I've been through this exact situation with my daughter's accessible van purchase two years ago. Here's what I learned: You can deduct the modifications AND the price difference between a standard vehicle and the specialized one, but you need solid documentation. The key is getting a letter from your son's doctor stating that the van modifications are medically necessary for his condition. Be specific - if he needs a lowered floor, wheelchair ramp, or higher roof clearance, make sure the doctor mentions these exact features in the letter. Also, keep detailed receipts separating the base van cost from the modification costs. The dealership should be able to provide this breakdown. One thing that surprised me was that we could also deduct some of the higher insurance costs for the specialized vehicle. Don't forget that you'll need to itemize deductions to claim this, and it only helps if your total medical expenses exceed 7.5% of your AGI. Given that you're withdrawing from your 401k, that withdrawal will increase your AGI, which might affect how much of the medical expenses you can actually deduct. You might want to consider timing the withdrawal and purchase strategically across tax years if possible. The whole process was worth it though - we saved about $4,000 in taxes and my daughter finally has the independence she deserves.

I went through this exact same situation last year with my son's wheelchair van, and I wanted to share some additional insights that might help. Beyond what others have mentioned about deducting modifications and price differences, there are a few other things to consider: 1. **State tax benefits**: Some states offer additional tax credits or deductions for disability-related vehicle purchases that are separate from federal deductions. Check your state's revenue department website. 2. **Sales tax deduction**: If you itemize, you can often deduct the sales tax paid on the vehicle purchase as part of your state and local tax deduction (up to the $10k limit). 3. **Financing considerations**: If you're considering financing instead of the 401k withdrawal, the interest on a loan specifically for medical equipment can sometimes be deductible as medical expenses too. 4. **Documentation tip**: Take photos of your son using the van's accessibility features once you get it. While not required for taxes, visual documentation can be helpful if you ever face questions about medical necessity. The 401k withdrawal strategy is crucial - that withdrawal will be added to your income, potentially pushing you into a higher tax bracket and affecting how much of your medical expenses exceed the 7.5% AGI threshold. Consider consulting with a tax professional about the timing, especially since you have control over when you make the withdrawal. Good luck with the purchase - having that mobility and independence for your son is priceless!

I'm having the exact same problem right now! Been trying to access the IRS website for the past two hours to download some tax forms and keep getting that frustrating "services unavailable" message. The timing is really stressful since I have some amended returns I need to file soon. What's particularly annoying is how vague their error message is - it doesn't tell you if it's planned maintenance, a system crash, or if certain parts of the site might still be working. I tried accessing different sections like the payment portal and forms downloads, but everything seems to be down. I really appreciate everyone sharing the phone numbers and alternative resources. I had no idea about the automated transcript request line or that libraries might have tax resources available. It's good to know there are backup options when their website fails us during such a critical time of year. Has anyone tried accessing the site from different browsers or devices to see if it makes a difference? Sometimes these issues can be browser-specific, though it sounds like this is a widespread outage affecting everyone.

I'm experiencing the same frustrating issue! Just tried to access my online account to check on a payment plan I set up last month and got that same unhelpful "services unavailable" message. It's really nerve-wracking when you can't access important account information, especially during tax season. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful though. I had no idea there were automated phone lines that might still work during website outages - definitely going to try the 1-800-829-1954 number for account information. One thing I've learned from past outages with other government sites is that sometimes clearing your browser cache and cookies can help, but it sounds like this is definitely a server-side issue affecting everyone. I also noticed that the IRS website tends to be more stable early in the morning (around 6-7 AM Eastern) if anyone needs to try accessing it during off-peak hours. Thanks to everyone sharing workarounds and phone numbers - it's reassuring to know we have options when the primary system fails us. Hopefully they get this resolved quickly!

Just a heads up that your state might have different rules about deductions for children and families. I live in California and learned that some states have additional credits or deductions for new parents that aren't available federally. Might be worth checking your state's tax department website to see if there's anything specific you should be documenting.

Speaking as someone who just went through this first last year - one thing nobody mentioned is that if you had a FSA (Flexible Spending Account) or HSA (Health Savings Account) through your work for healthcare, you DEFINITELY want to keep all those medical receipts for the birth and prenatal care! You can use those accounts to pay for qualified medical expenses tax-free. The midwife, ultrasounds, and birth costs would all qualify for FSA/HSA reimbursement. The baby shower and registry items wouldn't, though.

As a newcomer to this community, I'm amazed by the depth of knowledge shared here about PTP taxation! This discussion has been incredibly illuminating. I have a specific scenario question that builds on what's been discussed: I'm considering investing in PTPs but I have both traditional and Roth IRAs. Does the UBTI treatment differ between traditional and Roth IRA holdings? I assume both would require Form 990-T filing if UBTI exceeds $1,000, but are there any other considerations for Roth accounts specifically? Also, regarding the estate planning discussion - if someone inherits a Roth IRA with PTP holdings, do they face the same UBTI obligations as with traditional inherited IRAs? It seems like the tax-free nature of Roth distributions might create some interesting complications when UBTI is involved. The documentation and record-keeping advice from everyone here is invaluable. I'm definitely going to start with taxable account holdings first while I learn the ropes, then potentially move into IRA holdings once I better understand the UBTI implications. Thanks to everyone for sharing their hard-earned experience with these complex investments!

As someone who's been navigating PTP investments for several years, I wanted to add a practical tip that might help others in this thread: consider timing your PTP purchases and sales around the partnership's distribution and K-1 timing patterns. Many PTPs have predictable quarterly distribution schedules, and understanding when income gets allocated versus when distributions are made can help with tax planning. For example, if you're planning to sell PTP units, doing so early in the year (before significant income allocation occurs) versus late in the year can materially affect your K-1 allocations. Also, regarding the UBTI discussion for IRA holdings - one strategy I've used is to maintain a "UBTI budget" across all my IRA accounts. Since the $1,000 threshold applies to total UBTI across all investments in the IRA, I track running totals throughout the year and can make adjustment trades if I'm approaching the threshold. For those new to PTPs like Katherine and Fatima, another consideration is that some partnerships provide estimated K-1 information early in the year (before the March 15 deadline) which can help with tax planning and early return preparation. This is especially helpful if you're dealing with multiple PTPs and trying to coordinate the various filing requirements. The complexity is definitely worth understanding upfront, but PTPs can be valuable portfolio diversifiers once you get comfortable with the tax mechanics!

Had a similar issue. My withholding suddenly decreased without me changing anything. I use FreeTaxUSA and they have a really helpful "tax return comparison" feature that shows your current return side-by-side with last year. Made it super obvious that my federal withholding had dropped by almost 35% despite my income staying about the same!

This is exactly what happened to us too! We went from getting around $2,800 back to owing $1,900. I'm a tax preparer and I've been seeing this pattern all filing season - it's almost always related to payroll system updates that reset withholding calculations. The biggest culprit is when employers switched to new payroll providers or updated their systems to handle the redesigned W-4 form. If you didn't submit a new W-4, many systems defaulted to "Single" status with minimal withholding, even if you were previously set up as "Married Filing Jointly." Here's what I recommend: First, pull up your last few paystubs from 2024 and compare the federal tax withholding amounts to similar paystubs from 2023. You'll probably see a clear drop around the time your husband's company made changes. Second, both of you need to submit new W-4 forms immediately using the IRS withholding calculator to avoid this happening again next year. Third, consider making estimated quarterly payments for the rest of 2025 if you can't adjust your withholding enough to cover the shortfall. You're definitely not alone - I'd estimate about 30% of my dual-income clients experienced similar surprises this year due to these payroll system changes.