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lots of them seven on your side's michael. finney is here today with the united way helping to answer all of those tax questions. hi michael. hey, have you done your taxes yet? uh, someone's working on them. i think get out your computer and you can ask us a question along with everyone else up until seven o'clock tonight. just go to the stations web page one of the people answering your questions. is this guy right here. his name is kk's hair gucci and he is going to talk to us right now about the taxes or not taxes on a lot of the stimulus payments, right what's going on with that? well, we had three rounds of stimulus payments so far. the first two rounds were really tax credits on the 2020 tax return and the third round is a tax credit on the 2021 tax return the stimulus payments should have been received by everyone's by now, but if you haven't got the third round of stimulus payments then when you file your 2021 tax return you can claim it and get it and if and guard your first or second round either then you can go back and fi

michael finney has this bit of hope.orter: you may recall congress get about generous unemployment benefits when the pandemic began. the first $10,200 with tax free. with all the problems that they edd eight tens of thousands of claims got stuck or lost or suspended. by the time many people got their benefits, the tax break had expired. now they have to pay the full taxes when the other people did not. 7 on your side pointed this out to california members of congress. they are taking action. >> it felt like a punch to the gut. i feel forgotten. reporter: a full year aft a f was laid off in the pandemic, edd still had not paid her any benefits. >> they were like, you are not qualified and hung up the phone. reporter: the edd denied her benefits in 2020. a year later, admitted it was a mistake and gave her all the back payments. by the time they got their money, they each had gone into debt. >> that was painful. >> this is not where i pictured i would be. reporter: they missed out on the big tax break. congress had waived

series of rate hikes from pg and eat totaling more than $760 over two years time. 7 on your side michael finneyalarm bells of people obviously worried about this. michael: does it seem like your bill has been going up lately? yeah, there is a reason for that. it has. in january, electricity rates went up 8%. now that was followed by another rate hike of 8.9% in march. this, while gas rates went up 11% in january. in total, the average pg&e bill has gone up $384 and -- annually. and this could be only the beginning of more rate hikes to come. before that can happen, ratepayers will get their chance to speak out. >> i feel terrible about that. i think that is ridiculous. michael: that is pastor harold pierre of san francisco's pilgrim community church. he says the rising price of -- has forced many to make tough choices. including one who goes to mcdonald's every day. to get a happy meal. >> because that is about all she can afford in trying to keep up with her meds and keep pg&e. michael: severe winter weather that gripped parts of the east and midwest caused a spike in demand for natural gas. t

michael finney, you are my hero. you the greatest. darker that is nice.anger of not making a payment, let your utility know that. if you are interest did in the rental assistance program, which also includes help for utilities, we have a link at abc7news.com. here's the thing you have to know. the deadline to apply is march 31. do it today. >> great job, mike. >> millions of people lost their job during the pandemic. meet a future mom, a first-time mom and a seasoned pro. this mom's one step closer to their new mini-van! yeah, you'll get used to it. this mom's depositing money with tools on-hand. cha ching. and this mom, well, she's setting an appointment here, so her son can get set up there and start his own financial journey. that's because these moms all have chase. smart bankers. convenient tools. one bank with the power of both. chase. make more of what's yours. - [announcer] the more we learn about covid-19, the more questions we have. the biggest question now, what's next? what will covid bring in six months, a year? if you're feeling anxious abou

she turned to michael finney to get help. >> they steal their money and laugh. seconds after that sending, after she hit send, she realized it was a scam. she yelled at the impostor who was still on the phone and he began taunting her. she called the real bank and said the bank gave her the brushoff. she's not sure which one has made her more furious. >> oh my. >> the moment is seared in lisa's head. she watched $3500 disappeared from her bank account. the scammer who took it was still on the phone. >> the guy knew i knew. he cloud me. he taunted me. i went, oh my god. you think this is funny? >> it happened when lisa was working here, at a winter festival. >> i was selling novelties, stuffed animals. >> she had no credit card terminal so she was using her personal zelle account to collect money. that is when it happened. >> i got a call that said wells fargo. >> the caller says he was from the bank and someone was taking money from the account. >> i thought, one of these customers must have accessed my account. >> lisa tried to figure out who to trust, the cust

michael finney is here to walk you how to -- walk you through how to get that credit.p to $300 per child from the biden american rescue plan. you didn't even have to do anything as long as you file taxes the previous year. this year, it is more complicated. claudia is raising two boys ages 10 and 13. last year, she received $3000 over six months to support her sons. >> helped with small items, being able to get other things, things like orthodontics. reporter: any money received -- anyone who received the tax credit last year should've received a letter like this the irs that outlines how much money he received from the benefit. laura is with the accounting firm eisner advisory group. >> most people should have received 50% of their child tax credit in white 21. what you can expect -- 2021. reporter: you need to take the total amount of your credit last year, outlined in this letter, 6419. you need to input that total on form 8812. you will get a matching credit, either as an increased refund, or the amount owed will be reduced. don't let the tax form scare you from cl

i am michael finney. there's always something new to discover. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ come be a part of it. plan your next vacation at iloveny.com >> as we get closer to the tax deadline, millions of americans still have not received their tax refunds from last year. the irs had a backlog of 11 million returns at the start of this tax season and many tax payers came to the side of michael finney and he is here with their stories. >> is this amazing? they are telling you by love you have to send us money by this day. amazing. any viewers tell me they have been waiting since last summer for the refund. in many cases, thousands of dollars and they can't get answers from the irs. the phone lines are jammed and the where is my refund tracking tool gives them a mysterious response. >> and oh it was delayedas delad this is almost a year. >> i need to know the status. >> a dilemma facing millions of americans who never got last year's tax refunds. kuester they send a check out and get lost in the mail? >> it is frustrating.

well when you go to a tax preparer, it's paper or electronic seven on your side's michael. finneyg into that michael you say that because of the pandemic the difference between those two distinctions never been more stark. it is amazing dan. let me start with this fact. the irs has the same number of employ. today as it had in 1970 and our population went from about 203 million to 331 million. so they same amount of people doing a lot more work than the pandemic had and a lot of these employees have been working on sending out pandemic checks rather than taking care of normal tax activity, and that's why i'm getting a lot of questions like this one. my daughter did my taxes this year. she dated on naturally by the last day of january and so far. i haven't i haven't got anything. i know from from california and normally don't get anything because i own some money, but from the other one, i haven't got anything at all. and he only says that i had to keep checking and checking and checking but nothing at all. so you want to know when do you get your tax refund? is that right? that is

i'm michael finney. we'll talk about that 7 on your side is coming up.go, native californians thrived on this land. now, we share a destiny with all californians. when voters granted our sovereign nations exclusive gaming rights, it advanced self-sufficiency and created thousands of good jobs. but now, out of state corporations are coming to california. their online sports betting initiative would break the promise between us. it's bad for tribes and all californians. join us. protect the promise. bay area moving forward finding solutions. this is abc 7 news. in the central valley investigators believe drugs or alcohol contributed to a crash that killed a two-year-old girl from richmond. it happened just before midnight on interstate 5 south of kettleman city in kings county. chp officers. say 29 year old unheld michelle was driving a honda civic that drifted off the road hit the shoulder and overturned. he suffered major injuries and was taken to the hospital his two-year-old passenger sadly died. doctors say the man who was shot while driving on 580 in

i'm michael finney from seven odd your side and today up until seven o'clock. we're taking your personal. questions on social media you can go to facebook and we'll answer your tax question. this is tax chat from united way bay area, cal state, pa. in new york city, ♪ ♪ there's always something new to discover. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ come be a part of it. plan your next vacation at iloveny.com nowadays, mediocre wifi just won't cut it. but xfinity has wifi faster than a gig to power a house full of connected devices. it can handle all this all at the same time. oh! can your internet do that? i've been meaning to catch up on this. uh, that was my chair. get $200 back when you get gig speed internet or get started with xfinity internet for $19.99 a month for tweleve months. switch today. again just around the corner and we know you've got questions seven on your size michael finney here today with the united way helping to answer your tax questions and michael. i always ask you the same thing. how do i avoid paying? move to another country. no, don't do that. get out your p

michael finney is here with the latest on the problem. reporter: a lot has changed since i first fitbit recall in 2014. back then, fitbit rashes were never fully explained. now, the company is on by google and google says the battery on its fitbit ionic can overheat and cause burns. fitbit is recalling 1.7 millions of the smart watches. they burned at least 78 users in the u.s., including two with third-degree burns. the company also had problems in 2014, when the fitbit force tracker caused these mysterious, severe rashes. >> i want to know what has happened to all of us. >> i wasn't sure why i was getting a rash. >> this big, red, itchy spot on my wrist. reporter: at the time fitbit said it was likely an allergic reaction, those with severe rashes were not convinced. >> there's nothing that explains what the chemical was that we were exposed to. reporter: our reports led to the recall of the fitbit force in 2014. today's recall affects only the fitbit ionic, which they quit making two years ago. fitbit said out of the abundance of cauti

some credit cards have a buy now pay later option, but seven on your side's michael. finneyays be careful with the high interest rate. that's the bottom line becausea. even though gas prices are going pre of bart isn't so think about if you're really hurting for money using public transportation to get you over some of these homes. we've been here before. drive up the price thehe few things you can do not to bore you. i'm sure. you've heard them before probably just try to plan things better. like just go one way and do everything that i need to and then go back instead of back and forth back and forth. you know, i'm a nerd so i keep my tires inflated properly and drive less. another good do leave se se se add it to your vehicle reduces your fuel economy by one percent. a dollar here a dollar there it all adds up. i'm done. the volatile oil market has left people wondering if now is the time to go electric? get in line the wait for certain models could be up to 10 months in san francisco leanne melendez abc 7 news. united in hope and healing rallies were held across the nati

some credit cards have a buy now pay later option, but seven on your side's michael. finneybe careful with the high interest rate. fees so the most important thing you can do is don't buy more gas than you can afford to use. that's the bottom line because even though gas prices are going up the price of uni isn't the price of bart isn't so think about if you're really hurting for money using public transportation to get you over some of these homes. we've been here before. drive up the price the few things you can do not to bore you. i'm sure. you've heard them before probably just try to plan things better. like just go one way and do everything that i need to and then go back instead of back and forth back and forth. you know, i'm a nerd so i keep my tires inflated properly and drive less. another good don't. leave se se se add it to your vehicle reduces your fuel economy by one percent. a dollar here a dollar there it all adds up. i'm done. the volatile oil market has left people wondering if now is the time to go electric? get in line the wait for certain models could be

how michael finney was able to step in and help.agged their benefits as potential fraud. family were filled with joy when little quinn was born on new year's day. >> we were the first to give birth. >> she also faced difficulties. >> i had a c-section infection of the incision. infection of the incision. >> she was struggling to care for her newborn. the mail. >> the edd had stopped paying her disability benefits without any notice. >> i literally called over 100 times. >> i'm kind of upset because no one has ever reached out to me and told me anything. >> hers was among 345,000 claims flagged as potential fraud and frozen by the edd to crack down on a massive disability scam. she and her doctor both had to prove they were legit or she would lose benefits for good. >> you can go to the disability office in sacramento. great. i'm dealing with an infection. i'm supposed to be lying down and i also have a newborn baby and it's in the middle of covid and omicron is spreading everywhere. >> mom and baby waited nearly four hours in a crow

goddaughter get out of that war-torn country and a major change to the consumer world 7 on your side's michael finney together abc 7 news >>> finally tonight here, the russian ballet star speaking out against the war. tonight, the star russian ballerina bravely speaking out against the war, against vladimir putin. olga smirnova has performed with the famed bolshoi ballet in moscow as a principal dancer for more than a decade. this week, she quit the company. protesting the war against ukraine. writing online, she opposes the war "with all the fibers in my soul. i never thought i would be ashamed of russia. we cannot remain indifferent to the global catastrophe." and tonight, the interview with smirnova on the power of speaking out. >> i need to speak what i think, is right to speak. and if i need to leave the country for that, i will leave the country. >> reporter: she has already joined the dutch national ballet in amsterdam. her first performance with them will be next month, and opening night is already sold out. >> this war was started by russia. war is not the method to resolve the conflicts in

indeed.com/hire >> next at 6:00, and i spun nation on why no one takes action to stop shoplifting and michael finney taxpayers still waiting on last year's refund. >>> before we go tonight, the powerful images here at the border, as more than 1 million ukrainian refugees leave, a half million children. a child looking from a train window, leaving the station in lviv, heading for a town near the border with slovakia. a young boy sleeping on his family's belongings after arriving in hungary. and in kyiv, a kiss good-bye as a woman boards a train. so many staying behind to fight. i'll see you tomorrow night for the news and then our special at 8:00 p.m. eastern. until then, good night. >> he tried to started stop -- try to stop a shot better. >> we want to get as manye back to san francisco and downtown as possible. >> san francisco is back in business. >> acts wet weather. cte tonight. i will let you know how long you need to hang onto the impellers. abc 7 news at 6:00 starts now. >> building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions. this is abc 7 news. >> nice to see rain for a change. to

. >> 7 on your side michael finney helps answer your top 10 tax questions. >> building a better bay areas abc 7 news. >> how did you learn how to make mobile talk cocktails? >> the answer? she googled it. >> i am dan ashley, ukraine's second largest city is reeling tonight after a large missile -- attack. a residential area was hit where dozens of people were killed. at least 106 civilians have lost allies -- their lives. >> a growing mush -- russian military convoy outside of kyiv. it is now 40 miles long. >> at the border of belarus, they met to talk peace, but failed to make any progress. >> western sanctions are having an impact on the russian economy. the ruble lost about way 5% of its value and trading -- 25% of its value. >> tech leaders are facing pressures to do more to sanction russia. we take a look at their influence around the world and what they are doing in the wake of russia's attack. >> youtube, facebook, twitter, apple, all feeling the pressure to do more and crackdown on

they came to michael finney to get some help. nights, i really feeling just trying to enjoy time with your newborn. >> they were filled with joy when the plan was born on new year's day. just a little ahead of schedule. >> we were the first ones to give birth here in fairfield. but alexis also faced new difficulties. >> not only do we have an unexpected c-section but i had an infection of the incision. and then a blow from the most unexpected place. ded. >> i'm not getting a check in the mail. ded had stopped paying her disability benefits without any notice. quest thank you for calling the employment development department. >> i called over a hundred times. >> the maximum number of colors has been reached. >> an agent finally picked up. i am kind of upset because no one has ever reached out to me and told me anything. >> hers was among 345,000 claims flagged as potential fraud and frozen by the ed to crack down on a massive disability scam. she and her doctor both had to prove they were legitimate or she would lose benefits for

michael finney says it is a double whammy for those hit by scams. to sending money through zelle. now victims are finding out the irs won't give them a break either. >> i had been scammed. >> $3500 was gone right there. >> the money disappeared. michael: all were victims of the same scam. bank imposters claiming to help stop fraud tricked them into sending money through zelle, but it went through the clerk's. >> i went -- i sent $7,000 through various transactions. >> i had six dollars left. >> my hope was i could treat this loss of money as a deduction. michael: donald james tells us of the sting of losing thousands to the scam. he figured at least the federal government would soften the blow with a tax break. >> i called my accountant and he said, no longer available since 2017. >> that law changed in 2017. >michael: the irs agent says sas news is bad for scam victims. they can no longer deduct losses from being swindled by thieves. other personal casualties are no longer deductible either, such as a home burglary, house fire, wind storm, or auto

dan: and michael finney joins us live with a story you have to watch. >> pretty robust onshore breeze kept us cooler than average today with mist and drizzle this morning, that will go away and temperatures will soar. possibly in the back half of the 70 forecast. ama: keeping an eye on the traffic backup that is a result of an armed carjacking on the bay bridge. traffic in san francisco going to add from the bridge, eastbound on the left side. that happened before noon and always will be opened by 2:00 p.m. but the back of the remains. some good news for drivers. gas prices are expected to drop in california sin. bay area drivers tell our reporter any relief is welcome. >> the last few weeks of high gas prices have been brutal for big -- for bay area drivers. >> it was around 50 to 60, now 80 >> five or >> 90. >> -- and like >> i work in santa cruz, union does southbay work, so monday through friday here. >> if you are not a commuter, chances are you know someone who has, living with the financial toll of gas prices. >> in the bay area tends to be the leader when it comes to californi

larry: michael finney is here with the headlines and his favorite government organization.reporter: the internal revenue service is bulking up, the agency is funding to hire 10,000 new workers to help reduce a massive backlog. the government is on record saying that this tax season could be the most challenging history due to pandemic related programs, the irs faces a backlog of 20 million pieces of correspondence, more than 15 times as large as a normal filing season. the workforce is the exact same size it was today as it was in the 1970's when the u.s. population was 100 million fewer. a warning today about a clever new scam targeting instagram users. let me tell you how it works. users receive an official seeming email violated copyright laws. they are as to verify their email address or their account will be deleted in 24 hours. protect yourself by double checking the from email address and link destinations. never act on any emails first verifying claims. legitimate companies will never intimidate you by threatening to shut down your account within 24 hours. pg&e and

but 7 on your side's michael finney says be careful with high interest rates and late fees. >> the most port thing you can do is don't buy more gas than you can afford to use. that is the bottom line. even though gas prices are going up, the price of bart isn't. i'' if you are hurting for money, use public transportation to get you over the humps. >> certain circumstances drive up the price of gasoline. there are things you can do. i'm sure you have heard them before. >> tried to plan better. just go one way and do everything that i need to and go back and said it back and forth. clubs i am a nerd and so i keep my tires inflated properly. >> drive less. >> aaa makes another good suggestion. don't leave heavy stuff in your car. >> an extra 100 pounds of weight attitude vehicle reduces your fuel economy -- added to your vehicle reduces your fuel economy. >> a dollar here and there adds up. volatile oil market has left people wondering if now is the time to go electric. that in mind. the wait for certain models could be up to 10 months. in san francisco, leanne melendez, abc7news. kristen:

karina: michael finney is here with today's headlines. >> we begin today with a google. the company announced it is acquiring cybersecurity intelligence company --, a move to shore up its cloud computing division. the all-cash transaction is valued at just over $5 billion, one of the largest purchases ever made by google, or its parent company alphabet. an online university has been ordered to pay a big settlement for misleading students. ashford university and its parent company will have to pay $22 million in penalties. in his ruling, a san diego superior court judge said the school misrepresented how much financial aid students would receive and downplayed the amount of debt they would be forced to take on. a relatively new airline will still be flying out of sfo. breeze airways began offering flights mostly out of tiny airports. starting this may, it will begin flying out of larger airports in 10 cities including san francisco and los angeles. breeze is a start up from the founder of jetblue. >> our model is to fly between places where people don't fly. we will try t

michael finney kicks off the week by revealing dancers attend questions -- answers to 10 questions thatsier. >> we be able to very basic, here is what you need to know to get started. reporter: filling out for a 1040 form can be scary and puzzling, we turn to kelly and lindsay from the united way -- bay areas free tax help program. what is a w-2 form? >> it is not a form you fill out, use it to take the information and prepare your taxes. >> your employer has h h money you paid and you fill it out to fill your taxes. that's why every taxpayer needs to file their taxes. question number two, how do i know if i should file as a dependent or independent? >> a dependent to someone that can be claimed by someone else. has someone else providing more than 50% of their support, make lesson 4300. reporter: parents are -- lesssss than 4300. >> parents are the ones most likely to be claiming the parent -- dependents making them eligible for the child tax care credit. graduate students can claim the lifelong learning credit for up to $2000. tax question number three, do full-time students thought a

dan: michael finney is here with a look at today's consumer headlines. >> the first one is extremelycall we've been telling you about is being expanded after it was linked to a death of an infant. it joins the list of baby formula being recalled by abbott nutrition. it's the new part of a larger recall announced earlier this month after products from the company's facility in michigan with linked to illness and babies. at least four infants have been hospitalized and one died from possible infection with the bacteria that may have been in the army love. prices for new and used cars continue to soar. the consumer financial protection bureau is working to prevent illegal auto possessions. the cfpb issued a compliance bulletin warning auto lenders against bad repose, emphasizing all repose must be by the book. the bulletin lists cases where rhe possession was illegally made, sometimes as a result of sloppy record-keeping. sometimes because they wanted to steal a car. huber is debuting a new feature that allows users to browse and book experiences like dining or live events. uber explore

michael finney is here within urgent warning for tenants who are in trouble. >> we start with what soundse some good news but there is a catch. state legislatures are expected to pass an extension of the eviction moratorium because that expires on friday pick those protections will not do you any good if you don't meet an urgent deadline before them pin -- before then. her husband has been working on getting his ability to get his speech back. >> there are good, honey. -- very good, honey. i'm so excited. >> it has been a rough year so far for the county emergency worker. he spent two months at the hospital with pneumonia and then developed covid. he had to go on a ventilator and during that time suffered a stroke. he almost died pin behind on their rent, the family applied for california rental assistance in september. each time they called, they had been told no caseworker has been assigned their case. >> this was their answers since september 2021, october, november. >> that answer has not changed since. they are one of the estimated 366,000 people who applied for rental assistance and

larry: michael finney here with a look at today's headlines. eneral's office has issued a consumer warning for t-mobile cu stomers. last august, t-mobile reported a data breach that exposed customers' data including names, birthdates, drivers, and social security license numbers. at least 6 millions californians are affected. some data is for sale in the dark lab -- web. the company that has made epipen has agreed to a 600 -- $264 million settlement in a price gouging lawsuit, alleging it conspired with pfizer to delay a generic version so it could maintain a monopoly. epipen is an auto injectable device that delivers a life-saving medication to people experiencing severe allergic reactions. pardon me. to reserve chair jerome powell says he is inclined to support .25% interest rate hike this month but says he is keeping an eye on economic impact created by the war in ukraine. he says short-term interest rate is currently at .25%. raising rates leads to higher borrowing costs for credit cards, car loans, mortgages, everything. kristen: they had p

traffic, noise, and other environmental concerns great >> number four, need help with your taxes, michael finneyn from seat -- 3:00 to 7:00, you can submit questions using the #ask any -- >> gray skies from the hills. we have showers in the south bay, and brighter skies this afternoon. it turns windy. a wind advisory is in effect. and around the bayshore. >> number six, bringing you some live pictures from on-site grade you can see the slick conditions, we have a number of spinouts and a couple of patron peers live look. >> airbnb buffer docks. since spot is the latest wind -- way to make money. in the not using. on host says it is a good way for dog owners who don't do much adopt parts can run out of guard at the prices range from four dollars an hour to when dollars an hour. >> member earlier, we are trying to workshop an alternative name for that? we did really think that would be right. leave it up to her viewers. antonio, not liking 60 seconds later, you're right. airbnb p and p. >> no. no. >> what what if it >>> good morning, america, for our viewers in the west. breaking overnight, a dang

♪ ♪ larry: michael finney here is a look with today's headlines -- a look at today's headlines. >> wethe recall from audi, recalling some sedans after reports that the vehicles could stall without warning while in motion. sedans included from 2013 through 2017, as well as four liter twin turbo charged engines. the issue stems from a flawed oil strainer. audi will replace the strainer and change the oil and checked the turbocharger's performance -- all of that of course refer. the federal trade commission is suing the maker of turbotax over what the fcc was calling -- the ftc was calling bait and switch ads. they say turbotax, owned by intuit, misleads customer with its ads for free tech services. the government's has two thirds of the customers -- the government says two thirds of the customers who were not eligible for the free version in 2020. they say they will fight the lawsuit. verizon is working with law enforcement to stop customers from receiving spam that appears to come from their own telephone number. the spoofed number does not necessarily mean the corresponding account ha