These uncertain times are forcing more people to reexamine finances and rewrite their household budgets.

According to the Pew Research Center in a survey conducted soon after the COVID-19 crisis began, 33 percent of Americans either lost their jobs or suffered a pay cut or reduction in work hours. Plus, 49 percent said the outbreak is a major threat to their personal finances.

Regardless of your situation, examining your budget and making some changes can save money and make your financial future more secure. Here are four ways to budget wisely.

Calculate the Bottom Line

Figure out your baseline income. Then, categorize expenses by what you need to maintain your standard of living, such as a mortgage, utilities, groceries and insurance. Another category should include non-essential expenses. Determine if you also want to set aside money for savings, retirement plans or college tuition. And, experts advise setting aside at least three to six months of expenses for emergencies. Once you have these numbers, you can calculate what you’ll need on a monthly basis.

Eliminate or Reduce Stuff You Don’t Need

If your expenses are still too high, or you want to save more, take another look at discretionary spending and find ways to cut. One easy way to save is to cancel premium TV channels, switch to a basic package or even sign up for a streaming service instead (Sling, Hulu, etc.). You can also drop your DVR option to save on the monthly bill. Digitally streaming or downloading content from your local library is another entertainment option too — everything from movies, music and magazines is available at no charge.

Find Ways to Save on the Things You Need

Everyone needs insurance and many companies offer discounts if you buy both auto and home insurance together. You can also look for unique programs to control expenses. For example, Erie Insurance offers a program called ERIE Rate Lock that takes away the worry of having car insurance premiums rise with inflation. Instead, unless you move, get a different car or change drivers, you’ll pay the same amount every year, even if you have a claim. Erie Insurance also announced immediate financial relief for auto customers impacted by the pandemic. Other ways to save include taking advantage of credit card rewards and cash back apps and making sure to use them. And if you’re overwhelmed by keeping things organized, there are free services online to track your loyalty program points, including airline miles.

Consider ‘Side Gigs’

Many are supplementing their income without leaving the safety of their living room. In fact, nearly half of working Americans have a gig outside their primary job, according to Bankrate. But before applying for a remote job, always check with the Better Business Bureau to make sure the company is legit. Depending on your skills, there are a variety of online jobs you could do, such as customer service, copywriting or online tutoring.

By tracking and cutting expenses, taking advantage of discounts and special savings programs and perhaps even earning extra money on the side, you’ll be on your way to having a household budget with staying power.

Available on Balances Up To $100,000. Only Takes a Minute to Qualify

If you have a big tax bill that you can’t pay, life can very stressful.

While the number of tax liens annually filed by the IRS against taxpayers has fallen by more than 50 percent since 2010, there were more than 14 million open tax-debt cases against individuals and businesses heading into 2018, according to the IRS data book. Millions of Americans continue to struggle to pay their taxes.

If you’re in that boat, however, it is not the end of the world. There are steps you can take to reduce the impact of unpaid taxes on your life, credit and financial well-being. Here are five tips to lessen that burden.

Tip 1: Don’t ignore the problem.

The IRS will not. Even if you can’t pay what you owe, file your return on time or, if that’s not possible, file for an extension. The late filing penalty is 5 percent of the tax owed per month up to a maximum of 25 percent of the balance. There is also an underpayment penalty of 0.5 percent to 1 percent per month of the balance owed, also up to 25 percent. If you don’t file your return or make any payment on your obligation, your tax debt will grow rapidly.

“The IRS is unlike any other creditor,” said John Heath, directing attorney for Lexington Law, which provides credit repair services for individuals. “When you consider the penalties involved, they can far outstrip the interest rate you pay on your credit card.

“The IRS should be first on your list to pay if you have issues with other creditors.”

Tip 2: Be realistic about your situation.

The IRS rarely forgives tax debts. Form 656 is the application for an “offer in compromise” to settle your tax liability for less than what you owe. Such deals are only given to people experiencing true financial hardship. If you or your family have had catastrophic health-care expenses or you’ve lost your job and have poor prospects for generating income in the future, you may qualify. It doesn’t happen often.

“Tax forgiveness is intended for people truly struggling with a tax burden,” said Miron Lulic, CEO of SuperMoney, a financial services comparison website for consumers. “People have to be realistic with themselves.

“If you have assets and are making significant income, you won’t get tax relief.”

Tip 3: Owe less than $10,000? Handle it yourself.

How big is the balance? If it’s less than $10,000, you’re probably capable of handling the matter yourself rather than paying someone to help you deal with the IRS. Form 9465, the IRS application for an installment payment plan, can be filed online. The service will automatically agree to such a plan for any taxpayer who owes less than $10,000. The plans typically allow you to pay off the balance owed plus penalties and interest over a 36-month period.

Tip 4: Owe $10,000-plus? Hire an attorney.

If you owe more than $10,000, consider hiring a tax attorney to negotiate with the IRS. Payment plans differ, and an experienced attorney can help you get better terms. They can also help you avoid having a tax lien being assessed against you, which will damage your credit.

Be careful whom you hire, however. State attorneys general warn consumers regularly about tax-debt resolution scams. If someone suggests they can help eliminate interest and penalties assessed by the IRS or settle your tax debt for a fraction of what you owe, they are probably lying and almost certainly not worth the fee they will charge.

Consult a resource such as the SuperMoney website, which allows consumers to compare the offers, rates and fees of tax-relief companies and provides some background on firms’ experience and things like the number of licensed attorneys on staff.

“Knowing many of these attorneys, they can provide a lot of value,” said Lulic, who formerly worked for Optima Tax Relief, a major company in the industry. “But people have to do their research and explore their options.”

Tip 5: Get streamlined.

The best-case scenario for taxpayers with large debts to the government is to arrange a streamlined installment agreement. As part of the Fresh Start program initiated by the IRS in 2011, taxpayers with up to $100,000 in tax debt can now qualify for such an agreement. To do so, you have to file all your past tax returns and not have entered into another installment agreement within the last five years. You also won’t qualify if you’re filing for personal bankruptcy.

If you have a tax liability you can’t afford to pay, don’t avoid the issue. You can work with the IRS to deal with it.

The benefits are significant. Taxpayers can have up to 84 months to pay the balance owed as long as the term doesn’t extend beyond the collection statute expiration date — 10 years from the date of the assessment.

And the payment period may be extended beyond that if you agree to sign a waiver. You also won’t have to disclose your assets and income to the IRS. If you agree to pay via a direct debit or payroll-deduction plan, the IRS will not place a tax lien on you.

A big tax bill can feel like a financially and emotionally crushing burden. There is only one way to deal with it: Face the situation honestly, and develop a budget you can handle to pay it off.

“If you have a tax liability you can’t afford to pay, don’t avoid the issue,” said Heath. “You can work with the IRS to deal with it.”

With the Coronavirus pandemic sending millions of Americans scrambling to make ends meet, another type of economic fallout is bubbling in the background: worsening credit status due to late or unpaid bills.

But making a bad situation worse, some credit scores are being mistakenly dinged by the very lenders that, thanks to the protections of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act passed in March 2020, are supposed to be providing payment relief. The law lets you postpone payments on federally backed mortgages for up to a year, suspends all payments on federal student loans through Sept. 30, and—supposedly—ensures that your credit isn’t negatively affected if you take advantage of these provisions.

But reports of people whose credit scores are nonetheless wrongly being harmed keep piling up, both in media reports and in stories shared directly with Consumer Reports by readers.

A credit agency representative acknowledged that mistakes are “bound to slip through the cracks” as lenders try to comply with the new credit law while millions of borrowers are seeking financial help.

Meanwhile, experts say more problems are likely to emerge because of inconsistencies in the way creditors are reporting disaster-related accommodations.

You may wonder if these problems merit your attention right now. Credit scores (numerical grades derived from the information in your credit reports that are used to judge your worthiness for future credit) can indeed seem trivial when many consumers are struggling to put food on the table, maintain a roof overhead, pay utility bills, and buy prescription drugs.

But if your short-term needs are well in hand, she adds, it’s worth paying close attention to your credit report. That’s because it can have serious long-term effects on your ability to weather the crisis and rebuild your financial health after the worst has passed.

Experts say the inability to access credit was one of the reasons it took many Americans so long to dig out of the previous financial crisis. And some lenders are already tightening the flow of credit by closing credit card accounts, lowering credit limits, and slowing or stopping the processing of applications for refinancing, home equity lines of credit, and mortgages.

Credit report blemishes, which typically stay on your file for seven years, can even affect your ability to get a job, rent an apartment, or secure certain types of insurance, Wu says. Here’s what you can do to protect yourself:

Talk to All Your Lenders Right Away

That means even before checking your credit reports, because the best way to keep your report clean is to prevent negative information from landing there in the first place.

The credit protections of the coronavirus relief package apply to “accommodation” agreements with any creditor to defer, decrease, or modify any consumer debt, not just the ones in categories required by the law, such as federally backed mortgages and student loans. That means your credit reports shouldn’t be blemished if you persuade a lender to postpone payments on your auto loan or credit card debt as well as a nongovernment-backed mortgage and student loans. And many lenders across the spectrum have been encouraged by federal regulators to agree to such accommodations.

But you must reach out: The law provides no credit protection if you’re late paying your debts and don’t get an accommodation, in which case your credit reports will probably reflect a delinquent account regardless of why you were unable to pay.

And make sure to call them all, even if the balance due is relatively small. Even a single account that’s more than 30 days past due can reduce your credit score by up to 100 points.

Get Your Credit Reports

With credit reporting problems exacerbated by the pandemic, the three major credit reporting agencies—Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax—are letting people check their reports free on a weekly basis, at least until April 2021, at annualcreditreport.com. Pulling reports online from all three agencies typically takes 10 or 15 minutes.

Doing so weekly is overkill for many people. If you’ve been able to maintain your income and have been making all your payments on time, check each of the three reports about every six months, Wu says. (In normal times, it’s enough to check each report once a year.)

If, on the other hand, your financial situation has taken a hit because of COVID-19 and you agreed to a forbearance or a deferral on a loan, Wu says to check your reports monthly for a while. That’s how often lenders usually upload data to the credit reporting agencies.

Challenge Them for Errors

Even in ordinary times, credit reports are rife with error. A landmark 2013 report by the Federal Trade Commission found that 1 in 5 contained a verified error and that 1 in 20 had an error significant enough to cause credit to be denied or offered at a higher cost. And complaints about credit agencies now represent 38 percent of all complaints to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, more than any other category. Here are the errors to especially watch out for, followed by tips on how to dispute them.

Mixed files. These common errors occur when an account or debt belonging to one consumer is incorrectly attributed to another person, possibly with the same name or a similar one. To spot these errors, look for information about a loan or debt that doesn’t belong to you.

Out-of-date information. Make sure closed accounts, with credit cards for example, aren’t listed as open in your credit reports. And if you had a credit problem that was resolved, make sure it disappears from your report after seven years, as it’s supposed to. Sometimes these passed delinquencies are incorrectly “re-aged,” thereby restarting the period during which the negative information stays on your report.

An incorrect change in status. If your creditors agreed to let you defer payments, the coronavirus aid package explicitly says your credit status should freeze at the time you accepted the accommodation. So if an account was current at that point, it should still be reported as current. If you were already behind when your payments were postponed, your status should be no worse than it was before. But it can be better: If you manage to catch up on your payments during the accommodation period, you should be reported as current on that debt.

Mortgage loan errors. An emerging problem concerns mortgage lenders that have been using “special comment codes” to explain the status of accounts in their reporting to the credit agencies. Under ordinary circumstances, lenders use an “AW” code to indicate that a borrower has been affected by a natural or declared disaster, “CP” for a disaster-related forbearance, and “D” when account payments have been deferred.

But the coronavirus relief law doesn’t specify how—or even whether—mortgage lenders should use these codes for COVID-19-related accommodations, Wu says. As a result, they’ve been used inconsistently.

In addition, according to a recent FinRegLab report, at least three mortgage servicers have placed “CP” codes on accounts when consumers simply called to inquire about forbearance but decided not to take it—and in some cases even when no call was made.

These coding errors and inconsistencies shouldn’t have a direct impact on consumer credit scores, Wu says. But many mortgage lenders, as well as some auto lenders, landlords, and employers, look at full credit reports, she says, “and who knows how they’ll be interpreted.”

Her advice? If you haven’t accepted an accommodation, insist that the coding be removed. If you did agree to a forbearance and the lender insists on coding, ask for the AW code.

Student loan errors. Coding errors have also had an impact on consumers who have federal student loans. In addition to suspending all payments for these loans through Sept. 30, 2020, the relief law specifies that a suspended payment should be treated by credit reporting agencies “as if it were a regularly scheduled payment made by a borrower.” But student loan servicer Great Lakes coded accounts of some 5 million borrowers as having been “deferred,” which caused many of their credit scores to decline.

The problem appears to have been addressed by Great Lakes. But if you have outstanding federal student loans, experts recommend making sure that your credit reports don’t show a deferment on those accounts and that your credit score wasn’t affected.

Keep in mind that it’s often necessary to dispute an error with more than one of the three major reporting agencies. And although they’re the ones that have a legal obligation to investigate your complaint, you should also notify the creditor behind the disputed information.

Wu says the credit agency dispute forms, either found online or sent in the mail along with your credit reports, often limit your options. So either skip the forms entirely and write your own letter explaining the errors, or supplement the forms with additional details and comments.

After printing copies to keep, submit your documents via certified mail to the address on your credit report, and request a return receipt for your records. And keep a detailed list of every document you send to the credit reporting agencies and the creditor involved (conversations, too).

Finally, each credit agency must send you written results of its investigation within five business days of its completion. And if a creditor finds that your dispute has merit, it must notify the three agencies so that they can correct your file.

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) is severely transforming how we run our lives and our workplaces. Many people face a reduction in income or job loss altogether and will find it challenging to keep up with their student loans, mortgage payments, credit card bills, and other debts.

Managing Your Federal Student Loans:
The federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act suspends payments (and interest won’t accrue) on federal student loans held by the U.S. Department of Education for six months, until September 30, 2020. The payment suspension is automatic, you don’t have to request it.

The Act also stops collection actions, wage garnishments, and Treasury offsets, and prohibits negative credit reporting during the coronavirus national emergency.

Mortgage Payment Help:
As soon as you realize you’ll have trouble making your next mortgage payment, call your loan servicer to learn what options might be available to you. You could be eligible for a forbearance, like under the CARES Act, or another form of short-term immediate mortgage relief, like a waiver of late fees.

Foreclosure Suspensions:
The CARES Act also imposes a 60-day foreclosure moratorium for federally backed mortgage loans starting March 18, 2020, including loans purchased or securitized by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, FHA-insured loans, loans insured or guaranteed by the VA, and loans made, guaranteed, or insured by the Department of Agriculture. This moratorium covers the majority of residential mortgage loans in the country.

On March 18, 2020, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, announced a suspension of foreclosures and evictions for a minimum of 60 days. On May 14, 2020, FHFA said it was extending the moratorium until at least June 30, 2020. The foreclosure moratorium applies to Fannie- and Freddie-backed, single-family mortgages. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) also set a foreclosure and eviction moratorium through June 30, 2020, for homeowners with FHA-insured single-family mortgages. the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The VA also imposed a foreclosure moratorium on VA-guaranteed loans, which lasts through June 30, 2020.

Many states have imposed a temporary foreclosure moratorium as well. Numerous counties are suspending sheriff’s sales and evictions indefinitely due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Courts, too, across the U.S., are shutting down to halt the spread of the virus and are postponing foreclosure hearings as part of the process.

Property Tax Foreclosures and Tax Sales Postponed:
If you’re behind in paying your property taxes, certain counties are declaring a moratorium on property tax foreclosures and tax sales. Call your county treasurer’s office or look online to see if your area has a moratorium.

Banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions are offering loan extensions and deferred payment options, among other things, if you’ll have trouble making payments on a personal loan or small business loan.

If you need money to make ends meet, different lenders and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) are offering loans to those affected by coronavirus.

Utilities, Phone, Internet:
Many government bodies, like in California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia (where regulators have urged a suspension of disconnections), and Wisconsin have ordered a moratorium on utility shutoffs. Some utility companies have also implemented a shutoff moratorium.

Many phone and Internet providers, too, are waiving late fees and postponing shutoffs. Some providers are giving free Internet service to new customers or unlimited data to current customers for a limited amount of time, like 60 days.

Auto Loans:
Lenders are offering payment delays and other alternatives to those who will have trouble making their car payments.

Managing Your Credit Reports:
You should review your credit reports regularly. Under federal law, you’re entitled to a free copy of your credit report every 12 months from each of the three nationwide credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion). As part of a court settlement, you can get up to six copies of your Equifax credit report each year, for free.

Under the CARES Act, if you make an agreement with a creditor to defer one or more payments, make a partial payment, forbear any delinquent amounts, modify a loan or contract, or get any other assistance or relief (called an “accommodation” under the law) because you were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic during the covered period, the creditor has to report the account as current to the credit reporting agencies if you weren’t already delinquent. (“Covered period” is defined as the period starting January 31, 2020, until the later of 120 days after enactment of the CARES Act or 120 days after the end of the national state of emergency declaration.) But you have to come to an agreement with the creditor first to avoid adverse reporting, and you have to stick to the terms of the agreement. Don’t unilaterally stop making your payments, delay your payments, or pay less than you’re supposed to. If you were already delinquent at the time of the agreement, the creditor can keep reporting the delinquent status unless you bring the account current. In the case of a charge off, the creditor may continue to report it as a charge off.

If you come to an agreement with the creditor, and the creditor improperly reports the delinquency to the credit reporting bureaus, you may dispute it. If your dispute doesn’t resolve the issue, you can add an explanatory statement to your credit report. Keep your explanation brief—100 words or less is best—so that the agency is more likely to use your unedited statement. For example, you might say something like, “The delinquent accounts showing on my credit report were because my employer significantly reduced my work hours due to the coronavirus outbreak. I intend to make up the payments as soon as I can.” After you file your statement with the credit reporting agency, the agency has to include your comment (or a summary of it) in any report that includes this information. You might also consider filing a lawsuit to force the creditor to remove the information.

Also, some creditors have said they’ll use a special code, one for natural disasters that adds a comment to the report, for delinquent debts during the pandemic. This code might make a difference if a potential creditor actually reads the full report when making a lending decision. But any debt reported as delinquent still shows up as negative on reports and can hurt your FICO credit score. FICO doesn’t factor this kind of code in when calculating credit scores, although VantageScore will disregard late payments for accounts with a disaster code.

Getting Help:
When you’re sure that your income will be reduced or eliminated as a result of COVID-19, contact each of your creditors to let them know about your situation. Tell them how coronavirus has impacted your ability to pay your account and inquire about options for financial relief. If you’re not happy with the alternatives, feel free to ask if any other options are available for you to consider. The more you know about your choices, the more likely you’ll be able to come to an agreement that works for your circumstances.

People waiting for stimulus checks need to update their info with IRS by Wednesday(05/13)

It’s been a month and a half since Congress passed a $2.2 trillion economic relief bill.

About 130 million Americans have received stimulus payments from the Internal Revenue Service so far, but millions are still waiting.

The first of several rounds of payments have gone out to eligible recipients via direct deposit, which is the fastest way for the IRS and Treasury Department to get taxpayers their stimulus payments.

The IRS is pushing anyone who hasn’t gotten a payment yet to add their direct deposit banking information to the agency’s ‘Get My Payment’ website by Wednesday. A recent release from the IRS said the agency plans to begin preparing files to send paper checks after 12 p.m. ET Wednesday.

Taxpayers and other eligible recipients who miss the direct deposit deadline may have to wait for a paper check, which the IRS says will begin arriving in late May and into June. About 5 million checks will go out each week, according to a House committee memo.
The IRS has been using 2018 and 2019 tax documents to disburse payments to some, but even people who did not file in those years may be eligible. If you missed filing in 2019, you may need to do so in order to receive payment.

The stimulus payments total $1,200 per person for those who earned $75,000 or less on their last tax return and are prorated for those who earned up to $99,000. Those thresholds are doubled for couples filing jointly, and there is a $500 additional payment per qualifying child.