Summer and Fall are usually big for wedding season. Soon-to-be-married taxpayers or "just married" taxpayers should be aware of their changing tax status. Although the last thing on your mind is taxes, while planning a wedding or coming home from your honeymoon, there are some important steps you should take to avoid stress at tax time.

1. Notify the Social Security Administration. Report any name change to the Social Security Administration so your name and Social Security number will match when...

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Were you among the thousands of taxpayers who got a big tax refund this year? While most Americans happily accept their tax refund checks, smart taxpayers understand that refunds actually cost them money. Here's why:

• The government pays no interest on refunds. Kept in your hands, those dollars could have been productive. For example, you could have invested the money or used it to pay off your debt during the year. If the money had been added to a 401(K) plan, tax would have been deferred ...

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America Gets a Raise

As part of the Tax Relief Act of 2010, Social Security tax rates will be lowered by two percent. The employee-portion of Social Security taxes will be reduced from 6.2% to a temporary rate of 4.2% for 2011 only.This 2% tax break also applies to self-employed individuals. Medicare taxes are unchanged, the employer-portion of Social Security remains 6.2%, and the Social Security wage base remains $106,800 for 2011.

What it means: You could get a raise in your pay by as...

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