KateHorrell

Helping Military Families Make The Most of Their Money

Understanding The Military Spouses Residency Relief Act and How It Applies To State Taxes


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The Military Spouses Residency Relief Act (MSRRA) is an important law, but it is very misunderstood. Passed in 2009, it is actually an amendment to the Servicemember’s Civil Relief Act (SCRA) to provide certain specific protections to some military spouses. It was further updated in 2018 to include new protections for all military spouses. It… | Read More…

Why My Teen Is Having Taxes Withheld This Summer


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This is an update on an old post about teens and income taxes. So the timeline makes no sense if you’ve been tracking 🙂 But the info is still true! Our family is reaching another milestone this summer – the first paid job by a teen. Daughter #2 has obtained a lifeguarding job at a… | Read More…

Kate Rants: It’s Not About The Refund or Owing More Taxes


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Oh, my goodness. You spend 2 minutes communicating with anyone lately, whether in person, on the phone, via owl, or on the internet, and the talk turns to income taxes. Everyone has a story this year, and they want to share. It’s not surprising; between the changes to withholding last year, and the child tax… | Read More…

How To File For An Income Tax Extension, Military-Style


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Get a simple, free tax extension to get more time to file your federal tax return. The deadline to file your federal income tax returns is Monday, 18 April 2022. Each year, more than 10 million Americans aren’t ready to submit their returns on that date. By filing for the automatic tax extension, you will… | Read More…

Social Security Tax Repayment: What To Do With A Corrected W-2


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Most military service members are finishing up the Social Security tax repayment from the deferral that happened in the last part of 2020. This will be a change in your paycheck and you may get a corrected 2020 W-2. What Were The Deferral and Repayment? From September through December of 2020, Social Security taxes were… | Read More…

Tax Returns: When One State Isn’t Enough


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My friend Jerry Zeigler is always helping me out with tax questions, and he’s graciously shared this information about how and when military service members and their spouses may need to file tax returns in multiple states. We definitely did this wrong for a few years, and it cost us money in the long run…… | Read More…

Financial Advice for New Military Members and Spouses (and the rest of us)


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I’m fortunate enough to sometimes talk to some new, or new-ish, military spouses. There’s so much to know about money in general, and money and the military can be particularly tricky.  I usually have a limited amount of time, and I struggle to decide on the most important topics to discuss. I want to tell… | Read More…

Income Taxes After Military Retirement: Don’t Get Stuck With A Huge Bill


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There’s a rumor floating around that somehow your taxes are going to zoom up after you retire from the military. As with many rumors, there is a bit of truth in it, but there’s also just a lot of confusion. It is true that some military families end up with large tax bills in their… | Read More…

Home of Record and State of Legal Residence: Things You Need To Know


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The military can be confusing, with all its special terms and acronyms. One of the terms most often mis-used is home of record. The term comes up in questions about taxes and driver’s licenses and final moves. On rare occasion, when talking about final moves, it’s being used properly. The other 99.9% of the time,… | Read More…

How Income Taxes Work – Even If You’re Not A Tax Person


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Income taxes can be difficult. There are literally thousands of pages of laws, and hundreds of different forms that some people have to use to file their income tax return. However, the basic system isn’t really that complicated. Understanding the basics of how income taxes work is a key step in making sure that you… | Read More…

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Disclaimer

Kate does not represent the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or any government agency. This blog is strictly for informational and entertainment purposes only. The content on this site should not be considered professional financial or legal advice. I may receive compensation through affiliate or advertising relationships from products mentioned on this site. All reviews on this site represent the personal opinions of the author. All references to third party products, rates, and offers may change without notice.