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
UnitedHealthcare exited 225 counties and Aetna exited 160 as Medicare Advantage insurers cut coverage for 2026
The national Medicare Advantage market remained large in 2026, but two major insurers pulled back from hundreds of local markets. UnitedHealthcare stopped offering plans in...
Social Security can withhold up to 50% of some monthly checks to claw back past overpayments
A Social Security overpayment notice can threaten the cash flow that pays rent, food and medical bills long before the disputed debt is resolved. For...
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...
For 2025, Kansas refunded 75% of property taxes for low-income seniors earning under $25,380
Kansas offered a substantial property-tax refund for the 2025 claim year, but the numbers belong to a closed filing period. The SAFESR program refunded 75%...
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...
Skip Medicare Part D and other creditable drug coverage for 63 days and you may pay a lifelong late penalty
Medicare’s Part D late-enrollment penalty is not triggered merely because someone declines a drug plan on the first day of eligibility. The financial risk generally...
At 65 or older, Part B enrollment gives you one 6-month window to buy any Medigap policy sold in your state
Medigap’s strongest federal buying protection is tied to two events, not one birthday. The six-month open-enrollment period begins on the first day of the month...
Medicare Advantage plans face tighter supplemental-benefit rules for 2027
Medicare Advantage benefits will enter 2027 under tighter federal administration rules, but the government has not ordered plans across the country to eliminate dental, vision...
Medicare’s inpatient hospital deductible rose to $1,736 in 2026, $60 more than 2025
A hospital admission under Original Medicare now starts with a larger Part A charge. The inpatient deductible is $1,736 for 2026, an increase of $60...
Required retirement-account withdrawals now start at 73 or 75, and missing one can bring a penalty
Required minimum distributions no longer begin at one universal age. Federal law now divides retirees into birth-year groups: most people born from 1951 through 1959...
Qualified overtime premium pay is now deductible up to $12,500 for singles and $25,000 for couples through 2028
A temporary federal deduction can shelter qualified overtime premium pay through 2028, but it does not make an entire overtime paycheck tax-free. The maximum deduction...
Medicare’s trustees estimate the 2027 Part B premium at $209.50, though CMS has not set the final amount
Medicare’s trustees estimate that the standard Part B premium will reach $209.50 a month in 2027, but that number is not the final bill. CMS...
A 2025 law repealing two benefit-cutting rules led Social Security to adjust about 3.2 million records
A long-running reduction in Social Security benefits for many teachers, police officers, firefighters and other public employees is no longer part of the law. The...
Mayo Clinic may be out of network for some UnitedHealthcare and Humana Medicare Advantage plans, potentially forcing patients to switch or pay more
A Medicare Advantage card does not guarantee the same Mayo Clinic access across every product carrying an insurer’s name. Some UnitedHealthcare and Humana members may...
Social Security is phasing out paper checks, and recipients without a bank account can use a Direct Express card
Social Security is completing its move away from paper checks, but a conventional bank account is not required to receive a benefit electronically. The Treasury-sponsored...
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...
A surviving spouse can claim a one-time $255 Social Security death benefit
Social Security can pay an eligible surviving spouse a one-time $255 lump sum after a covered worker dies. The amount is small beside funeral and...
The Supplemental Security Income savings cap is still $2,000, a limit frozen since 1989
Supplemental Security Income still limits an individual to $2,000 in countable resources and an eligible couple to $3,000. Those dollar amounts have not moved since...
Indiana gave its Medicaid program nine months to bill a deceased senior’s estate for nursing-home care
Indiana’s Medicaid Estate Recovery Unit can file a claim for nine months after a recipient dies, giving the state a longer runway than families may...