If you're concerned about the address discrepancy, you might consider bringing a voter registration card if you have one updated with your current address. It's often overlooked, but it's an official government document that verifies your identity and residence. Some people also find that bringing a copy of last year's tax return helps establish continuity of identity, especially if you're using the same bank account for direct deposit.

Just wanted to add that if you're still worried about the address issue, you can also bring your vehicle registration if it has your current address on it - that's another official document they accept. I had my appointment a few months ago and the IRS agent was actually really helpful and understanding about these common situations. They see address discrepancies all the time, especially with retirees who might have moved recently. The key is just showing up prepared with multiple forms of address verification. Good luck on Wednesday - you've got this!

I'm a newcomer to this community but have been dealing with a very similar situation! My partner and I got married last year and had the exact same concerns about the standard deduction "loss" when switching from HOH + Single to MFJ. After reading through all these incredibly detailed responses, I wanted to add one perspective that might help: we ended up using a fee-only financial planner who specializes in tax planning to review our situation. It cost us about $300 for a one-time consultation, but they showed us something we hadn't considered - the impact on our overall financial plan beyond just this year's taxes. They explained that MFJ not only benefited us immediately through better tax brackets and credits (we saved about $1,800 in our first year), but it also opened up better retirement planning strategies. For example, we can now do backdoor Roth conversions more easily, and our combined income actually qualified us for certain employer retirement matching programs that weren't available when we filed separately. The planner also helped us understand how this choice affects our long-term tax planning, especially if we have kids or buy a house in the future. Sometimes the immediate year comparison doesn't show the full picture of how filing status affects your overall financial strategy. For anyone still on the fence, it might be worth consulting with a professional who can look at your complete financial picture, not just the current year tax calculation. The peace of mind was definitely worth the consultation fee for us!

As someone who just joined this community and went through a similar tax situation transition last year, I wanted to share my experience and add to this excellent discussion. My spouse and I faced the exact same concern when we got married - seeing that apparent $7,000 "loss" in combined standard deductions was really alarming at first! But after working through the numbers (and getting some professional help), we discovered that we actually saved about $2,100 overall in our first year filing MFJ. What really helped us understand the full picture was looking at the effective tax rate comparison, not just the deductions. At your $95k combined income level, you're likely paying a lower percentage of your income in taxes under MFJ than you would have with the HOH + Single combination, even with the smaller standard deduction. A few specific benefits we found that weren't immediately obvious: - The Child Tax Credit calculations worked much better for us under MJF - We qualified for higher contribution limits on retirement accounts - Our state tax situation actually improved (though this varies by state) - The simplified filing process saved us time and reduced the chance of errors One practical tip: if you want to see the actual dollar impact, try using tax software that can model both scenarios. We used TurboTax's "What If" feature and it clearly showed us the total tax owed under different filing statuses. The peace of mind was worth the extra cost of the premium version. The marriage penalty is real for some high-income couples, but at your income level with a child, the tax code generally works in your favor with joint filing. You made the right choice!

Just want to echo what others have said - you're in a great position with the LLC! Your income is well below the phaseout limits, and your education expenses definitely qualify. One small thing to double-check: make sure your school reports the tuition payments correctly on your 1098-T form. Sometimes there's a timing difference between when you paid and when the school reports it, especially if you paid in December for spring semester or made payments across multiple tax years. The IRS matches your claimed credit against what's reported on the 1098-T, so you want those numbers to align. Also, keep all your receipts and documentation for the tuition payments, even though you probably won't need to submit them with your return. If you ever get audited, you'll want to have proof of exactly what you paid and when. Sounds like you've got this figured out though - claiming the LLC will definitely get you that full $2,850 refund since it'll zero out your tax liability completely!

I just went through this exact same situation last year as a grad student! Your calculation is spot on - with the LLC reducing your tax liability to $0, you'll get back the full $2,850 that was withheld, which is $750 more than you'd get with just the standard deduction. One tip that saved me some headache: when you're filling out Form 8863 (the education credits form), make sure to use the "qualified tuition and fees" amount from your 1098-T, not the total amount you paid to your school. Sometimes schools include non-qualifying expenses like student activity fees or technology fees in their billing, but those don't count toward the LLC. Also, since you mentioned this is your first time filing on your own, don't stress too much about the process. The LLC is one of the more straightforward education credits to claim, especially since you're well below the income limits. Just make sure you keep copies of your 1098-T and any payment receipts in case the IRS ever wants to verify your expenses. Congrats on getting such a good refund - that extra $750 should help with next semester's expenses!

Another option nobody mentioned is Form 3115 (Change in Accounting Method) if you've been depreciating things incorrectly for years. I had to use this for my rental properties when I realized I had lumped together items with different class lives. It's complicated but lets you correct past mistakes without amending returns.

I went through this exact same situation with my rental property last year when I had to replace a combined HVAC/electrical system that was originally entered as one line item back in 2014. Here's what I learned from my CPA: The key is documentation and reasonable allocation. Since you can't go back and break down the original $8,700 into components, you need to make a reasonable estimate of what portion was actually the HVAC system versus other improvements. Look at current replacement costs - if a similar HVAC system today costs $6,000 and you spent $8,700 total, you might reasonably allocate 70% ($6,090) to the HVAC disposal. In TurboTax, dispose of the portion you're attributing to the HVAC ($6,090 in my example), and the remaining undepreciated value will create a loss that offsets your rental income. Keep the remaining portion ($2,610) on your depreciation schedule for any components still in use. The most important thing is being able to justify your allocation method if questioned. Save your research on current replacement costs and any contractor quotes you got - this shows you made a good faith effort to be reasonable and accurate.

Hey Ethan! I went through this exact same situation a few years ago when I was doing tutoring and pet sitting around my neighborhood. Just to add to what others have said - when you go to deposit the cash, you can literally just tell the bank teller "I earned this money doing odd jobs like yard work and house sitting in my neighborhood." They might ask for a bit more detail, but there's nothing suspicious about a teenager earning money this way. Banks see this all the time. One thing that helped me was creating a simple log of the work I did and when, even if it was just rough estimates. Like "October - helped Mrs. Johnson with yard cleanup, $150" or "November - dog sat for the Smiths, $200." It doesn't have to be perfect, but having some record makes you feel more confident about everything. Also, don't stress too much about the tax part. Yeah, you'll probably owe some money, but it's not going to be a huge amount. The self-employment tax is about 15% of your profits, so even if you had no deductible expenses, you'd be looking at maybe $800 or so. And if you can deduct any equipment or supplies you bought, it'll be less than that. You're being really responsible by thinking about this stuff now instead of just ignoring it!

Hey Ethan! As someone who's helped a lot of teens navigate this exact situation, I wanted to add a few practical tips to what's already been shared here. First, don't worry about the bank deposit - just be straightforward about earning it from neighborhood jobs. Banks are used to this, especially during summer months when lots of young people do yard work and odd jobs. For the tax side, since you've earned over $400 in self-employment income, you'll need to file. But here's the good news - you can likely deduct quite a bit! Gas for any equipment, tools you purchased, even mileage if you drove between jobs. Keep track of everything going forward. One thing I always tell young entrepreneurs like yourself: consider opening a separate savings account just for taxes. A good rule of thumb is to set aside about 20-25% of what you earn for taxes (this covers both income tax and self-employment tax, with a small buffer). So from your $5,300, maybe put $1,200-$1,300 aside. That way you're not stressed when tax time comes. Also, this is actually great preparation for if you want to keep doing this kind of work! You're learning business skills that will serve you well. Consider getting a simple invoice book or app so you can start tracking everything more formally going forward. You're asking all the right questions - way more responsible than I was at 17!