promoearn: The Daily Money: Tax help; the high cost of going back to the office

Monday, April 18, 2022

The Daily Money: Tax help; the high cost of going back to the office

ALL THE MONEY NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Monday, April 18

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Happy Monday/Tax Day, Daily Money readers. Jayme Deerwester here with you. I have a personal tax anecdote I'd like to share in case it can help anyone reading this.

While I filed my federal return with Cash App Taxes back in January, the website wouldn't let me submit my state return that early because it didn't have the form ready yet. Well, I forgot all about that until last week. I fixed it in time, but here's the takeaway: If you filed your federal return months ago, go back and confirm you filed your state return, too. While you're at it, check to see if you are in a city or county that levies an income tax.

💲 Taxes: The final countdown💲

Today's it, people: the deadline to file your federal return and, in many, places, your state return. If you haven't already done so or requested an extension, time is not on your side.

But here's a list of topics that may be of help today:

•	How to file for an extension (hurry, the deadline is today)
•	How much are the online tax services charging this year?
•	Here's a list of where to mail paper returns in all 50 states
•	Tax deductions and forms for the self-employed
•	The charitable deduction you can claim only this year
•	What you need to know if you invested in cryptocurrency in 2021
•	Yes, you have to pay taxes on your March Madness pool winnings

💼 The cost of returning to the office 💼

With gas prices averaging more than $4 per gallon, the cost of groceries continuing to rise, and inflation hitting a 40-year high in March, some workers are worried about how much a return to the office will cost them.

A Harris poll conducted for USA TODAY found that 78% of employees were concerned about being able to afford the price of gas for their commutes to work. They were also worried about the price of food (72%), the cost of commuting by public transportation (38%), paying for a new office wardrobe (34%) and covering parking fees (33%.)

Most parents (83% of employees with children younger than 18) were worried about how much they'd have to pay to fill up at the gas pump, 78% were concerned about the price of food, and 62% worried about the costs of child care.

"It's child care,'' says Jay Starkman, CEO of Engage PEO, which provides HR services to small and midsized business owners across the U.S. "It's the fact that people have to eat out for dinner more because there's no time to cook. ... They've gotten comfortable with not spending an hour or two hours on a commute, and also comfortable with the more efficient work-life balance."

📰 More headlines you can't miss 📰

FREE TAX DAY TREATS: Food specials, Planet Fitness massage and more.

IRS DRAMA WON'T END AT MIDNIGHT: Tax refund backlog delays returns, especially for paper filings.

EXPLAINING CAREER GAPS: LinkedIn adds Stay at Home Parent as official job title.

SKY-HIGH ELECTRIC BILL? Save with smart power outlets, power strips, thermostats.

WEDDING ETIQUETTE: How much should you spend on a gift for the couple?

🎧 Mood music 🎧

My first inclination was to use Europe's "The Final Countdown" in honor of Tax Day, but then I remembered that's about abandoning Earth. So I'm going with a lyric from the Killers instead:

"Deadlines and commitments. Every morning, in the evening. They can suck you in."

LISTEN WHILE YOU WORK: You can hear just about every song quoted in the newsletter on the Daily Money Mood Music playlist on Spotify.