Personal finance

Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, at the announcement of the $900 billion Covid-19 relief bill on Capitol Hill on Dec. 1, 2020. Tasos Katopodis | Getty Images News | Getty Images The IRS may not have extended the deadline for Americans to file their tax returns as they did last year, but chances are millions of

With tax season officially underway, many Americans are still asking, “Where is my $600 stimulus check?” The stimulus payments were authorized by Congress under a $900 billion Covid relief package passed in December. Within days, the federal government began deploying the money. That included payments of $600 per individual, or $1,200 per married couple filing

President Joe Biden on the South Lawn of the White House on Feb. 16, 2021. Drew Angerer | Getty Images News | Getty Images President Joe Biden has essentially ruled out canceling $50,000 in student debt per person —disappointing some student borrowers who were counting on that help. “I didn’t have my hopes up,” said

Peter Cade | Getty Images Claiming Social Security before full retirement age can trip up some people when it comes to spousal benefits. For starters, not all early filers can access those benefits right away, and even those who do may discover it doesn’t translate into a bigger monthly check. “A lot of folks get

Airline industry workers hold signs during a protest in Federal Plaza in Chicago, Illinois, on September 9, 2020. KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI | AFP | Getty Images Most new claims for unemployment benefits are coming from repeat layoffs, according to new research, hinting at unstable work prospects for a broad swath of Americans and signaling another dimension

Historic row houses in Colombia Heights neighborhood of Washington DC, USA amedved | iStock | Getty Images Homeowners struggling amid the coronavirus pandemic received some welcome news on Tuesday, with the Biden administration announcing it will extend forbearance and foreclosure relief programs. The White House said that the move will benefit the 2.7 million homeowners

AleksandarNakic Presidents’ Day is meant to honor our country’s greatest leaders. This year, it also represents another day off from school when parents are already stretched to the limit, juggling work and family obligations amid the coronavirus pandemic. Nearly one year since the Covid-19 outbreak began, mothers and fathers who are currently working remotely increasingly are

President Joe Biden holds a meeting with US Senators about infrastructure improvements in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, February 11, 2021. Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images Covid-relief plan Biden’s stimulus plan, currently being debated in Congress, calls for $1,400 in direct payments to most Americans and an increase

ljubaphoto The 2020 tax season is officially underway, and the millions of Americans who collected unemployment benefits last year due to the coronavirus pandemic may be in for a surprise. That unemployment income is taxable, and if you didn’t have money set aside or withheld for those taxes, it could reduce your refund or even

Prostock-Studio | iStock | Getty Images If you’re among the millions of people across the nation with no health insurance, you may be able to remedy that soon. A special enrollment period to get a plan through the federal Affordable Care Act health exchange (or your state’s exchange if it has one) opens Monday and

Halfpoint Images | Moment | Getty Images A Democratic proposal to expand the child tax credit for one year could give qualifying families up to $300 per child per month. But like all direct payments made by the government as part of Covid relief, some are questioning whether the aid will be too much or

Kyla Ernst-Alper is an aerialist in New York City. She’s never had an employer that offered her a 401(k) retirement plan in more than two decades of performing. Giles Clement Kyla Ernst-Alper, a 38-year-old aerial performer in New York City, has never had a 401(k) retirement plan. She holds multiple jobs at once to support

Tax-filing season is here, and you may be wondering how the pandemic will affect your return. Many filers have a lot more questions about their taxes this year than in the past. “For this specific tax season, it’s all about organization, especially because of what was provided last year for Covid relief,” said Sheneya Wilson,

Yuriko Nakao | Getty Images News | Getty Images Bitcoin is at it again. On Thursday, the cryptocurrency rallied to a fresh high, surpassing the $48,000 level, according to data from CoinDesk. Even though the asset has been highly volatile, those who have held it long term have reaped incredible gains. For example, if you

Getty Images This tax season may end up being even less fun for many filers. On top of figuring out how Covid relief might affect their return, those complications could result in more taxpayers making mistakes and hearing from the IRS, experts say. And depending on the specifics, it could mean a smaller refund or

Sanders Fabares felt that something wasn’t working. Even after years of paying $1,000 a month toward his student loans and his wife’s, their balance hadn’t decreased by much. They still owed around $80,000, down from the $90,000 they’d originally borrowed. “I started trying to understand what we were doing wrong,” Fabares, 41, said. His research

Stimulus checks printed at the Philadelphia Financial Center in Philadelphia. Jeff Fusco | Getty Images As a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package comes together on Capitol Hill, millions of additional direct payments to Americans could be in the works. Legislation under discussion includes $1,400 stimulus checks that could bring the total direct payments sent to

President Joe Biden speaks as he meets with Senators from both parties in the White House on Feb. 11, 2021. Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images More unemployment benefits may be on the way as Democrats and the Biden administration pursue a $1.9 trillion pandemic aid package. The legislation would increase the amount of jobless benefits workers receive

MartinPrescott | E+ | Getty Images Don’t count on having extra time to get your tax return filed this year like you did in 2020. The IRS said Thursday it has no plans to extend the standard filing deadline of April 15. This comes despite the agency delaying the start date for accepting returns to

U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) participates in a news conference on the third day of the Senate impeachment trial of former U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, February 11, 2021. Erin Scott | Reuters House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday said that a $15 federal minimum wage will be included in the