Retirement & Taxes
Long-term financial planning, retirement accounts, government benefits, tax law, and IRS rules. Covers the intersection of policy and personal finance that affects how people save, invest, and plan ahead.
Latest in Retirement & Taxes
The IRS may owe you money from COVID-era penalties — but you have to file a paper form by July 10 or lose it forever
Millions of Americans paid late-filing penalties, late-payment penalties, or interest charges to the IRS during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, an independent...
Tens of millions of taxpayers may qualify for IRS refunds from COVID-era penalties — the deadline to file Form 843 is July 10, and it can only be mailed on paper
A penalty of $500 here, $1,200 there. During the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the IRS kept its automated penalty machine running even as its...
The IRS may owe you money from COVID-era penalties — but you have to file a paper form by July 10 or lose it forever
Millions of Americans were hit with IRS penalties during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the federal government may owe them money back. But there is a...
Social Security’s 2.8% COLA added $56 a month — but after the Medicare Part B hike to $203, retirees kept just $38 of it
Six months into 2026, most retired workers have had time to notice what their 2.8% Social Security raise actually looks like in their bank accounts....
The IRS is running 125 AI models to flag tax returns — up from 54 two years ago — and high-earner audits are climbing back toward pre-cut levels
If you earned seven figures last year and filed a clean return, you might still hear from the IRS. The agency is now running 125...
Medicare Part B’s $203 premium eats nearly half of Social Security’s 2.8% COLA — retirees net about $38 more per month after the deduction
A retiree collecting the average Social Security benefit opened their January 2026 deposit to find roughly $38 more than the month before. Not $56, which...
Every generation cut 401(k) contributions this year except Gen Z — they raised theirs to 6.2% while boomers, Gen X, and millennials all pulled back
Workers under 28 are doing something their older colleagues are not: putting more money into their 401(k) plans. A Dayforce report published in spring 2026...
DOGE built a Medicare portal to help seniors — then left providers’ Social Security numbers in a public database for weeks
For weeks this spring, the Social Security numbers of healthcare providers who treat Medicare Advantage patients were sitting in a publicly accessible government database, exposed...
Workers cut 401(k) contributions for the first time in 3 years — except Gen Z, who raised theirs to 6.2%
After three years of steady increases, American workers are pulling back on 401(k) contributions. The average deferral rate across all age groups slipped to approximately...
The IRS is running 125 AI models to flag tax returns in 2026 — up from 54 in 2024 — and high-earner audit rates are climbing back toward pre-2010 levels
If you reported more than $10 million in income on your most recent tax return, the IRS is screening it with tools that barely existed...
Social Security’s 2.8% COLA added $56 a month — but the Medicare Part B premium hike swallowed nearly half of it, leaving retirees with just $38 more
The Social Security raise for 2026 was supposed to put $56 more per month into the average retiree’s pocket. Instead, most beneficiaries are seeing about...
The IRS is running 125+ AI models to flag returns in 2026 — up from 54 two years ago — while Congress wants to cut the agency’s budget by another $1 billion
Somewhere inside the IRS, a machine-learning model is comparing the income you reported on your 2025 tax return against every W-2, 1099, and third-party record...
2027 Social Security COLA forecast ranges from 2.8% to 4% — and the Iran war could push it higher
A Social Security recipient collecting the average monthly benefit of roughly $1,976 could see anywhere from $55 to $79 more per check starting in January...
Social Security payments up to $5,181 land next week — here’s the full May 2026 schedule
If you’re one of the millions of retirees who budget around the third of the month, May 2026 is throwing a small curveball. Because May...
New bill would raise Social Security benefits for millions
When a Social Security recipient dies, the federal government sends surviving family members a one-time payment of $255. That amount was set in 1954, when...
Retirement net worth benchmarks show how your savings stack up
A 55-year-old couple with $400,000 saved for retirement might feel they are doing fine, or falling behind, depending on which benchmark they use. The Federal...
Retirement costs shift after 70 as health care and housing loom larger
The mortgage is gone. The retirement party is a distant memory. And yet for millions of Americans past 70, the most expensive years may still...
New Senate bill could reshape Medicare Advantage for millions
A physician orders an MRI for a Medicare Advantage enrollee with worsening back pain. Before the scan happens, the insurer has to approve it. That...
Mega backdoor Roth lets high earners move up to $47,500 via after-tax 401(k)
A software engineer in Seattle earning $260,000 maxes out her 401(k) at $24,500 and still watches her paycheck clear every two weeks with no additional...
Social Security cuts loom, and Trump policy may speed the timeline
A retired teacher in Texas who spent 30 years in the classroom and just started collecting Social Security might soon face a choice she never...