If I take home office deduction does anyone know if it increases audit risk? I've heard mixed things and not sure if it's worth the hassle if IRS is going to flag me.

The key thing to remember is that you have two options for claiming the home office deduction: the simplified method (up to $1,500 for 300 sq ft at $5/sq ft) or the actual expense method using Form 8829. If you choose the actual expense method with Form 8829, then yes - you cannot also deduct those same home expenses in Part 2 of Schedule C. However, there are some expenses that can still go in Part 2 even with a home office. For example, if you have a separate business phone line, office supplies, or business equipment that's not part of the home structure itself, those would still be deductible in Part 2. The rule is really about not double-counting the same expense. Given that your home office is 15% of your house, I'd strongly recommend calculating both methods to see which gives you a bigger deduction. The simplified method would give you up to $1,500 (if your office is 300+ sq ft), while the actual expense method might be much higher depending on your mortgage interest, property taxes, utilities, and other qualifying expenses.

Has anyone dealt with the Transition Tax (Section 965) that hit a lot of us expat business owners a few years ago? I'm wondering if that's still something to worry about with foreign dividends or if that was a one-time hit?

One important consideration that hasn't been fully addressed is the timing of when you actually distribute the dividends. Since you're dealing with both Thai and US tax obligations, the timing can significantly impact your overall tax burden. In Thailand, dividend distributions are typically subject to withholding tax, but as the company owner, you might have some flexibility in when those distributions occur. From a US perspective, you'll owe tax on the dividends in the year you receive them, not when the company earns the profits. This creates a potential planning opportunity - you might want to time your dividend distributions to optimize your US tax situation, especially if you're dealing with varying income levels year to year. For example, if you have a lower income year in the US, taking dividends then might result in a lower overall tax rate. Also, don't forget about estimated tax payments to the IRS. Since dividends don't have withholding like salary does, you'll likely need to make quarterly estimated payments to avoid underpayment penalties. The IRS expects you to pay tax on foreign income throughout the year, not just when you file your return.

Filed my Kansas return electronically on February 3rd and still waiting - hoping to see it hit my account in the next day or two based on what everyone's sharing here! It's reassuring to see most people are getting theirs within that 7-10 business day window. Thanks for all the data points, really helps set expectations instead of just wondering.

Filed electronically on February 5th and just received my Kansas refund this morning! Took exactly 7 business days which aligns perfectly with what everyone else is reporting. For anyone still waiting, I noticed my bank account updated around 6 AM but the KDOR website status didn't change until later in the afternoon, so definitely check your bank first. Really appreciate all the timeline info everyone shared here - made the waiting much more bearable knowing what to expect!

I can relate to your situation! I had something similar happen when our company switched payroll systems mid-year and suddenly all these benefit codes started appearing on my W-2 that I'd never seen before. One thing that helped me was logging into our company's benefits enrollment system (if you have one) and looking at my current elections. Even though I had declined medical coverage, I discovered I was enrolled in several other things: basic life insurance that was automatic, dental coverage I'd forgotten about from open enrollment, and something called "voluntary accident insurance" that I apparently signed up for during orientation three years ago and completely forgot about. The other thing to consider is that some companies include benefits that are fully employer-paid in the Box 12 DD calculation. So even if you're not paying premiums, if your employer provides basic life insurance or disability coverage as a standard benefit, that value still gets reported. Given the embezzlement situation with your former accountant, your skepticism is totally understandable. But this particular issue is likely just improved compliance reporting rather than anything fraudulent. Still, definitely get that breakdown from HR - it's your right to know exactly what benefits are being reported under your name.

I'm dealing with something very similar right now! My W-2 also shows a Box 12 DD amount that seemed way too high compared to what I thought my benefits cost. After reading through all these responses, I realized I should probably check what "automatic" benefits I might have that I'm not thinking about. One thing that helped me was calling our benefits helpline directly (the number was on my benefits card) instead of going through HR first. They were able to pull up my account and walk me through every single benefit I'm enrolled in, including ones I didn't even know existed. Turns out I had basic life insurance, accidental death coverage, and even some kind of legal services benefit that all contribute to that Box 12 DD total. The customer service rep also explained that the amount includes both my portion AND what the employer contributes, which is why it seemed higher than what I see deducted from my paycheck. She was able to email me a detailed breakdown showing exactly how they calculated that Box 12 DD figure. Might be worth trying the benefits helpline route if your HR department is swamped dealing with the accounting situation. Sometimes the third-party benefits administrators have more detailed information readily available than your internal HR team.

This is a really common confusion! The key thing to understand is that the W-4 is about withholding the right amount of taxes from your paychecks throughout the year, not about who gets to "claim" your child on your actual tax return. Since you're married filing jointly, you'll both benefit from having your daughter as a dependent when you file your return regardless of your W-4 setup. However, if you both put your child's credit amount ($2,000) in Step 3 of your W-4s, you'd be telling your employers to withhold $4,000 less in taxes combined - but you're only entitled to one $2,000 child tax credit. This would likely result in underwithholding and you'd owe money at tax time. The best approach is to coordinate your W-4s. Since you both make similar incomes (~$58k each), you could either have one of you claim the full $2,000 child tax credit and the other claim zero, or you could each claim $1,000. I'd recommend using the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator at irs.gov to run the numbers and see what works best for your specific situation. Don't worry - this trips up a lot of couples! The important thing is making sure your combined withholding matches your actual tax liability.

Great question! This is exactly the kind of confusion that trips up many married couples filing jointly. The short answer is: you should NOT both claim your daughter on your separate W-4 forms. Here's why: When you both claim the same child on your W-4s, you're essentially telling both of your employers to withhold less tax from your paychecks because you each expect to receive the $2,000 child tax credit. But since you're filing jointly, you'll only receive ONE $2,000 credit for your daughter - not two. This means you'll have underwitheld taxes throughout the year and likely owe a significant amount when you file. With your similar incomes ($58k each), I'd recommend one of these approaches: 1. One spouse claims the full $2,000 child tax credit in Step 3 of their W-4, the other claims $0 2. Each spouse claims $1,000 in Step 3 (splitting the credit) The IRS Tax Withholding Estimator tool on irs.gov is perfect for your situation - just plug in both of your income info and it will tell you exactly how to fill out both W-4s to get close to the right withholding amount. This way you avoid both owing too much or getting a huge refund (which is essentially an interest-free loan to the government). Your coworker was right that coordination is key, but it's not that "only one parent can claim" - it's that the total credits claimed across both W-4s shouldn't exceed what you'll actually get on your joint return.