I've been doing short-term rentals for 3 years and I split mine between schedules. If guests stay less than 7 days and I provide substantial services, I use Schedule C. For guests staying longer than 7 days with minimal services, I use Schedule E. My tax guy said it's perfectly fine to split them up based on the nature of each rental period. Hope that helps!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm in a similar situation with my vacation rental and have been stressing about this exact question. Based on what everyone's shared, it sounds like the key factors are the length of stay (under 7 days) and the level of services provided. From what I'm reading, if you're providing linens, toiletries, welcome baskets, and doing the cleaning yourself between guests, that definitely sounds like "substantial services" which would push you toward Schedule C. The fact that you're actively managing bookings and have 75% occupancy also suggests this is more of an active business than passive rental income. One thing I hadn't considered before reading this thread is the potential QBI deduction benefit with Schedule C - that 20% deduction could be significant! Though the self-employment tax is definitely something to factor in too. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and resources. This community is so helpful for navigating these tricky tax situations!

Quick follow-up question for you: • Did they tell you specifically why your return was flagged for verification? • Were you claiming any specific credits that might have triggered this? • Did you file with a tax preparer or self-prepare? I'm trying to identify patterns in who gets selected for verification vs. full-blown identity verification letters. This could help others prepare proactively next tax season.

Just went through phone verification two weeks ago! Here's what they asked me: • Basic info (name, SSN, DOB, address from return) • My 2024 AGI from line 11 of Form 1040 • Driver's license number and expiration date • Previous year's AGI (2023) • Asked me to confirm two specific 1099-NEC amounts I reported • One random question about my filing status The whole call took about 18 minutes. I had everything organized beforehand which definitely helped. My transcript updated 3 days later and refund hit my account exactly one week after the call. Pro tip: Have your actual tax return PDF open on your computer/phone during the call. Makes it so much easier to reference specific amounts quickly. They seemed impressed when I could answer immediately instead of saying "um, let me find that..." Good luck with your call! The phone verification is honestly way better than waiting for that stupid letter in the mail.

I had the exact same issue with my 1095-A in TurboTax this year! After trying multiple fixes, I discovered the problem was with how TurboTax handles forms that have gaps in coverage. My marketplace coverage wasn't continuous - I had coverage January through May, then a gap, then picked it back up in September through December. TurboTax's interface doesn't handle partial year coverage very well, especially when the months aren't consecutive. The fix that worked for me was to manually override the "full year coverage" assumption in TurboTax. When you get to the 1095-A section, look for an option that says something like "I had coverage for only part of the year" or "My coverage wasn't for all 12 months." Once I selected that option and entered only the months I actually had coverage, everything processed smoothly. Also double-check that your SLCSP amounts match exactly - even a $1 difference can cause the software to crash. The marketplace sometimes rounds differently than what TurboTax expects. Hope this helps!

I've been dealing with a similar TurboTax 1095-A nightmare and wanted to add one more potential fix that hasn't been mentioned yet. If you're still getting crashes or error messages, try logging into your Healthcare.gov account (or your state marketplace) and downloading a fresh copy of your 1095-A as a PDF. Sometimes the physical form you received in the mail can have printing errors or the data can get corrupted if it got wet/damaged. I spent two weeks troubleshooting what I thought was a TurboTax bug, only to discover that my mailed 1095-A had a smudged number in Box 33A that I had been misreading. The "6" looked like an "8" due to poor print quality. When I downloaded the clean PDF version from my marketplace account, I could see the correct numbers clearly. Also, for anyone considering the alternative software route - H&R Block's online version has been much more forgiving with 1095-A entry this year. Their interface actually shows you a side-by-side comparison of what you're entering vs. what the form shows, which helped me catch a couple data entry mistakes I was making in TurboTax. The bottom line is don't give up! These 1095-A issues are frustrating but definitely solvable once you identify the root cause.

Does anyone know if using the money for a first home purchase exempts you from the 10% penalty on a Roth 403b? I know it does for IRAs up to $10k but I thought 403b plans didn't qualify for that exception?

Great question about the 1099-R! Based on what you've described, it sounds like you're dealing with a fairly standard Roth 403b withdrawal situation. The $12,000 non-taxable portion represents your contributions (money you already paid taxes on when you earned it), while the $4,000 taxable portion represents earnings that grew tax-free in your account. Since you didn't have taxes withheld, you'll need to account for this when filing. You'll owe regular income tax on that $4,000 plus the 10% early withdrawal penalty ($400). Unfortunately, as others mentioned, 403b plans don't qualify for the first-time homebuyer exception that applies to IRAs. One thing to consider for future reference - you might want to look into whether your 403b plan allows for hardship withdrawals or loans for home purchases, as these sometimes have more favorable terms. Also, since you're in Florida (no state income tax), you at least don't have to worry about additional state penalties. Make sure to keep all your home purchase documentation - closing statements, contracts, etc. - in case the IRS has any questions about the withdrawal purpose. And don't forget to file Form 5329 with your tax return to report the early distribution properly!

The IRS website is so confusing fr. Why they gotta make everything so complicated 🤔

The pattern you're seeing is actually completely normal! The N/A entries don't mean there's a problem with your returns. Here's what's happening: **Return Transcripts** - These are only kept readily available online for recent years (usually 2-4 years). Having just 2021 available is typical. **Account Transcripts showing N/A** - This is actually GOOD news! It means you haven't had any post-filing adjustments, amendments, or IRS changes to your returns. If the IRS had made changes or you filed amendments, these would show up here. **Wage & Income Transcripts** - These have the longest availability (2019-2022 in your case) because they're direct reports from employers/financial institutions to the IRS. **Record of Account showing N/A** - Since this combines Return and Account transcript data, and your Account transcripts are N/A (no changes), this would also show N/A. The asterisk note about "Verification of Non-Filing letters" just means if you need to prove you didn't file for a particular year, that option exists. Bottom line: Your transcript availability looks completely normal for someone who filed their returns properly without needing amendments or having IRS adjustments. Nothing to worry about! 👍