When I filed my 1040-NR with a similar situation, I made sure to keep extensive documentation of my travels. Take screenshots of flight confirmations, keep hotel receipts, and maintain a spreadsheet with entry/exit dates for each country. The IRS seems to be paying more attention to these "nowhere" tax residents, and if you get flagged for review, having that documentation ready will save you a lot of trouble.

I faced this exact same issue with tax software! Most consumer programs like TurboTax aren't designed for these edge cases. I ended up using FreeTaxUSA for my 1040-NR filing - it's more flexible and actually allows you to leave the tax residency field blank or enter custom text. For Schedule OI specifically, I wrote "None - Digital Nomad Status" in the tax residency field and attached Form 8275 (Disclosure Statement) explaining my situation in detail. The key is being completely transparent about your circumstances and providing documentation. Pro tip: If you do get questioned later, having a travel log with exact dates, flight records, and accommodation receipts makes everything much smoother. I use a simple spreadsheet that tracks country, entry date, exit date, and days spent - takes 2 minutes to update but could save hours of headache later!

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! I've been legally blind since childhood but only recently learned about the tax benefits. One thing I'd add is that if you're employed, you might also want to look into whether your employer offers any vision-related benefits or accommodations that could have tax implications. Some assistive technology purchases for work can be deductible as unreimbursed employee expenses if you itemize. Also, I discovered that if you use a tax preparer, many of them aren't familiar with these specific deductions for blindness. When I went to H&R Block last year, the preparer had to look it up because they'd never handled it before. So don't feel bad about not knowing - even some tax professionals miss this stuff! It might be worth specifically asking your preparer about disability-related deductions when you file going forward.

Great question about assistive technology deductions! From my experience, items like screen readers, braille displays, and voice recognition software can potentially qualify as medical expenses if they're primarily for managing your blindness, but the rules are tricky. For work-related equipment, it depends on whether your employer reimburses you and whether you itemize vs take the standard deduction. The key thing with assistive technology is documenting that it's "primarily for medical care" - so if you use a braille display 80% for managing daily tasks related to your blindness and 20% for general computer use, it would likely qualify. But if it's mainly for general productivity, it might not. One thing that helped me was getting a letter from my eye doctor specifically stating that certain equipment is medically necessary for my condition. This creates a clear paper trail if the IRS ever questions it. Also, keep detailed records of how you use each piece of equipment - the IRS may want to see that it's truly medical in nature rather than just convenient technology. You're absolutely right about asking your CPA to review past returns! Many tax professionals don't specialize in disability-related deductions, so being proactive about bringing this up could uncover missed opportunities. There are often multiple angles beyond just the standard deduction - medical expenses, equipment costs, sometimes even transportation expenses related to medical care.

This is such a relief to read! I've been stressing about this exact scenario for months. I have about $20,000 in a taxable brokerage account that I might need to tap into next year for some unexpected expenses, and I was convinced it would completely mess up my ACA subsidies. From what everyone is saying, it sounds like only the actual gains portion would count toward my MAGI, not the full withdrawal amount. That makes so much more sense than penalizing people for accessing money they already paid taxes on when they invested it. Does anyone know if there's a way to estimate what portion of my account balance would be considered gains vs. principal? I've been adding money to this account sporadically over the past 5 years, so I'm not sure how to calculate my cost basis accurately.

This is exactly the kind of confusion that keeps people from making smart financial decisions! I went through the same panic when I first learned about MAGI calculations for ACA subsidies. One thing that really helped me was understanding that the ACA treats your brokerage account withdrawals the same way the IRS does for regular tax purposes. Since you already paid taxes on the money you originally invested (your cost basis), the government isn't going to tax you again on that same money - whether for income taxes or ACA subsidy calculations. The $15,000 withdrawal you're considering will only impact your subsidies based on whatever gains you've realized, not the full amount. So if you invested $12,000 over time and it grew to $15,000, only that $3,000 gain would count toward your MAGI. Just make sure you understand which investments you're selling if you have multiple purchases at different prices. Some brokers default to "first in, first out" while others let you choose specific lots, which can affect your tax implications. Worth checking with your broker about their default method before you make the withdrawal!

Make sure you check if your state has any special provisions for joint filers with an unemployed spouse! Some states have additional credits or deductions that the federal return doesn't have. I live in Minnesota and found out we qualified for a special credit because of my wife's job loss that saved us almost $400 on our state return.

Great question! You're definitely on the right track thinking about filing jointly. In your situation with your husband being unemployed for part of the year, filing jointly is almost certainly going to be your best option. Here's what you need to know: You'll report both your full $68,000 income and his $31,000 from before the layoff on a joint return. The IRS doesn't penalize you for one spouse having no income for part of the year - they just look at your total household income. A few key things to remember: - If your husband received unemployment benefits, those are taxable income and need to be included - You'll get the higher married filing jointly standard deduction ($29,200 for 2025) - You may qualify for additional credits that aren't available when filing separately - Make sure to have his final W-2 from his previous employer and any 1099-G forms for unemployment The documentation is pretty straightforward - just gather all your normal tax documents plus any unemployment paperwork. In most cases like yours, filing jointly saves significantly more money than filing separately, but it's worth running the numbers both ways to be sure.

I did sign up with My Health CCM and wished I had not because of the deplorable customer service. It was a 75k investment. Part of the program requires you to watch 100 hours of videos for compliance. I am having trouble with the video platform and have emailed and called the company seven times over the last week, and got one response stating they were forwarding it to the person who could help me. She is the same person who has ghosted me. I finally emailed the owner, expressing my unhappiness and asking to be connected with someone who would actually help me. He only forwarded the email to the same person who has ghosted me. He actually did not respond or apologize after this last email, just forwarded it. She still did not respond, even after it became apparent how unhappy I was, and after the owner forwarded an email to her. She must be family or a friend, because no business owner who truly cares would keep a staff member like this around. If I could get out of this, I would. I paid a company 75k, and they obviously do not care about their clients.

I'm so sorry to hear about your experience with MyHealth CCM, June. Your situation perfectly illustrates many of the red flags that were discussed earlier in this thread - not just the questionable tax structure, but also the poor business practices that often accompany these types of schemes. The fact that you've invested $75k and can't even get basic customer service support is deeply concerning. This kind of treatment suggests they're more focused on collecting upfront fees than actually running a legitimate business operation. The 100-hour video compliance requirement also sounds like it could be designed to create barriers that make it difficult for investors to actually complete the program and potentially seek refunds. Given the combination of tax risks discussed by Miguel and others, plus the operational issues you're experiencing, you might want to consult with both a consumer protection attorney and a tax attorney. There may be grounds for getting out of this arrangement, especially if they're not providing the services they promised. Document everything - all your communication attempts, their lack of responses, and any promises they made that aren't being fulfilled. This could be important evidence if you decide to pursue legal remedies. Thank you for sharing your real-world experience - it's exactly the kind of information that could save others from making the same mistake.