Every door the rules leave open

This exists for anyone whose job offers a retirement plan with matching contributions.

This exists for anyone whose employer offers a 401(k) plan and who wants to know what happens when part of a paycheck goes into it.

This exists for a worker whose 401(k), 403(b), or 457(b) plan offers a designated Roth account alongside the traditional one.

This exists for people who work at public schools, colleges, hospitals, churches, and other nonprofit employers that offer a 403(b) plan.

This exists for state and local government workers and some nonprofit employees whose employer offers a 457(b) deferred compensation plan.

This exists for federal civilian employees and members of the uniformed services, who save through the Thrift Savings Plan.

This applies when an employer puts money into a worker's retirement plan and the plan document says that money becomes the worker's over time.

This exists for a worker whose plan allows after tax contributions above the deferral cap and allows them to be moved into a Roth account.

This applies when a worker in a 401(k), 403(b), 457(b), or TSP turns 50 during the year, which opens an extra contribution amount above the regular cap.

This applies when a worker is 60, 61, 62, or 63 at the end of the year and the plan has adopted the higher catch up amount.

This exists for workers whose plan raises the contribution percent by a step each year unless the worker changes it.

This exists for a worker whose plan allows loans against the vested balance, which many 401(k), 403(b), and TSP plans do.

This exists for a worker still employed whose plan allows withdrawals for an immediate and heavy financial need, under conditions the IRS lists.

This exists for a worker whose employer offers an employee stock purchase plan that sells company shares at a discount through payroll.

This exists for higher earners, usually executives and senior staff, whose employer offers a plan to defer salary or bonus beyond what a 401(k) allows.

This exists for a working parent, or a worker who cares for a dependent who cannot care for themselves, whose employer offers a dependent care flexible spending account.

This exists for a worker whose employer offers a health flexible spending account for medical, dental, and vision costs.

This exists for a worker whose employer offers transit passes or parking paid from pay before tax.

This exists for a worker whose employer offers group term life insurance and short or long term disability coverage as benefits.

This applies when a person is covered by a qualifying high deductible health plan and has no other disqualifying coverage, which opens the door to a health savings account.

This applies when a worker leaves an employer and has a balance in that employer's retirement plan.

This applies when a worker leaves an employer in or after the year they turn 55 and takes money from that employer's plan before 59 and a half.

This exists for anyone with earned income who opens an IRA on their own, and especially for a worker who also has a plan at work, since that changes whether the contribution is deductible.

This exists for anyone with earned income below the Roth income lines who wants an account where qualified withdrawals come out tax free.

This exists for a person whose income is above the Roth IRA phase out and who has no pretax money in any traditional IRA.

This exists for a married couple filing jointly where one spouse has little or no earned income and the other spouse earns enough to cover both contributions.

This applies when a person who contributes to a traditional or Roth IRA turns 50 during the year, which adds a catch up amount to the yearly cap.

This exists for a person with pretax money in a traditional IRA or old workplace plan, and it matters most in a year when income is unusually low.

This exists for a person with modest income who puts money into an IRA, a workplace plan, or an ABLE account during the year.

This applies when a person holds a Roth IRA and takes money out, since two separate five year clocks decide whether earnings and converted amounts come out free of tax and penalty.

This applies when a person under 59 and a half takes money out of an IRA, since the withdrawal is taxed and usually carries a 10 percent addition unless one of the listed exceptions fits.

This applies when a person with a traditional IRA, SEP, SIMPLE, or workplace plan reaches the age at which the law requires yearly withdrawals.

This exists for anyone who inherits an IRA or workplace plan balance, and the rules differ for a spouse, a minor child, and most other heirs.

This exists for a person holding cash they do not need for a while, who wants to know what the Treasury sells directly to individuals.

This exists for anyone with money in a bank or credit union, and especially for a person whose balances at one institution are approaching the insured amount.

This exists for a self employed person or a small business owner who wants a retirement plan funded by the business with almost no paperwork.

This exists for a self employed person or business owner with no employees other than a spouse, who can wear both the employee and employer hats in one plan.

This exists for a small business with 100 or fewer employees that wants a plan where workers defer from pay and the employer makes a required match or contribution.

This exists for a business owner or self employed professional with high, steady income who has already filled a 401(k) and wants a much larger deductible contribution.

This exists for a sole proprietor, partner, S corporation owner, or landlord with business income that flows onto a personal return.

This exists for a self employed person, partner, or more than 2 percent S corporation owner who pays for their own health insurance and is not eligible for a plan through a spouse's employer.

This exists for anyone who pays self employment tax on freelance, gig, or business income reported on Schedule C or from a partnership.

This exists for a self employed person who uses part of their home regularly and exclusively for business, and it is not available to employees working from home.

This exists for a self employed person who drives for the business, whether in a car used for work only or one shared with personal life.

This exists for a business owner who buys equipment, computers, vehicles, furniture, or software and wants to know how fast the cost can be deducted.

This exists for a small employer with at least one employee who is not the owner or a spouse, starting a SEP, SIMPLE, or 401(k) for the first time.

This exists for a business owner with steady profit who is weighing a sole proprietorship, an LLC taxed as a partnership, or an S corporation election.

This applies when a person expects to owe at least $1,000 of federal tax beyond what is withheld, which is the usual case for self employed people and those with large investment income.

This exists for a business owner whose spouse or child does real work for the business, which the law treats as employment with some payroll tax differences for family.

This exists for anyone paying or being paid for work, since the law decides whether the worker is an employee or an independent contractor based on the relationship, not the label on the contract.

This exists for a parent or guardian who claims a child under 17 as a dependent.

This exists for a working parent whose child tax credit is larger than the income tax they owe.

This exists for a worker with modest earnings, with or without children, who meets the income and residency tests.

This exists for a parent who pays for care of a child under 13, or of a dependent who cannot care for themselves, in order to work or look for work.

This exists for a person who paid adoption costs for a child, or who adopted a child the state has identified as having special needs.

This exists for anyone saving for a child's or their own schooling who wants the growth to be free of tax when it pays for education.

This exists for a family whose 529 has money left over after schooling and a beneficiary with earned income.

This exists for a parent whose child has wages or self employment income from a real job.

This exists for a person whose disability began before an age set in law, and for the family members who save for them.

This applies when a child under 18, or a full time student under 24, has investment income above a line set each year.

This applies when a person is married on the last day of the year and has to pick one of two filing statuses.

This exists for an unmarried person who pays more than half the cost of a home where a child or other qualifying person lives.

This applies when two people marry and their combined tax goes up or down compared with filing as two singles.

This exists for a person who supports a parent, an adult child, or another relative with little income of their own.

This exists for a person who claims a dependent who does not qualify for the child tax credit, such as a child 17 or older or a parent.

This applies when a person gives money or property to another person without getting something of equal value back.

This exists for a spouse, former spouse, or widow or widower of a worker who paid into Social Security.

This exists for a student, or the parent claiming the student, in the first four years of college who is enrolled at least half time.

This exists for a student at any level, including graduate school and single courses for job skills, with no limit on the number of years.

This exists for a person paying interest on a loan taken out for their own, a spouse's, or a dependent's education.

This exists for a worker whose employer runs a written educational assistance program.

This exists for a borrower with federal student loans whose monthly payment is set by income rather than by the loan balance.

This exists for a borrower with Direct federal loans who works full time for a government or a nonprofit employer.

This applies when a student receives a scholarship, fellowship, or grant and part of it covers something other than tuition.

This exists for a family saving for a child's schooling, from kindergarten through college, with modest yearly amounts.

This exists for a homeowner paying interest on a mortgage, and it only matters when itemized deductions pass the standard deduction.

This applies when a person itemizes and pays state income tax, local income tax, sales tax, or property tax.

This exists for a person who sells a home they owned and lived in as their main home for at least two of the last five years.

This exists for a homeowner who installs qualifying energy efficient improvements or clean energy equipment in a home they live in.

This applies when a household's unreimbursed medical costs in a year are large relative to its income and it itemizes.

This exists for a person who gives to charity and holds investments that have grown in value.

This exists for a person who gives steadily but whose itemized deductions fall just short of the standard deduction each year.

This exists for an IRA owner age 70 and a half or older who gives to charity.

This exists for a person who buys health insurance through the marketplace and has household income within the range the law sets.

This applies when a person on Medicare had income two years earlier above a line the law sets.

This applies when a person's home or property is damaged or destroyed in an area the President declares a disaster.

This applies when a person moves their home from one state to another during a tax year.

This applies when a person rents out a room, a unit, or a whole home, whether for a weekend or the whole year.

This exists for every filer, since the standard deduction is the amount of income that goes untaxed before itemizing is considered.

This applies when a person sells an investment outside a retirement account for more than they paid.

This applies when a person sells an investment in a taxable account at a loss and buys something similar within a window set in law.

This applies when a person's taxable income for the year sits low enough that long term gains fall in the 0 percent band.

This applies when a person receives dividends from stocks or funds in a taxable account.

This applies when a person's modified adjusted gross income passes a line set in law and they have investment income.

This exists for a person in a high tax bracket who holds bonds or bond funds in a taxable account.

This exists for a person who holds investments in more than one kind of account, such as a taxable brokerage account, a traditional IRA or 401(k), and a Roth.

This applies when a person sells part of a holding bought at different times and prices in a taxable account.

This applies when a person inherits stock, a home, or other property from someone who has died.

This exists for a worker who holds their employer's stock inside a 401(k) or similar plan and is leaving the company or retiring.

This exists for a worker whose employer grants restricted stock units that vest on a schedule.

This exists for a worker granted incentive stock options who exercises them and holds the shares.

This applies when a person receiving Social Security benefits has other income, including tax exempt interest, above a line written in law.

This exists for a person approaching retirement who can start Social Security retirement benefits at any month from age 62 to 70.

This applies when a person opens a brokerage or bank account, or does contract work, and is asked to certify their taxpayer number on a W9.

This exists for anyone who holds a mutual fund or exchange traded fund in any account, since every fund charges a yearly percent of its assets.

This exists for a person whose income supports a spouse, children, or others who would be left short if that income stopped.

This exists for a worker whose household depends on their paycheck and who could be unable to work for months or years after an illness or injury.

This exists for a person whose savings, home equity, or future wages exceed the liability limits on their auto and home policies.

This applies when a person holds a retirement account, life insurance policy, annuity, or bank account with a payable on death form.

This exists for every adult, since state law decides who inherits and who makes decisions for a person who has not written it down.

This exists for a person who rents, since the landlord's policy covers the building and not the renter's belongings or liability.

This exists for any taxpayer, and it stops a thief from filing a return under that person's Social Security number.

This exists for anyone with bills that continue when income stops, which is almost everyone.

This applies when a person carries a balance at a high interest rate while also having money that could be saved or invested.

This exists for a worker whose plan matches contributions and who is deciding where the first saved dollars go.

This exists for anyone contributing to funds for decades, since a yearly fee compounds against the saver the same way returns compound for them.

This exists for anyone who finds that money left in a checking account at month's end is less than they meant to save.

This exists for anyone who has bought something large on impulse and regretted it, which describes most adults.

This exists for every adult with a credit history, since federal law gives a free report from each of the three bureaus.