Personal finance

Tetra Images | Tetra images | Getty Images The rules governing flexible spending accounts are temporarily more generous to workers, thanks to two pieces of legislation. The American Rescue Plan — the $1.9 trillion Covid-relief package signed into law on Thursday by President Joe Biden — boosts the amount that companies can let workers put

David-Prado | iStock | Getty Images Those $1,400 stimulus checks are starting to hit bank accounts this weekend. The IRS announced on Friday that the first batch is going out via direct deposit. It is unclear exactly how many of the estimated 159 million payments are scheduled to be sent in this first deployment. The

Justin Samuels, 44, was living in Malaga, Spain, when the Covid pandemic hit. The freelance writer is fighting New York for unemployment benefits. Justin Samuels Justin Samuels was living abroad in Malaga, a Spanish port city in the country’s south, along the Costa del Sol, when the pandemic chaos began to unfurl. It has led

KamiPhotos | iStock | Getty Images Many people’s budgets look a lot different during Covid. Unemployment benefits and direct payments have replaced paychecks in the income ledger. For many, that aid is still not enough, and food and rental assistance as well as protections against eviction have also been necessary to keep families afloat. Fortunately,

bymuratdeniz President Joe Biden signed $1.9 trillion in new coronavirus relief into law on Thursday, which means $1,400 stimulus checks could start to reach Americans in the coming days. Payments should go to about 159 million households. “People can expect to start seeing direct deposits hit their bank accounts as early as this weekend,” White

tupungato | iStock | Getty Images Am I eligible? To qualify, at least one member in your household has to be eligible for unemployment benefits or attest in writing that they’ve lost income or incurred significant expenses due to the pandemic. You will also need to demonstrate a risk of homelessness, which may include a

Cunaplus_M.Faba | iStock | Getty Images The government will pay for laid-off workers to maintain their employer-sponsored health insurance through September, thanks to a provision in the $1.9 trillion stimulus package signed into law on Thursday by President Joe Biden. As part of the relief bill, the government will subsidize COBRA premiums for former workers

Ungureanu Vadim | EyeEm | Getty Images Student loan forgiveness is now tax-free, thanks to a provision included in the $1.9 trillion federal coronavirus stimulus package that President Joe Biden signed into law on Thursday. Formerly, any student loan debt canceled by the government was considered taxable and levied at the borrower’s normal income tax

If you’ve discovered your 2021 Medicare Advantage Plan is not a good fit for you, now is the time to do something about it. Through the end of March, Advantage enrollees can either drop their plan and return to basic Medicare (Part A hospital coverage and Part B outpatient care) or switch to another Advantage

Ika84 | E+ | Getty Images Private health insurance through the nation’s public exchanges is set to become more affordable — at least for a couple of years. The $1.9 trillion Covid relief package, which received final congressional approval Wednesday and will soon head to President Joe Biden for his signature, includes provisions that will

Ting Shen/Xinhua via Getty Images The IRS will be able to send money electronically for taxpayers who filed returns with direct deposit or bank account information. The government will send paper checks or debit cards to those households for which Treasury cannot determine a bank account. The IRS will use information on 2020 tax returns

Robert Knopes/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan is almost law — meaning additional unemployment benefits for millions of workers should soon be on the way. The Covid relief bill, passed Saturday by the Senate, extends jobless benefits through Labor Day and raises them by $300 a week. The

Ika84 | E+ | Getty Images It could become more affordable for laid-off workers to keep their employer-sponsored health insurance, thanks to a provision in the Covid relief bill making its way through Congress. As part of the $1.9 trillion stimulus package, the government would pay for former employees to maintain health coverage from their

Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images Congress may soon offer a tax break to unemployed Americans. States may not be so generous. The Senate passed a $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill on Saturday that waives tax on up to $10,200 of unemployment benefits per person received in 2020. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the

VioletaStoimenova | E+ | Getty Images Out of sight, out of mind. For many people, that’s how their employer-offered 401(k) plan works. The employee chooses from a limited menu of investment options and, as long as the account continues a generally upward trajectory, the average investor has no reason to question their investment strategy nor any

Thomas Tolstrup The Senate has passed a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill, helping to clear the way for millions of Americans to potentially receive $1,400 stimulus checks. But the new checks won’t be official until the House of Representatives and President Joe Biden give their final approval, which is expected to happen this week. The

The Internal Revenue Service building in Washington. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan has inadvertently created a conundrum for the unemployed this tax season. The pandemic aid measure, which passed the Senate on Saturday, offers $1,400 stimulus checks and waives federal taxes on a portion of unemployment benefits received last

In many ways, the coronavirus crisis has paved the way to better budgeting. Consumers are paying down debt and saving more than they have in decades. Many are leveraging low interest rates to refinance and lower their monthly bills. Federal relief, such as stimulus checks, expanded unemployment benefits and an extended pause in loan repayments, have even given some a chance to catch up on

Senator Joe Manchin (D-WVA) removes his mask to speak as bipartisan members of the Senate and House gather to announce a framework for fresh coronavirus disease (COVID-19) relief legislation at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, December 1, 2020. Kevin Lamarque | Reuters Sen. Joe Manchin, the moderate Democrat from West Virginia, said

New York City housing advocates and tenants march to demand Gov. Andrew Cuomo cancel rent amid the pandemic on Oct. 10, 2020. Andrew Lichtenstein | Corbis News | Getty Images The new federal coronavirus relief bill that’s poised to be approved on Capitol Hill could put unprecedented sums of money into the hands of American