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Something others haven't mentioned yet - have you looked into whether restructuring as an S-Corp might help your QBI situation? As a sole prop with high income and no employees, you're getting hit with the worst possible QBI limitation scenario. If you were an S-Corp, you could pay yourself a reasonable salary (W-2 wages), which would then count toward the 50% of W-2 wages test for the QBI limitation. It's a bit more administrative overhead but could significantly increase your QBI deduction at your income level. For example, if you took $200k as reasonable compensation and the rest as distribution, you'd have W-2 wages to use in the limitation calculation. Just food for thought!
Jayden Hill
ā¢That's really interesting. I've considered S-Corp before for self-employment tax savings but never connected it to QBI benefits. Do you know if there are any downsides to this approach specifically for engineering practices? And does the "reasonable compensation" requirement create any special challenges for professional service businesses?
For engineering practices specifically, the main consideration is making sure your salary truly meets the "reasonable compensation" standard. The IRS scrutinizes professional service businesses more closely on this point. For someone with your income level, you'd want to research comparable salaries for structural engineers in your area with your experience. You probably need to justify a salary of at least $150-200k to avoid red flags. The downside is you'd pay a bit more in Medicare taxes on the salary portion since you can't avoid the additional 0.9% Medicare on high incomes through S-Corp structuring. Another consideration is that some states (like California) impose additional taxes or fees on S-Corps that might eat into your savings. You'll also have more administrative requirements - separate payroll, more complex bookkeeping, etc. But overall, for most engineers at your income level, the combined SE tax savings and QBI optimization through S-Corp structuring usually outweigh these downsides significantly.
Has anyone here successfully used the QBI aggregation rules to maximize their deduction? I'm an architect with multiple business activities (design services, project management, and a small product design business) currently operating as separate Schedule Cs. Wondering if combining them under the aggregation election might help with the W-2 limitation issue since one of my businesses has employees while the others don't.
I'd definitely recommend finding a CPA who specializes in QBI and professional service businesses. The aggregation rules are pretty complex and there are specific requirements that need to be met each year to maintain the election. In my case, I worked with a tax professional who had experience with architectural firms specifically. They helped me document that my businesses met the "trade or business" test and the operational integration requirements. There are also some nuances around how you calculate the aggregated QBI when you have different business structures (like mixing S-Corp and sole prop activities). The extra cost for specialized help was definitely worth it - I probably saved $15-20k in additional QBI deductions the first year alone. Plus they set up systems to make sure I stay compliant with the ongoing requirements.
Arjun Kurti
ā¢I'd definitely recommend finding a CPA who specializes in QBI for professional services. The aggregation rules are tricky and there are a lot of ways to mess them up if you're not familiar with the requirements. When I was looking for help with similar issues for my engineering consultancy, I actually found that some of the newer AI-powered tax tools (like the taxr.ai mentioned earlier) were better at explaining the aggregation requirements than my regular CPA was. But for actually implementing the election and making sure it's done correctly on your return, you probably want someone who has experience with Sec. 199A aggregation specifically. The key things to watch out for are the "substantially the same" business test and making sure your ownership percentages work correctly across all the entities. If you get it wrong, you could lose the election entirely.
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Mei Zhang
I filed mine last April and got it in July. Make sure you filled out everything correctly cause one mistake and they'll send it back
how do you know if they sent it back?
Millie Long
I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Filed my injured spouse form in December and it's been crickets ever since. The anxiety is real when you're counting on that money. From what I've researched, the processing times can vary wildly depending on how backed up they are. I've been checking my transcript weekly (much more reliable than WMR like others mentioned) and at least I can see they received everything. Hang in there - we're all in this waiting game together! š¤
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Natalie Chen
Have you tried checking your transcript instead? Sometimes it shows more info than WMR
Ava Harris
ā¢how do i even get my transcript?
Natalie Chen
ā¢you can request it online at irs.gov but heads up you need to verify your identity first
Ugh this is so annoying! I had the exact same problem last week. What worked for me was using a VPN to change my IP address - apparently the IRS system blocks entire IP ranges sometimes, not just individual attempts. Also try using incognito/private browsing mode. The whole system is honestly a mess but these workarounds might help you get through!
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GalaxyGazer
Has anyone actually calculated how much the penalties would be for this? I'm in a similar situation with about $4500 in excess contributions from 2021, and I'm wondering if it might just be cheaper to leave it in there and pay the penalty rather than go through all this hassle. Would it be 6% of $4500, so like $270 per year?
Dmitry Popov
ā¢That's a dangerous approach to take. Yes, the excess contribution penalty is 6% per year, but it continues EVERY year until you fix the problem. So it's not just a one-time $270 penalty - you'd pay that $270 every single year indefinitely until you correct the excess contribution. Plus, having known excess contributions in your account could potentially cause issues if you ever get audited. The IRS might view it as an intentional violation once you're aware of the problem. Better to fix it now and just pay the penalty for the years it was already in there.
GalaxyGazer
ā¢That makes sense, I didn't realize the penalty continues every year! Definitely not worth saving a little hassle now to keep paying penalties forever. Thanks for explaining that - I'll call Vanguard tomorrow to start the process of removing my excess contribution too.
One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that you should also check if this affects your ability to make future Roth IRA contributions. Since you exceeded the income limits in 2021, make sure you're aware of what the current income limits are for 2024 and 2025 so you don't accidentally repeat this mistake. The income limits change every year, and if your income has grown since 2021, you might still be over the limit. For 2024, the phase-out range for Roth IRA contributions is $138,000-$153,000 for single filers and $218,000-$228,000 for married filing jointly. Also, once you get this sorted out with Vanguard, consider setting up a backdoor Roth strategy for future years if you're consistently over the income limits. You can contribute to a non-deductible Traditional IRA and then convert it to Roth - it's perfectly legal and achieves the same result as direct Roth contributions.
Sofia Rodriguez
I've been through this exact same scenario and can confirm what everyone else is saying - the verification requirement is definitely still active even though the message disappeared from your account. This happened to me in February, and I made the mistake of waiting a week thinking the system would fix itself. Finally decided to just proceed with verification using my control number at idverify.irs.gov, and it went smoothly. My transcript showed the verification codes updated within 5 days, and I got my refund about 2 weeks later. The IRS really needs to fix this messaging issue because it's causing unnecessary stress for so many taxpayers. Since you already have the physical letter with the control number, I'd definitely recommend verifying today rather than waiting any longer. The system glitch seems to be purely on the display side - the actual processing requirements are still there in the background.
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Connor Murphy
ā¢This is exactly the reassurance I needed to hear! As someone who's still figuring out the US tax system, this whole situation had me second-guessing everything. It's incredible how what seemed like a major problem this morning now feels totally manageable thanks to everyone's shared experiences here. I really appreciate you mentioning the timeline too - knowing that your transcript updated within 5 days and refund came about 2 weeks later gives me realistic expectations. I'm heading to idverify.irs.gov right now with my control number. It's amazing how this community has transformed my confusion into confidence!
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Ally Tailer
I completely understand your confusion - this verification message disappearing issue has been plaguing taxpayers all season! Based on all the experiences shared here, I want to emphasize that you should definitely proceed with verification using your control number. The physical letter is your golden ticket, regardless of what's showing (or not showing) in your online account. As someone who's helped friends navigate similar issues, I've seen this exact scenario play out multiple times. The verification requirement remains active in the IRS backend systems even when the frontend message disappears - it's essentially a display glitch that doesn't affect the actual processing requirements. You have two solid options: either use the direct verification portal at idverify.irs.gov with your control number, or call the verification hotline at 800-830-5084 to complete it over the phone. Both methods bypass the problematic account dashboard entirely. Don't wait for the message to reappear because it likely won't, and every day you delay is another day your refund sits in limbo. Since you mentioned being new to the US tax system, just know that this kind of technical hiccup is unfortunately common with IRS systems, but the community here has shown that it's totally resolvable. Trust the physical letter over the online interface, complete your verification, and you should see your refund processing within 2-3 weeks!
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