Ghost Money · Issue 1 · Aug 29, 2026 · Issue 1 · Issue 2 · Issue 3 · Issue 4 · Issue 5 · Issue 6 · Issue 7 · Issue 8 · Issue 9 · Paste an ad

Stop chasing dollars that already died.

Companies will sell you tax credits, rebates, and “forgiveness” that expired last year. This board is what is still real. Free. Not tax advice. If the IRS, Congress, StudentAid, or Medicare did not publish the number, we leave it blank.

Check this ad against Issue 1. · Issue 2: New corpses. Same trick. · Issue 3: Free at the agency. Paid in the ad. · Issue 4: Wrong window. Wrong number. · Issue 5: Program ended. Pitch didn't. · Issue 6: Last year's numbers. This year's pitch. · Issue 7: The check is in the text. · Issue 8: The refund is the bait. · Issue 9: The grant wants a fee.

The ads you will see this year

Dead

“30% federal solar / $3,200 heat-pump tax credit if you sign this week”

IRC 25C and 25D are closed for property placed in service after Dec 31, 2025. A 2025 deposit does not save a 2026 install. If they say the IRS will send you a check, walk. A named state or utility rebate can still be real.
Dead

“$7,500 off this EV / $4,000 off this used EV”

30D, 25E, and 45W are closed for vehicles acquired after Sept 30, 2025 unless you already had a binding contract and a payment by that date. No IRS time-of-sale report = no credit.
Dead

“$8,000 federal first-time homebuyer credit”

Dead since 2010. Bills in Congress are not money. Check your state housing finance agency for real local help.
Dead

“SAVE plan / $10k Biden forgiveness / pay us $299 to file”

SAVE was vacated March 10, 2026. The one-time wipeout was blocked by the Supreme Court. PSLF is still alive and free at StudentAid.gov. Anyone charging a fee to restore SAVE is selling a corpse.
Changed

“No tax on tips / overtime starts in your paycheck Friday”

Real 2025–2028 deductions, not a payroll holiday. Tips: up to $25,000, listed occupations, MAGI phaseout $150k/$300k. Overtime: the extra half only, cap $12,500 ($25,000 joint). Claimed on Schedule 1-A when you file.
Dead

“2026 stimulus check / IRS inflation rebate”

No enacted 2026 recovery rebate. Unclaimed-property ads dressed up as stimulus are the usual swap. Search free at unclaimed.org.
Alive

Medicare Extra Help

Free at SSA.gov/extrahelp. 2026 income limits $23,940 / $32,460. A “Medicare rebate card” that charges shipping is not Extra Help.
Watch

“Federal $8,000 / $14,000 heat-pump rebate”

Not the dead 25C tax credit. HOMES/HEAR are state-run. Your state may pay less, or nothing. If the ad does not name the state program, treat it as bait. energy.gov/cmei/scep/home-energy-rebates-program

Also on the board

Dead

30C EV charger credit

Closed for property placed in service after June 30, 2026. That date has passed. Even when live, most suburban homes failed the census-tract test.
Dead

45L “buyer gets $5,000 for an Energy Star house”

That was always a builder credit, and it is closed for homes acquired after June 30, 2026.
Dead

Work Opportunity Tax Credit for 2026 hires

Applies to people who began work on or before Dec 31, 2025. Form 8850 is no longer in use.
Alive

Child Tax Credit

$2,200 per qualifying child for 2026, ACTC up to $1,700. Ads promising a $3,000 monthly CTC are recycling 2021. This is a tax credit on your return, not a Treasury paycheck.
Changed

ACA Marketplace subsidies

The extra ARPA/IRA savings ended Dec 31, 2025. The 400% FPL cliff is back. You will likely pay more in 2026 if you still qualify.
Alive

Car-loan interest deduction (narrow)

New vehicle, final assembly in the United States, loan after Dec 31, 2024. Leases and used cars: $0. Cap $10,000. MAGI phaseout $100k/$200k.
Alive

Unclaimed property

Not a rebate. Your money, if a state is holding it. Search free at unclaimed.org. Anyone who wants an upfront fee to “release your Treasury rebate” is the ghost.
Alive

Section 179 expensing

2026 cap $2,560,000. A deduction, not a rebate. “This truck is free” is a ghost. SUV cap $32,000.