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
Medicare’s 2027 Part B premium could climb past $215 a month, quietly shrinking next year’s Social Security raise
Retirees counting on next year’s Social Security cost-of-living adjustment to stretch their budgets face a familiar problem: a rising Medicare Part B premium that gets...
A transfer-on-death deed passes your home to heirs without probate
Homeowners in Texas, California, and Delaware can now record a single document that sends their home directly to named beneficiaries at death, skipping the probate...
Retirees who skip tax withholding face a September 15 estimated-payment deadline, and missing it triggers IRS penalties
Retirees who opted out of federal income tax withholding on their pension or annuity checks have a hard deadline approaching: September 15 is the due...
Hit with a high-income Medicare surcharge after retiring? Form SSA-44 lets you appeal it after a life-changing event
Retirees who stopped working in 2024 or 2025 and then received a Medicare premium surcharge based on a higher-earning year can challenge that charge by...
Widowed spouses can take a survivor benefit now and switch to their own larger check later, or the reverse
Surviving spouses face a financial fork in the road that most retirees never encounter: the ability to collect one Social Security benefit now and switch...
Claimed Social Security too early? You can cancel within 12 months, repay what you received, and file again later
Americans who locked in a reduced Social Security check by filing before full retirement age have a narrow escape hatch: they can withdraw the application...
Savers can now withdraw up to $2,500 a year from a 401(k) for long-term-care premiums without the early penalty
Workers saving for retirement through a 401(k) can now pull up to $2,500 a year to cover long-term care insurance premiums without triggering the 10%...
A single senior’s income must stay under $2,982 a month for nursing-home Medicaid
A single senior who earns even a dollar above $2,982 per month can be locked out of Medicaid coverage for nursing-home care, a threshold that...
Original Medicare covers no routine dental, vision or hearing care
Millions of Americans enrolled in Original Medicare have no federal coverage for routine dental cleanings, eye exams, hearing aids, or dentures. Federal statute explicitly bars...
A free IRS identity PIN blocks tax returns filed under your Social Security number
Any taxpayer who files a federal return without a required six-digit Identity Protection PIN risks an outright rejection from the IRS, a consequence that can...
Rolling a 401(k) straight into an IRA avoids the automatic 20% tax withholding that a check in your name triggers
Workers who leave a job with a 401(k) and request a distribution check in their own name lose 20% of the balance to federal tax...
Ads promising a big “Medicare flex card” are a scam; ignore them
Federal regulators are telling Medicare beneficiaries to stop clicking on ads that promise a loaded “flex card” for groceries, gas, or household bills. The Federal...
Some states let Medicare enrollees switch Medigap yearly with no health questions
Medicare beneficiaries in most states face medical underwriting if they try to switch Medigap plans after their initial enrollment window closes. But a growing number...
A revocable living trust passes your home to heirs and skips probate
Heirs who inherit a home through a standard will in California can face months of court proceedings before they gain clear title to the property....
$2,000 remains the SSI savings cap, frozen since 1989
Millions of Americans who rely on Supplemental Security Income face a savings ceiling that has not budged since January 1, 1989. The federal resource limit...
Remarrying at 60 or later never cuts a widow’s Social Security survivor benefits
Widows and widowers who remarry at 60 or older keep every dollar of their Social Security survivor benefits, a protection written into federal law since...
Claim Social Security after full retirement age and you can request up to six months of benefits as a lump sum
Retirees who wait past full retirement age to claim Social Security can request a lump sum covering up to six months of back benefits, but...
Appealing your home’s tax assessment can cut a property-tax bill many seniors quietly overpay
Seniors on fixed incomes lose real money each year by accepting inflated property-tax assessments without challenge. Formal appeal paths exist in every state, yet tight...
Scammers can reroute your Social Security deposit online, and locking your my Social Security account blocks them in about two minutes
Scammers redirected Social Security payments away from thousands of beneficiaries by exploiting weak identity checks on the agency’s 800-number telephone line, according to a September...
Working before full retirement age, Social Security holds back $1 for every $2 you earn over $24,480 this year
Americans who collect Social Security before reaching full retirement age and continue earning a paycheck in 2026 face a direct hit to their monthly benefits....