Everyone's giving good advice about claiming a domestic partner, but don't forget to consider the future! When your partner finishes law school and starts working, your tax situation will change dramatically. My wife and I were in the same boat (I supported her through med school), and we actually ended up paying MORE in taxes after marriage because of the marriage penalty when both people have good incomes.

Just wanted to chime in as someone who works in tax preparation - you're on the right track! Based on your description, your domestic partner would likely qualify as a "qualifying relative" dependent. The key things to document are: 1. Keep receipts for all the expenses you're paying (rent, utilities, groceries, phone, insurance) 2. Get a statement of his total student loan disbursements for the year 3. Track any income he earns from tutoring or other sources Since you mentioned he only makes about $2,500 from tutoring and the loans only cover tuition/books while you handle all living expenses, you should easily meet both the income test (under $5,000) and the support test (you're providing more than 50% of total support). One thing I always tell clients - calculate the actual dollar amounts to be sure. Add up everything: tuition, books, rent, food, utilities, transportation, clothing, medical expenses, etc. Then make sure your contributions are more than half of that total. It sounds like they definitely are, but having the numbers documented will give you confidence and protection if questions ever arise. The dependent exemption can be a significant tax benefit, so it's worth claiming if you qualify!

Quick tip that helped me - if you can pay even part of what you owe immediately, do it! Even paying $500-1000 of your balance shows good faith and might make them more willing to work with you on the rest. I was able to get on an installment plan for the remaining balance and they held off on filing the lien.

Don't let this overwhelm you - a Notice of Federal Tax Lien sounds scarier than it actually is in practice! I went through something very similar about 18 months ago when I owed around $4,200 to the IRS after some freelance work complications. The key thing to remember is that the IRS actually WANTS to work with you - they'd rather get their money through a payment plan than go through the hassle of seizing assets. When I called them (after many attempts to get through), the agent was surprisingly understanding and helped me set up a $130/month payment plan. Here's what I wish I'd known earlier: once you're on an approved installment agreement, they typically won't file the lien as long as you keep making your payments on time. Even if they do file it, you can request a lien withdrawal after making just 3 consecutive payments under your agreement. My biggest mistake was waiting so long to contact them. The penalties and interest kept piling up while I was avoiding the situation. Act now - call them first thing Monday morning, explain your job loss situation, and they'll likely be very willing to work with you on affordable monthly payments. You've got this!

Something similar happened to me and it turned out I had checked the wrong box on step 2 of the W4. I had checked 2(b) which is the "use the multiple jobs worksheet" option instead of 2(c) "if there is only one job total". This made the system think I needed to withhold at a higher rate to cover multiple jobs. Rookie mistake but easy to fix!

The W4 form definitely takes some getting used to after the old allowances system! Based on your situation, I'd suggest double-checking a few key areas: 1. **Step 1**: Make sure you selected "Married filing jointly" not "Single or Married filing separately" 2. **Step 2(c)**: Since your spouse doesn't work, you should check the box that says "If there is only one job total" 3. **Step 3**: Enter $2,000 for your child (qualifying children under 17 get the full Child Tax Credit) Missing any of these could easily cause the overwithholding you're experiencing. The good news is you can submit a corrected W4 to your payroll department anytime - it usually takes effect within 1-2 pay periods. For future reference, the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator tool on their website is really helpful for getting your withholding dialed in perfectly. It walks you through your exact situation and tells you exactly what to put on each line of the W4. Don't worry about the money already over-withheld - you'll get it back as a refund when you file your taxes!

I've heard that the EITC is different for each tax year because of inflation adjustments. Does anyone know what the threshold was for 2021? I'm trying to figure out if I should amend my return.

Just wanted to add some context about why you might be behind on your taxes - the IRS has been dealing with massive processing delays, especially for amended returns. Your February 2022 amended return not getting processed until December 2022 is unfortunately pretty typical of what many people experienced during that period. For your current situation, as others have mentioned, you're just over the 2022 EITC threshold. But definitely keep those expanded 2021 rules in mind that @Freya Pedersen mentioned - if you were between 19-24 in 2021, you might have qualified under the special COVID provisions even if you didn't think you were eligible at the time. The income limits were much higher that year, so it's worth double-checking your 2021 situation. Also, make sure you're calculating your AGI correctly. Your AGI should generally be close to your earned income if you're just filing a basic return with W-2 income. If there's a big difference between your W-2 wages ($13,100) and your calculated AGI ($16,800), you might want to double-check that calculation or see if there are other income sources you forgot about.

Just to add some practical advice - whether or not you form an LLC, definitely keep track of ALL your business expenses for your photography work. Gear, software, travel to shoots, portion of home used exclusively for business, etc. These are deductible regardless of how you're classified. If you are properly an independent contractor (which doesn't sound like the case here), you'd report these on Schedule C. If you're an employee, some expenses might be eligible as unreimbursed employee business expenses, though the tax benefits are more limited since the 2017 tax law changes. But the classification issue is the bigger concern. If you're being treated like an employee, you should be classified as one, LLC or not.

One thing nobody's mentioned yet - if you do decide to form an LLC (for your legitimate freelance photography, separate from your employment situation), consider talking to an insurance agent about professional liability insurance. An LLC provides some protection, but having insurance is even better protection against potential lawsuits from unsatisfied clients. I learned this the hard way when a wedding client sued me after claiming I missed important moments. My LLC helped, but having insurance would have saved me thousands in legal fees even though I eventually won the case.