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
$3,938.58 a month, tax-free, now goes to a veteran rated 100% disabled, with more added for a spouse and children
Starting in January 2026, a veteran rated 100 percent disabled by the Department of Veterans Affairs receives $3,938.58 each month, entirely free of federal taxes....
Over-income seniors can still get nursing-home Medicaid through a Miller income trust
Seniors whose monthly income exceeds Medicaid’s special income level face a stark choice when they need nursing-home care: spend down savings fast, pay out of...
Investment losses offset gains plus $3,000 of income yearly, the rest carried forward
Taxpayers who sold investments at a loss during recent market swings face a hard cap on how much of that damage they can use each...
Congress rolled the 1099-K tax threshold back to $20,000 and 200 sales, undoing the $600 online-seller rule
Congress has scrapped the $600 reporting rule for online sellers and gig workers, restoring the old Form 1099-K threshold of $20,000 and 200 transactions. Public...
A health savings account can pay Medicare premiums and long-term-care costs in retirement, and those withdrawals stay tax-free
Retirees who hold health savings accounts can use those funds to cover Medicare Part B, Part D, and Medicare Advantage premiums, plus qualified long-term-care insurance...
A state circuit-breaker rebate can shave hundreds off a senior’s property-tax bill, and many who qualify never apply
Thousands of Idaho seniors leave money on the table each year by never filing for a state rebate that can cut as much as $1,500...
A recent widow or widower can keep filing taxes at married rates for up to two years if a dependent child lives at home
A surviving spouse raising a dependent child can continue using married-filing-jointly tax rates for up to two taxable years after the year of death, a...
A widow can claim a Social Security survivor benefit as early as 60, but taking it that soon locks in just 71.5% of the full amount for life
A surviving spouse who files for Social Security survivor benefits at age 60 will collect just 71.5% of the deceased worker’s primary insurance amount, and...
Still working at 73 can let you delay required withdrawals from your current employer’s 401(k) until you actually retire
Americans who keep working past 73 can, under federal tax law, postpone required minimum distributions from a current employer’s 401(k) until they actually stop working....
About 2 million seniors who qualify for Medicare’s Extra Help skip roughly $11.4 billion in prescription savings every year
Every year, roughly 2 million seniors who meet the eligibility requirements for Medicare’s Extra Help program never claim the benefit, forgoing an estimated $11.4 billion...
A surviving divorced spouse can still collect Social Security on an ex who has died, as long as the marriage lasted at least 10 years
Americans who divorced after long marriages and later lost a former spouse to death may be sitting on Social Security survivor benefits they do not...
Paper Social Security checks end September 30 for the last mail recipients
Social Security recipients who still receive paper checks in the mail face a hard cutoff. After September 30, the federal government will stop mailing those...
Leftover 529 college savings can now roll into the beneficiary’s Roth IRA
Families with unused 529 college savings now have a direct path to convert those funds into retirement wealth for the account beneficiary. Under a provision...
The Saver’s Credit hands lower-income workers up to $1,000 for retirement contributions
Lower-income workers who contribute to a 401(k) or IRA can reduce their federal tax bill by as much as $1,000 through the Saver’s Credit, a...
Some SSI recipients will get two payments in the same month this year, a quirk of the calendar rather than a bonus
Millions of people who rely on Supplemental Security Income will see two SSI deposits land in the same calendar month at certain points this year,...
A nonworking spouse can still fund a spousal IRA from a partner’s income
Married couples where one partner earns all the household income can still double their annual IRA savings by funding a separate account for the nonworking...
A shared nursing-home room now runs about $9,581 a month, and Medicaid steps in only after a senior’s savings fall below $2,000
Families across the United States face a brutal arithmetic when a parent or spouse needs round-the-clock care. A shared nursing-home room now runs about $9,581...
Taxpayers 65 and older get an extra standard deduction on their federal return
Federal tax filers who turned 65 before the end of the tax year can reduce their taxable income by claiming an additional standard deduction on...
A retiree who claimed Social Security early can suspend the benefit at full retirement age and let it grow again until 70
Retirees who locked in a reduced Social Security check by claiming before full retirement age still have a second chance to boost that payment. Between...
October 15 is the final deadline to file a 2025 tax return on extension
Millions of taxpayers who requested extra time to complete their 2025 federal income tax returns face a hard stop on October 15, 2026. That date...