by Nathaniel Sillin You’re not alone if your heart pounds when you see a letter from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in your mailbox. While some lucky filers get sent a letter because they’re due a larger refund, most of us fear the worst: an audit. Those fears may be largely unfounded for the average household. Only about 1 percent […]

by Scott Anglemyer Kansas Center for Economic Growth Economists don’t agree on much. As George Bernard Shaw said, “If all the economists were laid end-to-end, they’d never reach a conclusion.” One of the few things that most economists agree on, however, is that the Earned Income Tax Credit is an example of smart policy. The EITC is a common-sense tax […]

Life changes – getting married, having a baby, buying or selling a home, sending a child off to college or retiring – often come with changes to your tax situation. Overlooking these changes when filing your taxes can lead taxpayers to make mistakes that leave money on the table, potentially impacting their refund at a time when the average refund […]

For many working Americans, April 15 is synonymous with taxes. But taxpayers may be happy to learn that they have two extra days to file their returns in 2018. That’s because this year April 15 falls on a Sunday, and April 16 is Emancipation Day, when the District of Columbia celebrates Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the District of Columbia Compensated […]

With the newly passed tax reform bill, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), now is the time to start thinking about how this will affect you so that you can plan ahead for the outcomes you will start to feel in your paycheck as early as February 2018. This tax reform affects virtually everyone; however, families, homeowners, residents of […]

It’s that time of year again when you may find a little bit of extra money in your pocket, thanks to your annual tax refund. There are plenty of practical ways to spend it, such as putting it toward paying off credit cards, loan payments or even starting a college fund, but there is always something tempting about taking that […]

by Derek Schmidt Kansas Attorney General It’s hard to believe, but tax season is once again upon us. Many of you have probably already received forms in the mail or electronically and have started working on your tax returns. As the filing season gears up, we mark this week, Jan. 30 through Feb. 3, as “Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week.” […]

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the Republican tax plan on the brink of becoming law, could change the way over 27 million U.S. taxpayers file their taxes. Are you one of them? While the plan might not lead to the postcard-sized tax filings Republicans once touted, it will encourage more taxpayers to opt for the standard deduction. According to […]

You may not be able to avoid taxes altogether, but wouldn’t it be great if there were a way to enhance your lifetime financial security that was also tax-advantaged? There is. Long-term care (LTC) planning using long-term care insurance offers some unique tax advantages. Premium deductibility Most self-employed business owners, partners and shareholders of corporate entities benefit from being able […]

by Scott Anglemyer Kansas Center for Economic Growth Economists don’t agree on much. As George Bernard Shaw said, “If all the economists were laid end-to-end, they’d never reach a conclusion.” One of the few things that most economists agree on, however, is that the Earned Income Tax Credit is an example of smart policy. The EITC is a common-sense tax […]