRS & Enforcement
Audit triggers, enforcement actions, compliance requirements, reporting thresholds, IRS technology changes, and taxpayer rights.
Latest in IRS & Enforcement
Itemizers can deduct qualified medical costs above 7.5% of adjusted gross income, including Medicare and age-limited long-term-care premiums
A retiree’s largest recurring medical bills may be tax-deductible, but the federal rule applies only after two gates. The expense must qualify and remain unreimbursed,...
A widow or widower often jumps to higher single tax brackets the next year, a costly survivor’s penalty
The death of a spouse can reduce household income without reducing it by half, yet the federal tax system may soon treat the survivor as...
Taxpayers 65 and older get a bigger standard deduction on top
Turning 65 changes the federal deduction calculation even when a taxpayer has no new medical bill, retirement-account withdrawal or Social Security decision. For 2026, the...
Some states waive property taxes entirely for veterans rated 100% disabled
A 100% VA disability rating can unlock major property-tax relief, but it does not erase the bill everywhere. VA’s state-by-state guide shows full homestead exemptions...
The IRS can delay your refund for six weeks while seeking direct-deposit details, now that most paper checks are gone
Leaving bank information off a federal return no longer means the IRS simply prints the refund check on the usual schedule. The agency generally stopped...
The IRS raised 2026 tax brackets for inflation, so a modest raise may not push you into a higher rate
The IRS moved every federal income-tax bracket upward for 2026, giving wages and retirement income more room before the next marginal rate begins. A single...
The new tax law locks the estate-tax exemption at $15 million per person, shielding more family inheritances
A new federal tax law established a $15 million basic estate-tax exclusion for each person in 2026 and kept that larger structure from expiring after...
Retirees can have federal tax withheld from Social Security with Form W-4V to avoid a surprise April bill
Social Security arrives without federal income-tax withholding unless a beneficiary asks for it, a setup that can make an apparently stable monthly budget produce an...
Tipped workers can deduct up to $25,000 of tip income on their 2025 tax return under a new law
A new federal deduction can remove as much as $25,000 of qualified tip income from taxable income on a 2025 return. The break is available...
Retirees 70½ and older can send IRA money straight to charity and skip the income tax on the withdrawal
A retiree who donates to charity every year may be handing the IRS more than the law requires. Federal rules let owners of an individual...
Most home sellers can keep up to $250,000 of profit tax-free, or $500,000 for a married couple
Up to $250,000 in home-sale profit for a single owner, and $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly, can be pocketed with no federal capital-gains...
In a no-income-tax state you can deduct your sales taxes instead, a break retirees in Florida and Texas often miss
Retirees who moved to Florida or Texas for the absence of a state income tax often assume that choice erases a line on their federal...
Retirees in the lower tax brackets can sell investments and owe 0% federal tax on long-term gains
A retiree who sells a long-held stock or mutual fund usually braces for a tax bill, but a large group of older Americans can realize...
A $5,120 slice of the 2026 adoption credit can be refundable
Up to $5,120 of the federal adoption credit may be refundable for 2026, allowing that portion to produce a payment even when a family has...
College costs can produce a $2,500 American Opportunity Tax Credit
The American Opportunity Tax Credit can turn $4,000 of qualified college spending into a federal credit of as much as $2,500 for an eligible student....
The 2026 adoption credit reaches $17,670 per eligible child
The federal adoption tax credit can reach $17,670 per eligible child for 2026, pairing a larger overall ceiling with a newly refundable portion of up...
Families can qualify for an $8,231 earned-income tax credit in 2026
The maximum federal earned-income tax credit reaches $8,231 for tax year 2026, but only for eligible households with at least three qualifying children and earnings...
Home sellers can shield $250,000 of profit from federal tax
A qualifying home seller can exclude as much as $250,000 of gain from federal taxable income, and many married couples filing jointly can exclude up...
October 15 is the federal filing deadline for most tax extensions
Most individual taxpayers who obtained a six-month federal extension must file their 2025 return by October 15, 2026. The extension moved the paperwork deadline, not...
Tax debt above $66,000 can put a passport at risk in 2026
Owing more than $66,000 to the federal government can put a passport in jeopardy in 2026, but the balance alone does not trigger immediate revocation....