Q:

Subject: 2009 Tax Rates

Dear Mr. Kerstetter,

The 2009 Income Tax Rates for Married Filing Jointly on your web-site link are not consistent with the rates published in the IRS Publication 15 Circular E for 2009.

Is this due to publication date differences? Which is the correct 2009 tax rates?

Thanks.

A:

You have me a little confused.  I downloaded the new Pub 15 that you linked to and I don’t see an income tax rate schedule that is comparable to the one I posted on my website.  There are withholding tables, which are calculated slightly differently than the actual tax calculation schedules.  If you were trying to equate the two, that’s not really possible.

The figures on my schedule do match exactly with the IRS’s official release of the inflation adjustments for 2009, Revenue Procedure 2008-66.

Here is a copy and paste from Page 6 of that pdf file:

I also double checked with the update from The TaxBook.

It is pasted below:

I hope this helps.

If you can let me know where in Pub 15 you are trying to match the rates to, I can better understand your confusion.

Kerry Kerstetter

Mr. Kerstetter,

Thank you for the explanation.  It clarified my confusion.