My partner and I did this 3 years ago! One tip: consider putting only one person on the mortgage but both on the deed if your bank allows it. That way, only one person claims all the interest but both have ownership. We did this bc my credit score was way better so I got the loan alone (better rate!) but we're both on the deed. The person not on the mortgage can just transfer their share of the payment to the mortgage holder, who then makes the full payment and claims 100% of the deduction. Simplifies taxes a lot! But u need to trust each other obvs.

Great question! I went through this exact situation two years ago when my partner and I bought our first home. Here's what I learned from working with both a tax professional and mortgage lender: Since you're both on the mortgage and splitting payments 50/50, you can each deduct your proportional share of the mortgage interest on your individual tax returns. Keep detailed records of who pays what - bank statements, cancelled checks, or electronic transfer records showing each person's contribution. One key thing to watch out for: the mortgage lender will send ONE Form 1098 (mortgage interest statement) to whoever is listed as the primary borrower. You'll need to coordinate to ensure you both get the information needed for your tax returns. Some couples scan and share the 1098, others request the lender send copies to both parties. Also, don't forget about property taxes! If you're splitting those 50/50 as well, you can each deduct your portion of property taxes paid, which also goes on Schedule A. Given your combined income of $180k and a $520k mortgage, you'll likely have enough deductions to make itemizing worthwhile. The mortgage interest alone in your first few years will probably exceed the standard deduction threshold. One last tip: consider having a tax pro review your first year's return to make sure you're handling everything correctly. It's worth the cost to get it right from the start!

Am I the only one who thinks the 1099-K threshold being lowered is the absolute worst? Now I have to deal with all these discrepancies when before I just reported my income and paid my taxes without all this confusion. I have 3 different payment processors and each one seems to calculate the 1099-K differently. One includes refunds, one doesn't. One includes the fees, one doesn't. It's a nightmare to reconcile!

I completely understand your frustration with the 1099-K discrepancies - this is unfortunately very common with digital businesses using multiple payment processors. Here's what you need to know: You should report your GROSS sales revenue on Schedule C, not the 1099-K amount or the net amount. So in your case, that would be the $59,106.25 from your Square revenue report. Then deduct the $2,127.93 in processing fees as a business expense under "Commissions and fees" on Schedule C. The discrepancy between your gross revenue ($59,106.25) and the 1099-K amount ($58,215.75) could be due to several factors: timing differences (transactions processed in different calendar periods), refunds that were included differently, or chargebacks. I'd recommend calling Square directly to get clarification on this specific difference. For Teachable reporting net amounts - this varies by platform. Some report gross payment amounts, others report what they actually paid out to you. The key is consistency in how YOU report it: always use gross sales as income, then deduct all fees and platform costs as business expenses. Keep detailed records showing your calculation methodology. If there's ever a question from the IRS, you'll be able to demonstrate exactly how you arrived at your reported income figures and why they might differ slightly from your 1099-K amounts.

Watch out for the once-per-year rollover rule too! If you've done any other IRA rollovers within the past 12 months, you might not be eligible to correct this through a standard rollover. This tripped me up badly with my dad's estate. The good news is that trustee-to-trustee transfers don't count toward this limit. But if what happened was the trustee distributed the money to the trust account first (not directly to another IRA custodian), you're dealing with a rollover situation and that one-per-year limit applies.

I'm dealing with something similar right now and wanted to share what I've learned so far. The distinction between "transfer" and "rollover" is crucial here - a transfer should happen directly between custodians without the money ever touching your hands or the trust account, while a rollover involves you receiving the distribution and then redepositing it within 60 days. If the trustee actually received the IRA funds into the trust account instead of doing a direct custodian-to-custodian transfer, that's definitely a taxable event. But there might still be hope! I've been researching Revenue Procedure 2020-46 (which updated the 2016 version mentioned earlier) and it does provide relief for certain trustee errors. The key is proving this was the trustee's mistake, not a choice you made. Get documentation from them ASAP admitting they processed this incorrectly. Also, check exactly when this happened - if it's been less than 60 days, you might still be able to do an indirect rollover to fix it. One thing that's been helpful for me is keeping a detailed timeline of all communications with the trustee. The IRS wants to see that you acted reasonably and that this wasn't intentional tax avoidance. Good luck - these trust/IRA situations are incredibly confusing but there are usually options available!

Did you claim any credits like EIC or Child Tax Credit? Those automatically get extra scrutiny and slow down processing.

I'm in a very similar situation - filed on March 8th and still getting that same "processing delayed" message with Tax Topic 152. My transcript has been completely blank for 7 weeks now. What's really frustrating is that I had a simple return too - just W2 income, standard deduction, no credits or complications. I've been checking the WMR tool almost daily and it's maddening to see the same message over and over. Like you, I'm starting to wonder if something went wrong or if my return got lost in the system somehow. The fact that the transcript shows absolutely nothing is what worries me most. Reading through these comments has been really helpful though - especially learning about ERS (Error Resolution System) from the former IRS employee. At least now I understand this is unfortunately normal for this filing season, even though it's incredibly stressful when you're waiting on your refund. I think I'm going to wait until I hit the 8-week mark before trying to call, based on the advice here. The phone situation sounds absolutely brutal right now. Has anyone had success getting through recently, or is it still basically impossible?

Did anyone mention that you'll probably receive a 1099-R form from the insurance company? That form will show the taxable amount in Box 2a. If it says "Taxable amount not determined" and Box 2b is checked, you'll need to figure out the taxable portion yourself or with professional help. Also, depending on when your grandfather passed away, there might be estate tax considerations too, although that's only for very large estates (over $12.06 million for 2025).

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now with my grandmother's annuity, and one thing that really helped me was getting organized with all the paperwork first. Make sure you have copies of everything - the original annuity contract, death certificate, beneficiary designation forms, and any correspondence from the insurance company. The insurance company should provide you with a detailed breakdown showing the original premium payments (your grandfather's contributions) versus the accumulated earnings. This is crucial for determining what portion is taxable. Don't be afraid to call them multiple times if the first representative can't give you clear answers - I had to speak with three different people before I got someone who really understood the tax implications. Also, consider the timing of when you take the distribution. If you're expecting a raise or bonus this year that might push you into a higher tax bracket, it might make sense to delay the distribution until next year. The insurance company usually gives you some flexibility on timing as long as you stay within the required distribution rules. One last tip - keep detailed records of everything for your tax preparer. This isn't something you want to handle with basic tax software if it's a substantial amount.