Quick question - I'm using TurboTax and wondering if it can handle Form 3115 for missed depreciation? Their support wasn't clear about it.

I went through this exact same situation with three rental properties I bought between 2020-2022. The stress was overwhelming until I realized how straightforward the fix actually is with Form 3115. A few practical tips that helped me: 1. Calculate your basis correctly - for residential rentals, you can only depreciate the building, not the land. Your purchase contract or property tax assessment should show the land vs building allocation. 2. Remember that depreciation starts when the property is "placed in service" for rental use, not necessarily when you bought it. If you spent time renovating before it was rentable, that affects your start date. 3. The Section 481(a) adjustment on Form 3115 will be substantial (mine was over $35k total), but don't worry - this is exactly what the form is designed for. The IRS expects large catch-up amounts. 4. File Form 3115 with your current year return, not as an amendment to prior years. This is key - it saves you from the hassle and potential issues of multiple amended returns. One last thing - make sure you continue depreciating correctly going forward! The mistake is fixable, but you don't want to repeat it. Good luck!

Does anyone know if this works the same way for multiple attorneys? I had both a main attorney and a specialized employment attorney that my main attorney brought in. The fee split between them was complicated but came to about 40% total.

I went through this exact situation two years ago with an employment discrimination settlement. One thing I wish someone had told me earlier is to also keep detailed records of any costs beyond just the attorney fees - things like filing fees, expert witness costs, or court reporter fees if your case had depositions. These additional litigation costs can also be deductible as part of your case expenses. My attorney's final statement broke down not just their fee but also $3,200 in other case costs that I was able to deduct. Make sure when you request that detailed letter from your attorney that you ask them to itemize ALL costs related to your case, not just their legal fees. Also, if any part of your settlement was specifically for punitive damages, that portion might have different tax treatment, so make sure your settlement agreement clearly states what each portion of the payment covers.

Your situation is completely normal and shouldn't raise any red flags with the IRS! I work in banking and can confirm that regular person-to-person transfers like what you're describing aren't something we report to the IRS. The main things banks report are interest payments over $10, suspicious cash activity, and large transactions over $10,000. What you and your boyfriend have is a classic cost-sharing arrangement between domestic partners. The IRS sees this as splitting household expenses, not as taxable income to you. Think about it - millions of roommates and unmarried couples do exactly what you're doing every day across the country. If you want extra peace of mind, just keep a simple record showing that his monthly transfers correspond to shared housing costs. Even a basic note like "Monthly mortgage: $1500, his share: $750" would be plenty of documentation. But honestly, after 15 years in banking, I can tell you that your arrangement is so standard that it's extremely unlikely anyone would ever question it. The IRS has much bigger fish to fry than people fairly splitting their living expenses!

I went through something very similar when my sister and I bought a duplex together but only put it in my name due to her student loan issues. She pays me $900 monthly for her half of the mortgage and utilities, and I was initially worried about the same thing. After doing research and talking to a tax professional, I learned that these transfers are definitely not considered income since we're both benefiting from the shared living arrangement. The key is that you're not making a profit - you're just splitting legitimate household expenses fairly. One thing that gave me extra confidence was keeping a simple monthly email trail between us that shows the breakdown: "Mortgage $1400 + utilities $200 = $1600 total, so your half is $800." It creates a paper trail showing this is clearly expense-sharing, not income. Your $750 monthly transfers for a shared mortgage are textbook expense-splitting between domestic partners. Don't stress about it - you're handling this exactly how thousands of other couples do!

One thing nobody mentioned - check if your work qualifies as a "permanent establishment" under Article 7 of the US-Belgium tax treaty. If it does, different rules might apply. This bit me when I was contracting with a US company from Sweden.

Dont forget about social security! The US and Belgium have a totalization agreement that prevents double taxation on social security. You'll probably pay into the Belgian system only since you live there permanently, but you need to get a certificate of coverage from Belgian authorities.

Has anybody just given up and hired an accountant who specializes in crypto? I'm looking at my Coinbase Pro CSV with hundreds of transactions and I'm about ready to throw in the towel lol. How much do crypto tax specialists typically charge for this kind of headache?

I totally understand the frustration with Coinbase Pro CSV files - they're definitely not user-friendly for tax purposes! One thing that helped me was creating my own simplified spreadsheet where I broke down each transaction into just the basics: date, type (buy/sell), crypto amount, USD value, and fees. For the columns in the CSV, focus on these key ones: - "created_at" = transaction date - "side" = buy or sell - "size" = amount of crypto - "price" = price per unit - "fee" = trading fee - "product_id" = which crypto pair (like BTC-USD) The most important thing to remember is that every sale or crypto-to-crypto trade is a taxable event. Transfers to your own wallets are not taxable. Also, make sure to include fees in your cost basis calculations - they increase your basis when buying and reduce proceeds when selling. If you have a lot of transactions, honestly the crypto tax software options mentioned here are worth it. But if you want to do it manually, just take it one transaction at a time and don't try to tackle everything at once. Good luck!