does anyone know if you can switch from MFS to HOH mid-year if spouse abandons halfway through the year? my wife left in july and took the kids but they've been back with me since september. not sure if i qualify as HOH or still have to file MFS for 2024?

I went through a very similar situation in 2023 when my husband left us in March. The emotional stress is overwhelming, but you're definitely on the right track with Head of Household status. One additional point that really helped me - keep detailed records of ALL expenses you've paid since she left. Not just the obvious ones like mortgage and utilities, but also things like your son's daycare, medical expenses, school supplies, clothing, etc. The IRS requirement is that you paid "more than half" the cost of maintaining the home, and these child-related expenses count toward that calculation. Also, since you mentioned she completely ghosted you, make sure you claim your son as a dependent too. As the custodial parent who's been providing all support, you have that right even while still legally married. The good news is Head of Household will save you significant money compared to Married Filing Separately - both through better tax brackets and a higher standard deduction. In my case, it was about a $4,000 difference. Hang in there, and definitely keep all that documentation others have mentioned in case you ever need to prove the abandonment timeline.

My all-time favorite tax meme is the one where there's a person nervously looking at two buttons labeled: Button 1: "File taxes early and get refund ASAP" Button 2: "Procrastinate until April 14th because taxes are scary" And they're sweating trying to decide which to press 😂 Then there's a third hidden button labeled "File extension and deal with it in October" which is the one I actually press every year!

The meme that perfectly captures my tax experience is the "Distracted Boyfriend" one where the guy (labeled "Me") is looking back at the girl walking by (labeled "Netflix") while his girlfriend (labeled "Tax Forms") looks annoyed. That's basically been my entire April! Another one that gets me every time is the Drake meme where he's rejecting "Organizing receipts throughout the year" but pointing approvingly at "Frantically searching through a shoebox of random papers on April 10th." Called out hard on that one 😅 But honestly, seeing all the helpful recommendations in this thread (like taxr.ai for document analysis and Claimyr for actually reaching the IRS) makes me realize maybe next year I can upgrade from memes about tax chaos to memes about being surprisingly organized!

Has anyone compared Flyfin to TaxSlayer? I'm in the same boat with a day job and side gig, but I've always used TaxSlayer and wonder if it's worth switching.

I'm in a very similar situation - W-2 from my main job plus around $8,500 from freelance graphic design work last year. I ended up using TurboTax Self-Employed and it worked well, but I'm curious about Flyfin too after reading these responses. One thing I'd recommend regardless of which software you choose is to make sure you have good records of all your photography business expenses. Things like equipment depreciation, travel to shoots, editing software subscriptions, and even a portion of your phone bill if you use it for business can all be deductible. The better organized your records are, the more any of these tax programs can help you. Have you been tracking your business expenses throughout the year, or are you going to have to dig through bank statements? That might influence which platform would work best for you.

Just wanted to add - you mentioned you're 18 and your mom helps with taxes. Since you're legally an adult, you have the right to file your taxes independently if you want privacy. You could tell her you want to learn to do them yourself this year for experience, or that your taxes are getting more complicated with multiple income sources. If you do file independently, make sure you understand whether you can still be claimed as a dependent on her return (usually yes if she provides more than half your support and you're under 24 and a student, or under 19 otherwise). Being a dependent affects some of your tax benefits but doesn't change your obligation to report all income. Also, when you report self-employment income on Schedule C, you can be very generic with the business description. "Online digital content sales" or "freelance digital media" are perfectly acceptable and don't reveal specifics about what you're selling. The IRS cares about the money, not the details of your business model.

I just want to say thank you to everyone who's been sharing advice here! As someone who's been doing digital art commissions for a while, I can confirm that most of what's been said is spot on. One thing I'd add is about keeping records - even if you're just starting out casually, get in the habit of taking screenshots of all your transactions and keeping receipts for any business expenses. I learned this the hard way when I couldn't remember all my small expenses from my first year. For the privacy aspect, I've found that having a simple answer ready helps if anyone asks about extra income. Something like "I do some freelance digital work online" is honest but vague enough that most people won't pry further. Also, don't stress too much about the tax stuff! The IRS genuinely just wants accurate reporting - they're not going to judge what you're selling. I was super nervous my first year too, but once you get through filing once, it becomes much more routine. The hardest part is honestly just getting organized and keeping good records throughout the year.

Has anyone actually successfully contributed to two mega backdoor 401ks in the same year? My tax preparer said it would trigger an automatic audit, but I can't find any info confirming this.

This is such a valuable discussion! I've been navigating this exact scenario myself. One thing I want to emphasize is the importance of keeping detailed records when you're contributing to multiple unrelated employer plans. The IRS may not automatically flag high retirement contributions, but if you ever get audited, you'll need to prove that your employers are truly unrelated (not part of a controlled group or affiliated service group). I keep documentation showing the separate ownership structures, different EINs, and completely independent operations. Also, don't forget about the timing - make sure you're not exceeding the annual limits within the same calendar year. I use a spreadsheet to track contributions across both plans monthly to avoid any accidental over-contributions that would need to be corrected. Has anyone dealt with the situation where one employer gets acquired mid-year? I'm wondering if that would affect the separate 415(c) limits for the remainder of the year.