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Your paycheck could be a little bigger in 2026, even if you didn’t get a New Year’s raise. That’s because, in order to adjust for inflation, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) made some major changes to the tax code last year. In case you missed it, the changes were announced back in October. Notably, the standard deduction for 2026 (to be filed in 2027)which reduces the amount of your income you’ll be taxed onwill rise. “For tax year 2026, the standard deduction increases to $32,200 for married couples filing jointly,” the October announcement explains. “For single taxpayers and married individuals filing separately, the standard deduction rises to $16,100 for tax year 2026, and for heads of households, the standard deduction will be $24,150.” Experts say the change is likely to result in Americans saving money on their taxes. If the standard deduction increases, that means that they’re going to have a lower taxable income, which means that they’ll pay less taxes, Caroline Bruckner, the managing director of American Universitys Kogod Tax Policy Center, said per The Independent. New income thresholds Another major change from the IRS is the income threshold for each of the seven federal income tax brackets, which are set to change, too. The highest tax bracket, for those who file individually, is now for incomes over $640,600, which will be taxed at a 37% rate. For married people filing jointly, the same is true for those earning more than $768,700. That group is followed by the 35% bracket, which includes incomes over $256,225 for individuals and over $512,450 for married couples. On the lower end of the spectrum, individuals and married couples earning at least $12,400 and $24,800, respectively, will be taxed at a 12% rate. The individual filers earning $12,400 or less will be taxed at a 10% rate. The same will be true for married couples filing jointly who earned $24,800 or less. According to the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan tax policy nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., changing tax bracket thresholds is not unusual. And, it’s important for combating what’s known as “bracket creep,” which happens when inflation is the root cause of pushing taxpayers into higher tax brackets. That means it could increase how much taxpayers owe, without an increase in real income. While the recent changes to 2025 tax brackets could boost your paycheck, they’re actually fairly modest when compared with recent years. For example, for a single filer, the income threshold for the 10% bracket rose from up to $11,000 in 2023 to $11,600 in 2024. For those married filing jointly, the threshold moved from $22,000 to $23,200. Likewise, the previous year, tax brackets changed by about 7% due to inflation.
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E-Commerce
Your paycheck could be a little bigger in 2026, even if you didn’t get a New Year’s raise. That’s because, in order to adjust for inflation, the IRS made some major changes to the tax code last year. In case you missed it, the changes were announced back in October. Notably, the standard deduction for 2026 (to be filed in 2027) — which reduces the amount of your income you will be taxed on — will rise. “For tax year 2026, the standard deduction increases to $32,200 for married couples filing jointly,” the October announcement explains. “For single taxpayers and married individuals filing separately, the standard deduction rises to $16,100 for tax year 2026, and for heads of households, the standard deduction will be $24,150.” Experts say the change is likely to result in Americans saving money on their taxes. If the standard deduction increases, that means that they’re going to have a lower taxable income, which means that they’ll pay less taxes, Caroline Bruckner, the managing director of American Universitys Kogod Tax Policy Center said per The Independent. New income thresholds Another major change from the IRS is the income threshold for each of the seven federal income tax brackets, which are set to change, too. The highest tax bracket, for those who file individually, is now for incomes over $640,600, which will be taxed at a 37% rate. For married people filing jointly, the same is true for those earning over $768,700. That group is followed by the 35% bracket, which includes incomes over $256,225 for individuals and over $512,450 for married couples. On the lower end of the spectrum, individuals and married couples earning at least $12,400 and $24,800, respectively, will be taxed at a 12% rate. The individual filers earning $12,400 or less will be taxed at a 10% rate. The same will be true for married couples filing jointly who earned $24,800 or less. According to the Tax Foundation, changing tax bracket thresholds is not unusual. And, it’s important for combatting what’s known as “bracket creep” which happens when inflation is the root cause of pushing tax payers into higher tax brackets. That means, it could increase how much tax payers owe, without an increase in real income. While the recent changes to 2025 tax brackets could boost your paycheck, they’re actually fairly modest when compared to recent years. In 2024, for example, for a single filer, the income threshold for the 10% bracket rose from up to $11,000 in 2023 to $11,600. For those married filing jointly, the threshold moved from $22,000 to $23,200. Likewise, the previous year, tax brackets changed by about 7% due to inflation.
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E-Commerce
For Americans, the idea of watching live television without the constant barrage of commercials for prescription medications and junk food might seem foreign. Thats now the norm in the United Kingdom. Starting on Monday, a ban has gone into effect that prohibits advertising foods high in fat, salt, and sugar on TV before 9 p.m. and at any time online. Its an attempt by the UK government to tackle childhood obesity. In 2022, 15% of children between the ages of 2 and 15 were obese, according to figures from the National Health Service. What constitutes a banned product is a bit complex to decipher, as the rules cover 13 wide-ranging categories of food. Some products included in the advertising ban are obvioussoda, candy, potato chips, and desserts, for examplewhile others may be a bit surprising, like breakfast cereals, various types of yogurts, and ready-made meals like stuffed ravioli. WELL OVERDUE The UK has long banned TV advertisements for prescription drugs, and this latest advertising ban dates back to 2020, during the era of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. However, it didnt receive much traction under his successor. In 2023, now-Prime Minister Keir Starmer campaigned on reforming the National Health Service and promised to put a ban into effect on advertising junk food if elected, saying it was well overdue. That sentiment was echoed more recently by Katherine Brown, a professor of behavior change in health at the University of Hertfordshire, who told the BBC on Monday that the ban was long overdue and a move in the right direction. COMPLYING WITH BAN But food companies are already finding creative ways to comply with the ban, while still advertising. These companies can advertise healthier versions of banned products or they can continue to advertise online and on television, so long as they dont show an “identifiable” product. This latter concession was one the UK government made following threats of legal action by the food industry against the blanket ban. Legislation permits companies to switch from product advertising to brand advertising, which is likely to significantly weaken [the] impact [of the new rules], Anna Taylor, executive director of The Food Foundation, a nonprofit focused on the UK food system, told The Guardian. Whats more, companies are switching up how they advertise, opting instead for outdoor advertising that include billboards and on public transportation. Outdoor advertising is the second-largest source of exposure to food advertising for children, according to the 2025 annual report from The Food Foundation, and food companies increased their advertising spend by 28% between 2021 and 2024 in anticipation of the TV and online ban. MORE TO BE DONE While the UK government has estimated that the advertising ban could prevent about 20,000 cases of childhood obesity, theres more work to be done, according to advocates. Brown called on the government to make nutritious options “more affordable, accessible and appealing,” while Taylor said the ban marked a milestone on a bigger journey to protect children. We cant stop here, we must remain focused on the goal: banning all forms of junk food advertising to children, Taylor told The Guardian.
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E-Commerce
How seriously are you taking your 2026 rebrand? Do you have your 365 buttons ready? If this means nothing to you, you likely spent the holiday period at the lord intended – offline. But if spending less time on your phone isnt one of your 2026 resolutions, let me catch you up. It started with a TikTok posted in December, all about rebranding for 2026. In the comments people shared their own strategies and self-improvement tips for the upcoming year. One comment, however, stood out from the rest. Im getting 365 buttons, one for each day because I want to do more stuff and Im scared of time so I want to be more conscious of it, a user called Tamara wrote. To which another user innocently asked: What is 365 buttons? Tamara went on to explain: One for every day, to which another replied: Yes queen, but wdym buttons? Like to wear? Tamara then clarified: Just to have to see how quick days pass and to remind myself that time passes and I just have fun and to do a lot of stuff. Still confused? Youre not alone. What are you doing with the buttons everyday is what theyre asking, one user commented. Are you putting them in a jar, are you wearing them?? To this, Tamara responded: Hey so it actually only has to make sense to me for me to do it and I dont feel like explaining it to anyone else What mightve remained an off-the-cuff interaction, instead blew up overnight with hundreds of videos since posted in reference to the comment exchange. Some have made their best attempts to explain Tamaras logic (to my understanding a sort of sand timer, but in button-form). Others have taken Tamaras advice and started their own 365 button craft projects, from making their own brass buttons to upcycling clothing. Kinda upset its already the third button but I don’t have to explain that to anyone, one creator posted on January 3rd. Only just now found out about 365 buttons so now i gotta wait til next year, another lamented this week. Mostly, people have taken Tamaras words as a mantra or inspirational quote – complete with brat-esque graphics – to live by in 2026. In much the same way Kylie Jenner prophetically proclaimed 2016 as the year of realizing stuff,” a decade on, in 2026 we can add to that axiom, it actually only has to make sense to me for me to do it and I dont feel like explaining it to anyone else.”
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E-Commerce
As today is the first Monday of 2026, Americans across the country are settling back into their everyday routines after the busy holiday season. But many are also recovering from the fluor still suffering from it. Flu illnesses are surging across the country. According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), positive influenza test results reached the highest levels of the season for the week ending December 27, 2025. The CDC publishes a weekly influenza surveillance report that details positive case counts, illness activity levels by state, and breakdowns of flu types. Due to the winter holidays, the CDCs latest weekly report was delayed. But the agency published its findings today, January 5, 2026. The report shows that 32.9% of samples tested positive for influenza. Positive influenza test results have continued to trend upwards in recent weeks. Influenza A H3N2 Super Flu cases are surging nationwide Fast Company previously wrote about the worsening spread of the so-called super flu. The most common influenza strain this season is the subclade K, which is a mutated version of H3N2, a subtype of the influenza A virus. According to CDC data, for the week ending December 27, a total of 994 influenza viruses were reported by public health laboratories. Of those, 971 were influenza A and 23 were influenza B. Of the 600 influenza A viruses that were subtyped, 91.2% were influenza A H3N2. For the same week, 33,301 patients were admitted to hospitals with influenza. Meanwhile, two influenza-related pediatric deaths were reported. One death occurred the week ending December 20 and one death occurred the week ending December 27. A total of nine influenza-related pediatric deaths have been reported this season. For the week ending December 27, activity levels were considered very high in more than half of the U.S. states. Activity levels were also very high in Puerto Rico. Screenshot via CDC. The states with the highest flu activity include: Alabama Alaska Arkansas Colorado Connecticut Florida Georgia Idaho Indiana Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Ohio Nebraska New Hampshire New Jersey New York North Carolina North Dakota Rhode Island Tennessee Texas Vermont Virginia The CDC expects activity to continue for several weeks. What are the symptoms of the flu? Flu symptoms can vary from mild to severe. According to the CDC, these are the most common symptoms to be aware of: Fever Feeling feverish/having chills Cough Sore throat Runny or stuffy nose Muscle or body aches Headaches Fatigue (tiredness) Possible vomiting or diarrhea Its worth noting that not everyone with the flu gets a fever. If youre experiencing flu-like symptoms, the CDC recommends limiting contact with others. Total flu cases reach 11 million nationwide The CDC estimates that at least 11 million flu illnesses have occurred so far this season. The agency estimates that there have been 120,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths from the flu. The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older who has not yet been vaccinated this season get an annual influenza vaccine.
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E-Commerce
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