I'm a real estate agent too and have been claiming QBI for years. One thing to watch out for is if your combined income gets close to the phase-out thresholds ($340,100 for 2022 MFJ, higher for newer years). Above that, the calculation gets more complex! Also, did your husband have any rental properties or other real estate investments? That income may be treated differently for QBI purposes than his commission income as an agent.

Great question about QBI eligibility! I can confirm that real estate agents absolutely DO qualify for the QBI deduction under Section 199A. The confusion often stems from the fact that some service businesses are excluded, but real estate sales/brokerage is specifically NOT considered a "Specified Service Trade or Business" (SSTB) under the regulations. Since your husband reports his income on Schedule C, he should be eligible for the full 20% deduction on his qualified business income, subject to the overall limitations (20% of QBI or 20% of taxable income minus net capital gains, whichever is lower). For amendments, you have three years from the original filing deadline to file Form 1040-X for each year. So for 2025 filing season, you can still amend 2022, 2023, and 2024 returns. Each year needs to be amended separately. One tip: when you file the amendments, include Form 8995 or 8995-A (depending on your income level) and attach a brief statement explaining you're claiming the QBI deduction that was inadvertently omitted from the original return. This helps clarify the reason for the amendment and shows it's a legitimate correction rather than a questionable change. You're potentially looking at significant refunds if you've missed this for multiple years - definitely worth pursuing!

Has anyone used the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator online? I tried it but got totally confused when entering multiple jobs.

I've been in a similar situation with multiple variable income jobs, and here's what worked for me after a lot of trial and error: Since you can't predict the variable income accurately, I'd recommend using a "safe harbor" approach. Calculate 110% of last year's total tax liability and divide that by the number of pay periods from your full-time job. Have that amount withheld as additional withholding on line 4(c) of your W-4 for your steady job. This way, even if your variable jobs earn more than expected, you'll avoid underpayment penalties because you're meeting the safe harbor rule. You might get a refund, but that's better than owing plus penalties. For the variable jobs, I keep their W-4s simple - just basic information in Steps 1 and 5, no additional withholding. Let your main job do the heavy lifting on withholding. Also, consider making quarterly estimated tax payments if your variable income is substantial. You can adjust these throughout the year as you get a better sense of your actual earnings. The IRS Form 1040-ES has worksheets that help with this approach. The key is building in a buffer for uncertainty rather than trying to be perfectly precise with unpredictable income streams.

My husband and I went through something similar with his parents. Make sure your accountant checks with you before filing! Our new accountant filed it as a rental property without telling us (after we had discussed it wasn't) and we ended up having to file an amended return. One option might be to increase the rent to meet the 80% threshold if your in-laws can afford it, then gift some money back to them separately if you want to effectively subsidize their housing. But talk to a qualified tax professional about this approach first!

I'm dealing with a similar situation where I'm renting to my brother at below market rate. After reading through all these responses, it sounds like the key issue is whether you're charging at least 80% of fair market rent. At $850 vs $2000 market rate, you're only at about 42%, so you'd definitely fall under the personal use/hobby loss rules. This means you can report the rental income but your deductions would be limited to that income amount - you couldn't create a loss to offset other income. The advice about potentially raising the rent to meet the 80% threshold is interesting, but make sure any gifting arrangement is done properly to avoid gift tax issues. The annual gift tax exclusion for 2024 is $18,000 per recipient, so you'd need to stay within those limits. Your previous accountant's conservative approach was probably the safest way to handle it. Better to be cautious with the IRS than risk an audit over aggressive deductions on a family rental situation.

Has anyone dealt with the Multiple Support Agreement situation? My brother and I both support our disabled sister (no one provides more than 50% alone), but we rotate who claims her each year. We fill out Form 2120 but I'm never sure if we're doing it right.

This is such a complex area of tax law! I'm dealing with a similar situation with my adult nephew who has autism. One thing I learned the hard way is to keep detailed records of ALL your financial contributions throughout the year - not just big payments but also smaller expenses like medical copays, clothing, transportation costs, etc. The IRS wants to see that you're truly providing more than 50% of their total support, and those smaller expenses can really add up. I created a spreadsheet tracking every contribution monthly, which made it much easier when I had to prove the support test. Also, don't forget that support includes the fair rental value of housing even if no money changes hands. So if your father is providing housing worth $1,000/month, that's $12,000 in annual support you need to factor into your calculations. Make sure your contributions exceed half of that total amount plus all other living expenses.

One thing nobody has mentioned: make absolutely sure your Solo 401k plan DOCUMENT allows for the flexibility you're trying to use. Some plan documents specifically require deferrals to be deposited within a certain timeframe after being withheld. I learned this the hard way last year when I assumed I had until my tax filing deadline, but my specific plan document (from a major provider) required deferrals to be deposited within 30 days of the end of the month in which they were withheld. This was more restrictive than what the IRS/DOL would have allowed! Check your actual plan document before making any assumptions about deadlines.

CPA here specializing in small business retirement plans. This thread has covered most of the key points, but I want to emphasize something critical that could save you headaches down the road. The IRS distinction between "elective deferrals" and "employer contributions" is crucial for S-Corps. Your $22,500 employee deferral must be reflected as reduced wages on your 2024 W-2 (Box 1 should show $81,500 instead of $104,000 if you defer the full amount). This creates the paper trail showing the deferral happened in 2024. However, here's what many miss: if you haven't actually moved the money to your 401k account yet, you need to be very careful about cash flow and business expense timing. The IRS could potentially challenge whether you had "constructive receipt" of that income if the funds sat in your business account for months while you used them for other business expenses. My recommendation: even if your plan document allows flexibility, try to deposit the deferred funds by January 31st at the latest. This shows good faith compliance and avoids any potential constructive receipt issues. The employer profit sharing contribution can definitely wait until your tax filing deadline, but treat the employee deferrals with more urgency. Also double-check that your payroll system is properly coding the deferrals for your W-2 - Box 12 should show the $22,500 with code "D" for elective deferrals.