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What about leasing instead of buying? My accountant suggested that leasing a vehicle is better for tax purposes because you can write off the payments directly as business expenses without worrying about Section 179 limitations or later recapture issues when you're done with the vehicle.
Leasing can work well but has different limitations. With expensive vehicles, there are "luxury auto limits" that cap deductions for leases too. Plus at the end you don't own anything.
Great question about the long-term implications! One thing to keep in mind is that even after your loan is paid off, you'll want to maintain detailed records of business vs personal use if you ever start using the vehicle for personal purposes. The IRS can look back and question your Section 179 deduction if they find the business use dropped below 50% during the recovery period. Also, regarding selling your business - you might want to get the vehicle appraised before making that decision. Sometimes the current fair market value of the vehicle could make it more beneficial to keep it separate from the business sale, especially if the business is selling for a premium that wouldn't fairly compensate you for the vehicle's value. Just make sure you understand the tax implications of either choice before committing to one path. I'd suggest consulting with a tax professional who specializes in small business sales to run the numbers both ways - selling with vs. without the vehicle included.
This is really helpful advice about getting an appraisal! I hadn't thought about the vehicle potentially being worth more separately than as part of the business package. How do you find a tax professional who specifically handles business sales? Is this something a regular CPA would know, or do I need someone with special credentials?
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I'm so confused about HSA contribution limits. If I have family coverage for part of the year and then switch to individual coverage, how do I calculate my limit? Is it prorated somehow? Also, does anyone know if the HSA trustee reports the excess contribution to the IRS? Or is it only if you report it yourself when you file?
Great question! The HSA contribution limit for mixed coverage periods is calculated using the "last-month rule" OR by prorating based on the number of months you had each type of coverage. With the last-month rule, if you have family coverage on December 1st, you can contribute the full family amount ($7,750 for 2024) as long as you remain HSA-eligible with family coverage through December 31st of the following year. If you don't maintain eligibility, you'll have to prorate retroactively. For prorating, you'd calculate: (Individual limit ÷ 12 × # months with individual coverage) + (Family limit ÷ 12 × # months with family coverage) And yes, your HSA provider reports all contributions to the IRS on Form 5498-SA, so they'll know if you over-contributed even if you don't report it yourself.
Just wanted to add my experience since I went through this exact situation last year! I also had the job change mid-year and exceeded my HSA contribution limit without realizing it. One thing that really helped me was keeping detailed records of everything - the original excess contribution, the withdrawal request, confirmation from the HSA provider, and all the tax forms. When I filed my taxes, having everything organized made it much easier to complete Form 8889 and Form 5329 correctly. Also, don't forget to check if your HSA provider charged any fees for processing the excess contribution withdrawal. Mine charged a $25 processing fee, which was annoying but still way better than paying the 6% excise tax every year if I had left the excess in the account. The key thing is you caught it relatively quickly and took action. Many people don't realize the mistake for years and end up paying that 6% penalty repeatedly. You're definitely on the right track!
This is really helpful advice! I'm curious about the processing fees - did you happen to ask your HSA provider if they would waive the fee given that it was correcting an excess contribution? I'm wondering if some providers might be more flexible about fees when it's clearly a mistake rather than a regular withdrawal request. Also, when you mentioned keeping detailed records, did you include documentation showing the timeline of when you discovered the excess versus when the contributions were actually made? I'm thinking this might be important if the IRS ever questions the timing of everything.
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In addition to what others have said, make sure you're tracking ALL your expenses, not just mileage! I do all these delivery apps too and was leaving money on the table my first year. Deductible expenses: - Phone bill (% used for gig work) - Phone holder/mount for car - Hot bags (if you bought your own) - Portion of car insurance - Parking fees while waiting for orders - Dashcams (safety equipment) - Cleaning supplies for your car - Masks, hand sanitizer, etc. If you use the actual expense method instead of standard mileage rate, you can also deduct gas, maintenance, repairs, etc., but usually the standard mileage rate is better.
Wait, you can deduct hot bags? I bought like 3 different ones trying to find one that actually keeps food warm. Also, what percent of your phone bill do you usually deduct?
Yes, hot bags are definitely deductible! They're business equipment necessary for your delivery work. I deducted all three bags I bought too - keep those receipts! For phone bill percentage, I calculate it based on how much I actually use my phone for gig work versus personal use. I track my delivery hours versus total phone usage time. For me, it works out to about 30-35% since I do deliveries part-time. Some people just estimate, but I'd recommend being conservative and keeping records in case you get audited. Also don't forget phone accessories like car chargers, portable battery packs, and phone cases if you bought them specifically for delivery work!
Great thread! I went through this exact same confusion last year with DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Postmates. One thing I learned the hard way is to make sure you reconcile your bank deposits with what the platforms report. DoorDash's 1099-NEC was straightforward, but Uber's tax summary sometimes includes tips and other payments that might not match exactly with your bank records due to timing differences. I had to go through my statements month by month to make sure I wasn't missing any income or double-counting anything. Also, even though you can combine everything on one Schedule C, I'd suggest keeping a simple spreadsheet that breaks down your income by platform just for your own records. It helps you see which apps are actually worth your time and makes it easier if you ever need to answer questions about your income sources. The business code 492000 that Anastasia mentioned is spot on - that's what I used and had no issues with the IRS.
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Has anyone here had to deal with state taxes in this situation too? I'm in a similar boat (leaving H1B, still resident alien for federal) but not sure if I need to file as part-year resident for my state or what.
State taxation is completely separate from federal residency status. You would typically file as a part-year resident for your state, based on how long you physically lived there during 2022. Each state has different rules, but generally, you only pay state tax on income earned while you were physically present in that state. So unlike federal taxes where you're a resident alien for the whole year due to the substantial presence test, state residency is based on your actual physical presence and domicile. Make sure to check the specific rules for your state!
This is such a complex situation, and I really appreciate everyone's detailed responses! I'm in a somewhat similar position - was on F1 OPT status and then moved back to my home country, but I'm still trying to figure out if I meet the substantial presence test for my tax year. One thing that's been confusing me is the timing of when to file Form 2350. Should this be filed by the regular tax deadline (April 15th), or can it be filed later? And if you file the extension but then realize you don't actually qualify for either the physical presence or bona fide residence test, what happens then? Also, for those who used the online tools mentioned (taxr.ai) - did it help you calculate whether you actually meet the substantial presence test? That calculation seems tricky with all the different weightings for different years, and I want to make sure I'm doing it right before deciding between resident alien vs non-resident alien status.
Camila Castillo
Something no one's mentioned yet - if you don't want to reduce next year's contributions, you can also remove the excess $500 (plus any earnings on that amount) from your HSA before your tax filing deadline (including extensions). You'd need to contact your HSA administrator to do this properly as a "return of excess contributions." The advantage is you don't limit next year's contributions, but the downside is any earnings on the excess amount will be taxable income in the year you made the excess contribution.
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Brianna Muhammad
•If I do this removal option, do I need any special form from the HSA administrator to include with my tax return? And how would they calculate the "earnings" portion if the money's been sitting in various investments?
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Camila Castillo
•You don't need to include a special form with your tax return, but you should request a "return of excess contributions" from your HSA administrator rather than just making a normal withdrawal. They'll provide you with a corrected Form 5498-SA (showing your contributions) and Form 1099-SA (showing the distribution). For the earnings calculation, the HSA administrator will use an IRS-approved method to determine what portion of your investment gains are attributable to that excess $500. It's usually a pro-rata calculation based on the performance of your entire HSA. For example, if your HSA grew by 10% during the period the excess was in the account, they'd calculate earnings of about $50 on your $500 excess.
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Caleb Stone
Great thread with lots of helpful information! I'm dealing with a similar situation where I accidentally over-contributed $350 to my HSA this year. After reading through all the responses here, it sounds like the "carry forward" approach might be simplest for my situation. Just to make sure I understand correctly - I would report only the maximum allowable contribution on Form 8889 this year (not the actual amount that went in), and then next year I'd reduce my contributions by $350 to stay within the limit? One follow-up question - if my employer has an automatic payroll deduction set up for HSA contributions, should I contact HR now to adjust next year's deduction amount? I want to make sure I don't accidentally over-contribute again next year by forgetting about this $350 adjustment. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions!
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