90% of qualifying EV buyers get $7,500 tax credit as upfront payment

Maskot | Maskot | Getty Images The bulk of Americans buying qualifying new electric vehicles are opting to receive an associated tax credit upfront from the car dealer instead of waiting until tax season, according to new Treasury Department data.   About 90% of consumers who qualify for a “new clean vehicle” tax credit — … Read more

The first quarter estimated tax deadline for 2024 is April 15

If you’re racing to file taxes, you could miss another key deadline — the April 15 due date for first-quarter estimated tax payments. Estimated tax payments typically apply to earnings from gig economy work, freelancing, small business, retirement or investing, which may have no tax withholdings. If you expect to owe at least $1,000 in … Read more

IRS adds ‘important update’ for free Direct File pilot

D3sign | Moment | Getty Images With one week until the April 15 federal tax deadline, the IRS has released an “important update” for Direct File, the agency’s free tax filing program. Since March 12, the pilot program has been fully open for certain filers in 12 states, and Direct File now allows users to … Read more

Here’s what to know before using AI chatbots to file your taxes

Songsak Rohprasit | Moment | Getty Images The tax deadline is approaching and some filers are turning to chatbots powered by artificial intelligence for help with returns. But taxpayers should be wary of generative AI — which uses artificial intelligence to create content — for tax advice, experts say. Nearly 1 in 5 Americans would … Read more

Here’s who can claim a ‘special tax credit’ for retirement savings

Halfpoint Images | Moment | Getty Images Some retirement savers can still snag an extra tax incentive for 2023. However, most eligible filers don’t claim it, according to the IRS. The retirement savings contribution credit, or “saver’s credit,” can help low- to moderate-income filers offset part of the funds added to an individual retirement account, … Read more

A ‘feeble’ Trump is ‘lying about having money’

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks from the hallway outside a courtroom where he attended a hearing in his criminal case on charges stemming from hush money paid to a porn star in New York City, U.S., March 25, 2024.  Brendan Mcdermid | Reuters A court ruling that slashed Donald Trump’s civil fraud appeal bond … Read more

Mega Millions $1.1 billion jackpot winner could face these pitfalls

The Mega Millions jackpot grew to more than $1.6 billion on Aug. 9, 2023. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images State taxes can be hefty “None of these winners think about taxes until they have a third of it going right to Uncle Sam and the state government,” said Andrew Stoltmann, a Chicago-based lawyer who has … Read more

Mega Millions jackpot hits $977 million. What to know if you win

A person plays lottery at a 7-eleven store as Mega Millions jackpot reaches $ 1 billion 580 million, in Redwood City, California, United States on August 8, 2023. Tayfun Coskun | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images ‘Keep your mouth shut’ Hundreds of millions of dollars can be life-changing for a lottery winner, their family and … Read more

Don’t trust Trump’s ‘impossible’ appeal bond claims, attorney general tells judges

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he arrives at a Manhattan courthouse trial in a civil fraud case brought by state Attorney General Letitia James against him, his adult sons, the Trump Organization and others in New York City, U.S., October 4, 2023.  Mike Segar | Reuters If Donald Trump were … Read more