Has anyone used TurboTax for calculating QBI? I tried using it last year and it seemed to miss some deductions. Wondering if H&R Block or TaxAct handle it better for self-employed people?

One thing to keep in mind with your woodworking business - make sure you're tracking ALL your eligible expenses. Beyond the obvious materials and tools, you can also deduct things like: - Portion of your home utilities if you're using garage space exclusively for business - Vehicle expenses for trips to buy materials or deliver furniture - Business insurance premiums - Professional development (woodworking classes, trade shows) - Marketing costs (website, business cards, photography of your work) The more legitimate business expenses you can document, the higher your net profit calculation will be for the QBI deduction. Just make sure you're keeping detailed records and receipts for everything. The IRS loves to see good documentation, especially for home-based businesses. Also, since you're making decent money from this side hustle, you might want to consider making quarterly estimated tax payments to avoid underpayment penalties. The QBI deduction helps, but you'll still owe self-employment tax on that $13,600 profit.

Does anyone know if capital loss carryovers from previous years are also split between short-term and long-term for tax calculation purposes? I've got about $12k in carryover losses from last year's crypto crash.

The confusion about where the different tax rates get applied is totally understandable! I went through the same thing when I first started dealing with capital gains. What really helped me was understanding that Form 1040 is essentially just the "summary" document - it shows your total income from all sources, including the combined capital gains from Schedule D. But the actual tax calculation happens in the background using those worksheets that others mentioned. Think of it this way: Schedule D does all the heavy lifting of separating your short-term vs long-term gains and calculating the net amounts. Then, when it comes time to actually compute your tax liability, the IRS tax calculation process (whether done by software or manually using the worksheets) knows to apply ordinary income rates to any short-term gains and the preferential rates (0%, 15%, or 20% depending on your income level) to long-term gains. If you're doing your taxes manually, you'd use the "Qualified Dividends and Capital Gain Tax Worksheet" in the Form 1040 instructions if you have net long-term capital gains. But if you're using tax software, it handles all of this automatically behind the scenes - you just need to make sure you're entering your transactions with the correct dates so it can properly classify them as short-term or long-term.

Just wanted to add my recent experience to help others - I completed my verification last week after receiving the same type of letter. The process was actually smoother than I expected once I had all the right documents. What I brought: driver's license, Social Security card, the IRS letter, my 2023 tax return, and two recent utility bills. The agent was very thorough but professional, and the whole appointment took about 45 minutes. They verified everything on the spot and told me my refund would process within 9 business days. One thing that surprised me was they also asked to see my bank statement to confirm the direct deposit account matched what was on my tax return. It wasn't mentioned in the letter, but apparently it's part of their standard verification now. So if you have direct deposit set up, bring a recent bank statement showing that account. The key is definitely scheduling your appointment ASAP - I called on a Tuesday and the earliest available slot was 8 days out. With your April 15th timeline, you'll want to get that appointment booked immediately. Good luck with your verification!

I went through IRS identity verification about 6 weeks ago and can share what worked for me. The essential documents are: government-issued photo ID (driver's license worked fine), proof of SSN (I used my Social Security card but W-2 is also accepted), and the verification letter they sent you. Since you mentioned you're a gig worker, definitely bring all your 1099 forms - they may want to cross-reference your reported income. I also brought a recent bank statement showing my direct deposit account, which they did ask to see. One tip that saved me time: I called the Taxpayer Assistance Center at 844-545-5640 a few days before my appointment to confirm what specific documents they wanted for my case. Each TAC location can have slightly different procedures, and the agent was able to tell me exactly what to bring based on my verification letter code. The appointment itself took about 40 minutes, and my refund was processed exactly 7 business days later. Don't panic about the April 15th deadline - as long as you get your verification appointment scheduled soon, they'll honor your original filing date. The key is calling to book that appointment ASAP since slots fill up quickly this time of year.

Here's a step-by-step of what to expect with IRS identity verification: 1. Determine your verification method - online through ID.me or by phone/in-person 2. For online verification: Create an ID.me account if you don't have one 3. Have ready: government ID, smartphone for photos, and social security number 4. Complete facial recognition step (usually a selfie or short video) 5. Answer knowledge-based questions about your financial history 6. Once verified, your return processing will resume 7. Check your tax transcript about 7-10 days after verification 8. Expect your refund approximately 2-3 weeks after successful verification The IRS is currently processing these verification cases within about 21 days after verification is complete, though it can sometimes be faster. The key is to respond promptly to avoid further delays.

I went through identity verification just two months ago and wanted to share what worked for me. The key thing is to be prepared before you start - don't try to wing it. I gathered all my documents first: driver's license, SSN card, last year's tax return, and had my phone ready for the selfie portion. The ID.me process took about 25 minutes total. The knowledge-based questions were pretty specific - they asked about my mortgage payment amount, a car loan I had 3 years ago, and previous addresses. Having my credit report handy helped me answer accurately. One tip: if you wear glasses normally, wear them for the selfie verification. The system flagged me initially because my driver's license photo shows me with glasses but I took the selfie without them. Had to redo that part. My timeline was: verified on January 15th, transcript updated January 23rd, refund deposited January 28th. So about 13 days total, which was faster than I expected based on what I'd read online.

Ok this might sound dumb but I had a similar issue and realized I was looking at an outdated form. Double check you have the 2024 version of Form 8959? They made some changes to the Additional Medicare Tax calculation in recent years. Also check if ur tax software is up to date. TurboTax automatically updated for me mid-filing season last year cuz there was some correction to one of the forms.

I've been dealing with Form 8959 for several years now and you're not going crazy - there have definitely been some confusing aspects to the Additional Medicare Tax calculations. The most common issue I see is with Line 22 when people have income right around the threshold amounts. One thing that might help: make sure you're using the most current version of both the form and instructions. The IRS has made several revisions over the years, and sometimes the earlier versions had calculation errors or unclear guidance. For your situation with $275k income as a single filer, you should be calculating Additional Medicare Tax on the amount over $200k. If the worksheet is giving you a different result than what seems logical, try working backwards from the tax code itself - Section 1411 of the IRC is pretty clear about the 0.9% rate on income exceeding the threshold. Document your calculation method thoroughly regardless of which approach you take. If there really is an error in the form instructions, having clear documentation of your reasoning will protect you later.