Great question about mileage tracking! As someone who's dealt with similar situations, I wanted to add a few key points that might help clarify things for you and your brother. For your pet sitting business, since you work from your apartment for both your main job and run your pet care business from there, your home definitely qualifies as your principal place of business. This means you can deduct mileage from your apartment to each client's home - these are legitimate business trips to temporary work locations. For your brother's OT visits, the situation is a bit more nuanced. If he goes directly from his medical center job to client homes, he can deduct the full mileage from the medical center to the client location. The key is that he's traveling between two work locations for business purposes. However, if he goes home first and then to clients, he can only deduct from his home to the client. One thing I'd strongly recommend is starting a detailed mileage log RIGHT NOW if you haven't already. Include date, starting point, destination, business purpose, and actual miles driven. The IRS is pretty strict about contemporaneous records, so apps like MileIQ or even a simple notebook in your car can save you major headaches later. Also keep in mind that the standard mileage rate for 2024 is 67 cents per mile, which adds up quickly when you're doing a lot of business driving!

This is such a timely question! I just went through something similar with my freelance graphic design work. One thing I learned that might help both of you is the concept of "regular work location" vs "temporary work location." For your pet sitting business, since each client's home is typically a temporary work location (you're not there regularly for more than a year), the mileage from your home office to each client is fully deductible. Just make sure you're actually using your apartment as your business headquarters - doing admin work, storing supplies, etc. Your brother's situation is actually pretty advantageous! When he travels directly from his regular job (the medical center) to his OT clients, that entire trip counts as business mileage because he's going between work locations. The IRS doesn't consider this commuting - it's legitimate business travel. One tip that saved me during tax season: start using the voice memo function on your phone to quickly log trips while you're driving. I just say "Tuesday, March 5th, home to Johnson residence on Oak Street for dog walking, 4.2 miles" and then transfer it to my mileage log later. Much easier than trying to remember everything at the end of the week! Also, don't forget you can choose between the standard mileage rate (67 cents for 2024) or actual expense method, but you have to pick one and stick with it for that vehicle.

Let me walk you through how the TurboTax Refund Advance typically works: 1. When you apply for the advance, you're actually getting a loan from a partner bank 2. During tax filing, TurboTax creates a temporary bank account (sometimes called a SBTPG account) 3. Your federal refund is directed to this temporary account first 4. The bank deducts the advance amount plus any applicable fees 5. The remaining balance is forwarded to your personal bank account 6. Your state refund is typically sent directly to your personal account This structure is why they generally only take repayment from the federal refund. The state refund usually bypasses their temporary account system entirely.

Great question about budgeting with elderly parents in mind - I'm in a similar situation. From what I've experienced and researched, TurboTax Refund Advance is almost always recovered from your federal refund only, not state. The key reason is that when you accept the advance, you're essentially authorizing TurboTax's banking partner to intercept your federal refund through the IRS e-file system. State refunds are processed by individual state tax agencies and typically go directly to your bank account without passing through TurboTax's collection system. However, I'd strongly recommend calling TurboTax directly to confirm this for your specific situation, especially since you're managing finances for two people. You want to be 100% certain about the timing so you can plan appropriately. Also, make sure you understand what happens if your federal refund is less than expected due to any IRS adjustments - you'd still owe the advance amount.

anybody know if metal roofs qualify for the tax credit? my roofer is pushing me to go with metal saying ill get tax benefits but its $5k more expensive than regular shingles... worth it?

Really appreciate all the detailed info here! I'm the OP and this has been super helpful. Sounds like my regular architectural shingles from the storm damage replacement probably don't qualify, but I'm definitely going to check with my contractor about what exactly was installed. One follow-up question - if I find out my roof replacement doesn't qualify for any credits, are there other home improvements from storm damage that might? I also had to replace some siding and a few windows after the same storm. The insurance covered most of it but I paid about $3,000 out of pocket total. Just want to make sure I'm not missing anything else that could help with my taxes this year!

This is such great information everyone! I'm dealing with a similar situation and wanted to share what I learned from my research. The IRS also has a helpful tool called "Where's My Amended Return?" on their website where you can track the status of your 1040-X after you submit it. It usually takes about 3 weeks for your amendment to show up in their system, but then you can monitor the progress. One thing I discovered that might help others - if you're amending to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit (stimulus payments you didn't receive), that follows the same 3-year rule. So if you missed any stimulus payments for 2021, you need to get that amendment filed before your deadline too. Also, make sure to clearly explain WHY you're amending in Part III of Form 1040-X. The IRS processes amendments faster when they can easily understand what changed and why. Don't just put "claiming additional deductions" - be specific like "claiming home office deduction not included on original return" or whatever applies to your situation. Good luck to everyone working on their amendments! Don't wait until the last minute if you can help it.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in a similar boat with my 2021 return and was getting really stressed about the deadline. Based on what everyone's shared, it sounds like I need to act fast since I filed my original return in March 2022, which means I'm looking at a March 2025 deadline. One thing I wanted to add that might help others - if you're unsure whether an amendment is worth filing, remember that even small refunds can add up. I almost didn't bother amending for what I thought was maybe $300-400, but after going through my records more carefully, it turned out to be closer to $800 between a missed education credit and some business expenses I forgot to deduct. Also, for anyone worried about triggering an audit by amending - from what I've read, amendments don't automatically increase your audit risk as long as you have proper documentation for your claims. The IRS is more concerned with accuracy than with people correcting honest mistakes. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and tips. This community is amazing for navigating these confusing tax situations!

Just wanted to add some perspective as someone who's been through an IRS audit related to charitable deductions. The auditor wasn't trying to catch me in some elaborate scheme - they just wanted to see that I had reasonable documentation for my claimed values. What saved me was having photos of the items I donated along with a simple spreadsheet listing each item, its condition, and the value I assigned based on the Salvation Army guide. The auditor spent maybe 10 minutes reviewing it and moved on. The key thing I learned is that the IRS isn't looking for perfection in your valuations - they're looking for evidence that you made a good faith effort to be reasonable. A $20 shirt valued at $25 isn't going to raise eyebrows, but a $20 shirt valued at $200 definitely will. For your dresser specifically, I'd suggest looking up similar pieces on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist to get a sense of what used furniture in similar condition is actually selling for. That gives you a solid basis for your valuation if anyone ever asks.

As a tax professional, I want to emphasize that the system actually works pretty well despite seeming vulnerable to abuse. The IRS uses data analytics to flag returns with unusually high charitable deductions relative to income, and they have access to aggregate donation data from major organizations. What most people don't realize is that inflating donation values is considered tax fraud, which can result in penalties of 20-75% of the underpaid tax, plus interest and potential criminal charges. The risk-reward ratio just doesn't make sense for most people. For your situation, I'd recommend documenting everything now even though you already donated. Write down what you remember donating, research fair market values using the Salvation Army guide or similar resources, and keep that documentation with your tax records. For the dresser, check sold listings on eBay or Facebook Marketplace for similar items to establish a reasonable value. The key is being able to show you made a good faith effort to determine fair market value. Perfect accuracy isn't expected, but gross overvaluation will definitely get you in trouble if caught.