Taxes
ITIN for Your Spouse or Kids: When They Need One and How to Request It
Your spouse or kids have no Social Security? When they need an ITIN for your taxes, which credits it enables (and which it doesn't), and how to request it with the W-7.
Category: Taxes
Taxes
Education Credits and FAFSA: What Your Family’s Taxes Decide
Your child starts college and your family's taxes decide two things: the education credits on your return and the FAFSA financial aid.
Taxes
Your Baby Was Born in 2026: How to Include Them in Your Taxes
Was your baby born in 2026? For taxes they count as if they'd lived with you all year. Which SSN they need, how to request it, and which credits it opens.
Taxes
Who Qualifies as a Dependent on Your Return? The Rules Without the Tangle
Can you claim your mom, your older child, or your nephew? The IRS's two dependent categories, the tests each must pass, and the tie-breaker rule.
Taxes
I Moved to Another State: What to Do About Your Taxes
Moved to another state this year? Your taxes change: part-year resident returns, how to split your income, and what to tell the IRS before filing.
Taxes
I Got Married This Year: How Do Your Taxes Change?
Got married this year? How your taxes change: filing status on December 31, joint vs separate return, which credits are lost, and what to do.
Taxes
What Happens If You Don’t File Your Taxes (and How to Fix It Without It Being the End of the World)
What happens if you don't file your taxes? The penalties, the interest, the refund lost after 3 years, and how to fix it without it being the end of the world.
Taxes
Tax Deductions People Forget When Filing
The tax deductions people forget when filing: half of the self-employment tax, student interest, educator expenses, and the rule that decides whether they're worth it.
Taxes
The IRS Kept or Reduced Your Refund: What the Offset Is
You expected a $3,000 refund and got $400: what the IRS offset is, which debts can reduce your refund, and how to dispute it step by step.
Taxes
Tax Withholding From Your Paycheck: Why Your Check Is Smaller
Why does your check arrive smaller than what you earned? What payroll tax withholding takes, what part you control with the W-4, and how to avoid owing in April.