It’s tax time again and once you’ve retired your tax picture can change dramatically. There are tax preparation services available, but for those on a fixed income, paying the high fees of an accountant or tax-preparer may be budget-busting.

For seniors, AARP offers Tax-Aide - a free, volunteer-run tax counseling and preparation service. 32,000 volunteers provide free tax preparation and assistance services to low and middle-income taxpayers, with special attention to those 60 years of age and older. Electronic filing and online counseling are also offered.

Go to the AARP website for more information about Tax-Aide and to find a Tax-Aide site near you.

The House has passed a bill that will gradually raise the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour over three years. The bill will now go to the Senate.

With more seniors and retirees staying in the work force, many taking part time jobs as supplemental income or as a way to get out into the community and keep active, the increase could affect millions of seniors who fill minimum wage positions. It will also positively affect all minimum wage workers in the lowest income brackets.

It doesn’t sound like something anyone would be opposed to, does it?

The fly in the ointment is that the bill pairs the increase in the minimum wage with estate tax exemptions. Democrats in the Senate are vowing to kill the bill, rather than allow what they consider a tax cut for the rich to go through. The bill contains exemptions on the estate tax of $5 million for individuals and $10 million for the estate of a couple. The current law provides for a 55% tax on estates worth more than $1 million starting in 2011.

Seniors who may be even now doing their estate planning will want to take note and research the bill and the effects it may have on the taxes their heirs will pay upon inheritance. As always, you should voice your opinion to your state representatives and senators.

You can find out who your state representatives and Senators are at this website. Email addresses are available for most of the members of Congress. Ground mail addresses and phone numbers are available for all members of Congress.

It’s a great big world but in the last century technology has been making it smaller and bringing it closer. The internet has accomplished more in making the world accessible than even the invention of air travel, because the world is at your fingertips without you ever having to leave home. But it also opens the doors for thieves and scam artists who continually find new methods to swindle.

The newest rash of emails being sent on “phishing” expeditions purport to come from the IRS and promise the recipient of the email a tax refund that they have recently discovered to be owed. This technique may be even more effective than the scam emails using fake PayPal and eBay sites because no one ignores or deletes the IRS.

If you receive one of these emails, contact the IRS.