Has anyone tried using the IRS's own penalty calculator on their website? I used it when I filed late last year and found it pretty accurate. You just enter some basic info from your tax return and when you plan to pay, and it estimates the penalties and interest.

As someone who's been through this exact situation, I completely understand your in-laws' hesitation! The anxiety of not knowing the exact amount can be paralyzing. Here's what I learned from my experience: The most important thing is to pay the amount shown on their completed tax return IMMEDIATELY. Every day they wait, more interest and penalties accrue. The IRS charges 0.5% per month for failure to pay, plus daily compounding interest. Since their online account isn't showing the debt yet (this is normal - it can take weeks or months to update), they should make the payment using Form 1040V or through EFTPS (Electronic Federal Tax Payment System) with their SSN and tax year. For the penalties and interest calculation, they have a few options: 1. Pay the base amount now, wait for the IRS notice (6-8 weeks typically) 2. Call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 for current total (prepare for long hold times) 3. Use the IRS penalty calculator, though it can be tricky to navigate The key is getting that base payment in ASAP to stop the bleeding. They can always pay any additional penalties when they get the official notice. Better to have the IRS owe them a small refund than to keep accumulating charges!

The same thing happened to me last year!! TurboTax showed $600 federal refund and H&R Block showed $2,200! Turns out TurboTax had a glitch with how it was calculating my education credits. When I called TurboTax support, they actually admitted there was an issue in that version and fixed it for me. You should definitely call their customer support - sometimes they have known issues they can resolve. If that doesn't work, I'd honestly trust FreeTaxUSA in this case. If it's correctly identifying your eligibility for the Child Tax Credit and TurboTax isn't, that's a pretty clear indicator. Just double-check all your entries to be 100% sure.

This is such a great example of why it's worth double-checking your tax software calculations! I'm glad you got it resolved, Chloe. For anyone else reading this thread, I'd also recommend checking the IRS's Interactive Tax Assistant tool on their website (irs.gov/help/ita) - it's a free resource that can help you verify whether you qualify for specific credits like the Child Tax Credit. The income threshold issue you mentioned is really important - even small differences in how software categorizes income can push you over phaseout limits for credits. It's why I always review the actual tax forms (like Form 1040 and Schedule 8812 for Child Tax Credit) in addition to the software summary to make sure everything looks right. Thanks for sharing the resolution - it'll definitely help other people who run into similar discrepancies between tax programs!

Has anyone considered that using a professional for the first year might actually save money in the long run? I used TurboTax for my LLC for 2 years and then had a CPA review things the third year. Turns out I'd been missing several deductions that would have saved me about $4k in taxes over those years! Sometimes paying for expertise pays off.

I'm in a very similar boat - partnership K-1 with losses and a single-member LLC that actually made some money this year. I ended up going with TurboTax Business and it handled everything pretty smoothly. A few things that helped me: First, make sure you understand whether your partnership losses are considered "passive" or not on your K-1 - this affects how much you can deduct against your other income. Second, for your LLC, keep really detailed records of business vs personal expenses since that's where the IRS tends to look closely during audits. One thing I wish I'd known earlier - if your LLC income is substantial, you might need to make quarterly estimated tax payments next year to avoid penalties. TurboTax will calculate what you owe for next year's estimates when you file. The software definitely saved me money compared to a CPA, but like others mentioned, having someone review it the first time isn't a bad idea if you can swing it financially.

The other commenters are right about the EV not qualifying, but I wanted to add that you should look into the specific requirements of Section 25D of the tax code, which covers the Residential Clean Energy Credit. The key issue is that battery storage technology must be used to store electricity for consumption at the qualified residence. While your EV can technically do this, the IRS looks at the primary purpose of the asset. If you're serious about home battery storage, consider a dedicated system like a Tesla Powerwall or Enphase battery. These definitely qualify for the 30% credit when installed with solar, and you don't have to worry about any gray areas.

Has anyone actually tried claiming this on their taxes? I'm curious if the IRS has explicitly denied these claims or if it's just that tax professionals don't think it would work.

might wanna try a different tax software tbh. I switched from TurboTax to FreeTaxUSA and haven't looked back

Also double check that you're entering the IP PIN in the right field - sometimes TurboTax has multiple PIN fields and people accidentally put it in the wrong spot. The IP PIN should go in the Identity Protection PIN section, not the electronic filing PIN area. That mix-up causes rejections too.