topic Re: Happy Tax Day in Community Chat

Happy Tax Day

chessygal — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:12:47 GMT

Are you ready? Do you dread it? Are you getting a refund? We had to pay.

Re: Happy Tax Day

just bee — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:59:36 GMT

What's a refund?

Re: Happy Tax Day

They CallMe MRWILKES — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:07:49 GMT

I'm curious about how much is "pay big", since it was volunteered??

Re: Happy Tax Day

ThinkingOutLoud — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:17:02 GMT

I've already gotten my huge refund. =)

Re: Happy Tax Day

Q-Checker — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:36:29 GMT

While getting a large refund may be a "feel good" for a while, it is not necessarily a total financial gain. It might mean that the government had retained use of your money, money which you might have invested or used in other ways.

Re: Happy Tax Day

ThinkingOutLoud — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:46:52 GMT

@Q-Checker wrote:
While getting a large refund may be a "feel good" for a while, it is not necessarily a total financial gain. It might mean that the government had retained use of your money, money which you might have invested or used in other ways.

I'm well aware of that but because it's based on overtime, there's no way to predict or anticipate how that will go and adjust accordingly so I'll just be happy about this change that gets me a good size refund.

Re: Happy Tax Day

chessygal — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:15:02 GMT

@They CallMe MRWILKES wrote:
I'm curious about how much is "pay big", since it was volunteered??

To me it's big due to investments. Someone else might think differently. Thanks for asking.

Re: Happy Tax Day

cjm61 — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:20:09 GMT

I think it can be a financial gain for some @Q-Checker . I have one brother and SIL that canNOT save money. They spend every dime they get each month. Though this is seen as poor financial planning which I agree, they have always received a tax refund. Ironically but no surprise, it's spent immediately on some large item they have been wanting.

Re: Happy Tax Day

just bee — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 16:15:35 GMT

@They CallMe MRWILKES

Likin' the new avatar.

Re: Happy Tax Day

catter70 — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 16:21:25 GMT

Mine was spent on a dental crown, Bummer. If not that, then to pay twp. and county taxes.

Re: Happy Tax Day

lgfan — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 16:36:51 GMT

@cjm61 wrote:
I think it can be a financial gain for some @Q-Checker . I have one brother and SIL that canNOT save money. They spend every dime they get each month. Though this is seen as poor financial planning which I agree, they have always received a tax refund. Ironically but no surprise, it's spent immediately on some large item they have been wanting.

I know what you mean about people who cannot save money. One woman told me that if she has an extra five dollars in her purse she has to spend it on something.

Re: Happy Tax Day

Carmie — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 18:55:32 GMT

Since we retired, we now get a refund.

This 2025 Federal refund was pretty nice. Big Beautiful Bill wiped out $12,000 of our income to be tax free. This is a temporary bonus. We appreciate it.

In PA, we pay no state or local income on retirement income. YEAH!!!

Re: Happy Tax Day

shoekitty — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 23:49:48 GMT

@chessygal no one I know gets a refund in my family but my grandkids. lol. Forst uear I ever owed to the state of CA as well. Every three months I pay federal taxes, then again tax day. I could have bought a nice car. Higher this year than any year since we retired. Usually, I don't mind, it is life...but this year it was bad and I was a bit bitter. lol. We used to get nice refunds though. About 10 years ago, we used to get a bit and spend on a vacation or save for home project

Re: Happy Tax Day

shoekitty — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:17:09 GMT

@cjm61 I have one of those in my family, lol. Bless them. Lol. They always get a refund. Their income is near ours. Sometimes I think people who save or invest, own their home and cars, get punished. lol my husband and I were laughing yesterday ...as we sealed the envelope on yet another check to the feds, lol. I said, let's spend everything we have NOW. The kids will get it anyway, and won't have to pay taxes then spend it in a week lol.

Re: Happy Tax Day

AuntG — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 01:04:26 GMT

All done by end of February. There was a bonus for seniors which was very nice.

Re: Happy Tax Day

shoekitty — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 01:33:31 GMT

@AuntG wrote:
All done by end of February. There was a bonus for seniors which was very nice.

@AuntG What bonus? We are 78, that's pretty senior lol

Re: Happy Tax Day

roeroe1005 — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 02:12:28 GMT

I'm a senior. I had to pay federal.

I did get $12 back from state. I may have spent that already ...

Re: Happy Tax Day

50Mickey — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 03:20:29 GMT

@shoekitty wrote:
@AuntG wrote:
All done by end of February. There was a bonus for seniors which was very nice.
@AuntG What bonus? We are 78, that's pretty senior lol

@shoekitty The bonus is an extra $6000 deduction for a single taxpayer over 65 and $12,000 for a couple. This is in addition to the standard deduction. The deduction phases out for single taxpayers who have AGI over $75,000 and AGI over $150,000 for married couples. This deduction is for the years 2025 through 2028. This is why many seniors received a larger tax refund this year.

Re: Happy Tax Day

Roscoe the Rascal — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 10:02:10 GMT

I get my paperwork together by the first of February and send to have done and my deadline for me. I want it out of the way and move on. I had to pay in this year and status changed. Going from married to single hit me. My husband passed and first time filing that way. If I had realized that I would have increased my payroll taxes to be taken out. Did that for this year and should come out better when I file for this year next year.

Kind of like really. Then there is also property tax the first of March. Like a double hit but it is what it is as they say. Seems like every time I turn around it is something else.

Had to spend on car repair too. 2026 has started out to be an expensive year so far. I don't see it getting much cheaper either.

I just keep a tighter handle on all expenses any more. Save where I can and just come to expect paying more. No credit card debt for me.

Re: Happy Tax Day

Shanus — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:23:44 GMT

@chessygal No one is happier than my DH. He's a tax accountant and his practice is so busy until the 15th. Now comes everyone that didn't have all their info and they go on extension.

He's taking next week off. We'll go to the movies, stalk the malls, and eat dinner out. We used to go away this week, but not flying anywhere with all the difficulty and I'm not a beach person anymore. We could have driven to the mountains ....great thing about NC is beach on one side and mountains here too, but every resort was booked by the time we thought about it.