Just want to say as someone who's been self-employed for years, taking the job while pregnant isn't a bad idea at all. The paperwork isn't that complex for small amounts and you can literally do it whenever you have time. The tax software questios are basically: did you make money from self employment? how much? did you have expenses? list them. That's it. And the money could be great for baby stuff! Take the job if you want it, the tax part is not a reason to turn it down.

Congratulations on the baby coming soon! I totally understand your hesitation about complicating taxes during such a busy time, but honestly, for $3,300 in freelance income, it's really not as overwhelming as it seems. The self-employment tax will be around $465 (15.3% on about 92% of your earnings), but you can deduct legitimate business expenses to lower that. Things like a portion of your internet bill, any software or supplies you bought for the work, even part of your phone bill if you use it for business calls. With married filing jointly (definitely stick with that), you'll just add a Schedule C to your regular tax return. Most tax prep software walks you through it step by step with simple questions. The whole process might add 30-45 minutes to your normal tax filing. That extra income could really help with baby expenses, and since you're due in 6 weeks, you could potentially finish the project before the baby arrives or work on it flexibly afterward. Don't let tax concerns stop you from taking an opportunity that could benefit your growing family!

Don't forget about the tax implications! If that final RMD went into her account after death, someone still has to pay taxes on it. If it goes to the estate, the estate will pay the taxes. If it goes back to the IRA and then to you as beneficiaries, you would report that distribution on your tax returns. Either way, the custodian will issue a 1099-R for that distribution. Make sure it's issued correctly depending on how you resolve this - to either the estate's tax ID or to you and your brother's SSNs if you're able to have the distribution redirected.

I went through something very similar with my father's IRA last year. One thing that really helped was getting everything documented in writing from the IRA custodian before making any decisions. When I called them, I specifically asked for written confirmation of: (1) the exact date the RMD was processed, (2) whether my dad had already satisfied his annual RMD requirement before his death, and (3) what their standard procedure is for handling distributions that occur after the account holder's death. Having that documentation was crucial when working with the estate attorney and the bank. The custodian actually admitted they shouldn't have processed the RMD after the death date and helped us reverse it back to the IRA so it could be properly distributed to the named beneficiaries. Also, don't wait too long on this - there are time limits for correcting these kinds of errors. Most custodians are pretty helpful once they understand the situation, but you need to act quickly while the paperwork trail is still fresh.

I went through something very similar last year! The $5,400 swing you experienced is actually pretty typical when you have two working spouses with decent incomes. A few things probably happened: 1. **Earned Income Credit elimination** - This credit phases out quickly as income increases, and adding your husband's income likely pushed you over the threshold entirely. This alone could account for several thousand dollars. 2. **Child Tax Credit reduction** - While you probably still qualify, the credit amount decreases as your combined income goes up. 3. **Tax bracket jump** - Your combined income might have pushed you into a higher marginal tax bracket, meaning more of your income gets taxed at higher rates. 4. **Standard vs. itemized deduction optimization** - Sometimes the tax software recalculates whether itemizing or taking the standard deduction is better once it has your full financial picture. The key thing to remember is that TurboTax was never really showing you an accurate picture with just your income, since you were always going to file jointly. Think of that initial $9,500 as a "what if" scenario rather than what you were actually going to get. Your $4,100 refund is still great! And definitely follow through with having a professional review it - they might catch additional deductions or credits that could bump it up a bit more.

I experienced this exact same situation when my wife and I first filed jointly! The emotional whiplash of going from excitement to disappointment is so real. What really helped me understand it was thinking about it this way: when you entered just your info, TurboTax was essentially calculating your taxes as if you were a single parent (Head of Household status), which comes with significant tax advantages. But since you're married, you were never actually going to file that way. The $5,400 drop is likely a combination of losing the Earned Income Credit (which phases out quickly with higher combined income), reduced Child Tax Credit, and potentially moving into higher tax brackets. Plus, your withholdings throughout the year were probably calculated assuming each of you was the sole earner in your household. One thing that helped us going forward was adjusting our W-4s mid-year using the IRS withholding calculator. We went from getting a large refund to owing a small amount, but it meant we had more money in our paychecks throughout the year instead of giving the government an interest-free loan. Your $4,100 refund is still solid! And yes, definitely have a professional look it over - they often find additional deductions that the software misses.

the whole system is broken fr fr. took me 6 tries last year to get it right smh

make sure ur using the ORIGINAL 1095-A they sent. sometimes they send corrected ones and ppl dont notice

14 Quick question - if a teen files their own return, does that social security number get "used up" for the year so parents can't claim them as dependents? My neighbor told me this and now I'm worried about having my son file.

Great question! As someone who went through this exact situation with my 16-year-old last year, I can confirm that your son is not required to file since he earned under the $12,950 threshold for dependents with only earned income. However, I'd still recommend filing for a few reasons. Even though no federal taxes were withheld in your case, filing establishes an official record with the IRS that can be helpful later. It's also great practice for him to learn the process while his return is still simple. One thing to double-check - make sure absolutely no federal taxes were withheld by looking at Box 2 on his W-2. Sometimes employers withhold small amounts even for low earners. If any amount shows there, filing would be the only way to get that money back. Since you're in Washington state, you don't need to worry about state taxes at all. The federal return would be very straightforward with just the W-2 income to report.