Hey Isabella! Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! I went through this exact same situation two years ago and completely understand the anxiety around getting the tax stuff right. One thing that really helped me was using the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator (it's free on IRS.gov) about a month after we got married. You input both of your incomes, current withholdings, and marital status, and it calculates exactly how much you should be withholding for the rest of the year. It even generates the specific numbers to put on your W-4 forms. At your combined income level, you're definitely in marriage bonus territory rather than penalty territory. My husband and I had very similar incomes to you and your fiancée, and we ended up saving about $2,200 compared to filing single the year before. One practical tip: when you update your W-4s after the wedding, consider having the higher earner (your fiancée at $83k) claim "Married filing jointly" and you claim "Married but withhold at higher single rate" - this often provides better withholding accuracy for dual-income couples and helps avoid any surprises at tax time. The most important thing is not to stress too much about getting it perfect immediately. Even if your withholding is slightly off, you can always make a small estimated payment in January if needed. You've got plenty of time to adjust once you see how everything plays out in your paychecks after the wedding!

Hey Isabella! Congratulations on your upcoming August wedding! 🎉 As a tax professional, I can confirm that everyone here has given you solid advice. You're absolutely right that being married on December 31st means you're considered married for the entire tax year - so your August 15th wedding date means you'll file as married for all of 2025. The great news is that with your combined income of $161k, you're nowhere near the marriage penalty threshold (which typically kicks in around $600k+). You'll almost certainly see a marriage bonus by filing jointly! Here's my step-by-step recommendation: 1. Enjoy your wedding first - don't stress about this beforehand! 2. Within 30 days after the wedding, both update your W-4s with HR 3. Use the IRS Withholding Calculator online to get exact numbers 4. Consider having the higher earner (your fiancée) file as "Married filing jointly" and you file as "Married but withhold at higher single rate" for more accurate withholding One often-overlooked tip: if either of you gets a bonus or commission later in the year, make sure your payroll department withholds at the married rate for those payments too, not the single rate. You're being very smart to plan ahead, but remember - even if your withholding isn't perfect, you can always make a small estimated payment in January. The IRS safe harbor rules protect you from penalties as long as you pay at least 100% of last year's total tax liability. Don't let tax anxiety overshadow your wedding joy - you've got this! 💕

I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! My elderly father has been trying to file his 2023 return for weeks and keeps getting rejected for the IP PIN despite using the correct one from the portal. What's really frustrating is that he's been assigned an IP PIN for the past 3 years due to a previous identity theft incident, and this is the first time we've encountered this problem. From reading through all these responses, it sounds like there's definitely a systematic issue with the IRS database synchronization. @Daniel Rogers - did the Identity Theft hotline agent give you any timeline for when this might be resolved system-wide? And @Anna Stewart - that Form 14039 approach sounds promising but 3 weeks seems like a long time when we're already getting close to the filing deadline. Has anyone tried the "regenerate PIN" option that @Eleanor Foster mentioned? I'm wondering if that might be a quicker fix than waiting on hold for hours or mailing forms.

This IP PIN synchronization issue is unfortunately becoming more widespread this tax season. I've been helping several community members navigate this exact problem, and what's concerning is that it seems to disproportionately affect taxpayers who were assigned IP PINs due to previous identity theft incidents rather than voluntary enrollees. Based on the experiences shared here, I'd recommend trying solutions in this order of efficiency: 1. **Regenerate PIN method** (as @NebulaNinja and @Eleanor Foster confirmed works) - quickest solution at 24-48 hours 2. **Identity Theft hotline** at 800-908-4490 for immediate system override - expect long hold times but faster than paper processing 3. **Form 14039 with cover letter** explaining the PIN rejection issue - most thorough but takes 2-3 weeks For your sister and cousin, I'd definitely start with regenerating their PINs through the portal. The fact that this is affecting multiple family members suggests it might be related to how their accounts were initially flagged in the system. One additional tip: if they regenerate PINs, make sure they clear their browser cache and log out completely before logging back in to retrieve the new PIN. Sometimes the portal shows cached information rather than the updated PIN. Keep us posted on what works - this information helps the entire community!

This is exactly the situation I was in a few years ago! One thing that really helped me was understanding the "safe harbor" rule - if you pay at least 100% of last year's tax liability (or 110% if your prior year AGI was over $150,000) through withholding and estimated payments, you won't face underpayment penalties even if you end up owing more when you file. So if your total tax last year was $8,000, as long as you pay at least $8,000 this year through your regular W2 withholding plus estimated payments for the property sale, you're protected from penalties. This takes a lot of the guesswork and stress out of estimating the exact amount. I'd also recommend keeping detailed records of your property's basis (what your grandparents paid plus any improvements) since you'll need that to calculate your actual gain. Don't forget about selling expenses like realtor commissions, legal fees, and closing costs - these can be deducted from your gain and reduce your tax bill.

Don't forget to check if you're eligible for any installment payment plans if the tax bill ends up being larger than expected! Even if you make estimated payments, you might find yourself with a balance due when you file. The IRS offers several payment plan options that can help you avoid collection actions while you pay off the remaining balance. You can apply for an installment agreement online through the IRS website if you owe less than $50,000 in combined tax, penalties, and interest. For larger amounts, you'll need to submit Form 9465. There are fees associated with these plans, but they're usually much less costly than the penalties and interest you'd face for not paying at all. Also, consider setting aside a bit extra beyond your estimated tax calculation - maybe 5-10% more than what you think you'll owe. This gives you a buffer in case your calculations are slightly off or there are unexpected complications with the sale. It's always better to get a small refund than to owe additional money plus penalties!

I'm confused about how to determine "providing more than half of support" for my college kid. She has a scholarship covering tuition, works part time for spending money (made about $8200 last year), but I pay for her apartment, car insurance, health insurance, and send money for groceries. How do I figure out if I hit the "more than half" threshold to claim the Credit for Other Dependents?

Just wanted to share my experience as someone who went through this exact situation last year! My daughter turned 18 in October and was a college freshman. Like you, we paid for everything - tuition, dorm, meal plan, books, etc. She made about $4,200 from a summer job. Here's what I learned: Yes, you can absolutely still claim her as a dependent! Since she's a full-time student under 24 and you provide more than half her support, she qualifies under the "qualifying child" rules. The key thing is that dorm time counts as living with you for the residency test. You're right about the Credit for Other Dependents - that's exactly what replaces the Child Tax Credit once they turn 18. It's worth $500 instead of the $2,000 you used to get, but don't stop there! Since you paid her college expenses, you should also look into the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which can be worth up to $2,500 per student for the first four years of college. That's actually MORE valuable than what you were getting with the Child Tax Credit. Make sure you get her 1098-T form from the college and keep receipts for books and required supplies. You can claim both credits for the same child - they serve different purposes and don't conflict with each other.

9 Has anyone used the 1099 correction feature in QuickBooks? I made the same mistake but I'm not sure if I should use their automated correction process or do it manually through the IRS website.

Just went through this exact scenario last month with my consulting business. Here's what worked for me: 1. File a corrected 1099-NEC with "CORRECTED" box checked and $0 in Box 1 2. Submit your 1099-MISC with the full $4,300 (don't check "CORRECTED" unless you previously filed an incorrect MISC) 3. Send both corrected forms to your vendor with a clear explanation The key is making sure the corrected 1099-NEC has the exact same vendor info as the original so the IRS can properly match and void it. I also recommend keeping detailed records of what you submitted and when, just in case there are questions later. One tip that saved me stress: I submitted everything a few days before the deadline, then used one of those callback services to confirm with the IRS that both forms were properly processed. Much better than discovering issues after tax season ends!