Relief checks: summary news 1 January
Headlines: Sunday, 1 January 2023
- Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) figure fell to 5.5% in Nov as inflation eases
- Last Friday, Congress passed a $1.7 trillion spending bill to fund government through September
- Supreme Court to hear two challenges to student loan forgiveness plan in February
- Medicaid eligibility to be slashed in the New Year after pandemic-era expansion
- US inflation slowed to 7.1% in November
- Fed continues to raise interest rates as inflation starts to ease
- Minimum wage to rise in several US states in 2023
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Now that 2023 has begun some eager filers will already be looking ahead to the upcoming tax season in the United States. Most of the pandemic-era tax relief initiatives have now ended and we’re back to normality when it comes to tax filing.
If you’re thinking about starting your tax filing, you should be aware of the updated standard deduction thresholds for 2023....
Biden promises more action on inflation
"In a world where inflation is rising at double digits in many major economies around the world, inflation is coming down in America."
"Make no mistake — prices are still too high. We have a lot more work to do. But things are getting better, headed in the right direction."
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The passing of Congress’ $1.7 trillion omnibus package provided the funding required to prevent a partial government shutdown over the holidays. That bill was required to keep federal programs running for 2023, but some major changes were included in the final package to ensure it passed.
Chief amongst those changes was a provision that will allow states to remove millions of people off Medicaid from April 2023. The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that roughly 20% of current recipients could lose Medicaid coverage.
Here's who will be affected...
The New Year has got off to a positive start for workers in the 23 states have announced increases to the minimum wage from 1 January 2023. While the federal minimum wage remains a paltry $7.25 per hour, most states have implemented their own regulations, often raising that figure considerably.
Increases in the minimum wage are considered vital in many areas due to the rampant inflation experienced during 2022.
Here's the states who will be offering their residents a minimum wage increase...
What do experts expect from inflation in 2023?
It was the defining economic trend of 2022, but after positive growth reports in recent months is inflation going to continue into the New Year? The Federal Reserve has been extremely proactive in bringing down the rate of price rises but it remains to be seen if that effort can be sustained in the year ahead.
As we begin 2023, most of the pandemic-era tax relief initiatives have now ended and we’re back to normality when it comes to tax filing.
However not everyone is required to file a return with the IRS and low earners will not have to pay tax. If your total earnings are less than the standard deduction amount then you will not be required to declare taxes.
Here's what that could mean in 2023...
COLA boost is on its way this month
Inflation caused havoc for Americans throughout 2022, but after a year of near-constant price rises there is something to look to for Social Security recipients. MAnyone in receipt of benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA) will start to receive a 8.7% boost to their monthly payments starting this month as the annual cost-of-libving adjustment (COLA) kicks in.
Inflation response sparks market downturn
Inflation has been the defining economic trend of 2022 and, as we reach the year's end, there is clear evidence that the measures introduced to tackle it are having broader consequences. Price rises have hurt Americans throughout the year and the Federal Reserve has implemented interest rate hikes to curb growth. However this is having a clear impact on the markets, which have fallen by nearly 20% across 2022.
Social Security offices will be closed tomorrow too
With New Year's Day falling on a Sunday this year, the federal holiday marking the start of the year has been shifted one day forward, to Monday 2 January. This means that Social Security offices, like that of many federal agencies, will be closed on Monday. Bear this in mind if you have any burning questions related to the upcoming COLA increase for benefits payments.
The $1.7tn spending bill, explained
President Biden has signed into law a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill to avert a partial government shutdown. The massive package drew bipartisan support in Congress and will ensure that the government is able to continue with its work into the New Year.
Here's what the mammoth spending bill contains...
Egg prices soar as inflation bites
Inflation has been felt right across the board throughout 2022 and grocery bills have been one of the most susceptible to price rises. One of the products that has risen most sharply is a household staple; eggs. According to official figures from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the price of eggs has reached a record high in the country.
Currently, a dozen Grade A eggs are $3.60, when last year around the same time the price was $1.82. Large Midwestern eggs have fetched a price of $5.60, according to Egg Price Current; which means that prices are up about 49 percent compared to a year ago.
Tax agency warns about risk of scammers
The IRS doesn't initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text messages or social media channels to request personal or financial information and reminds users to be aware of the telltale signs of a scam.
Banks will be open on New Year’s Eve but because of the day New Year’s Day falls upon they won’t be open again until Tuesday 3 January.
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