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If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
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An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
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Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
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One thing to consider - if you're in a high-tax state, the state tax savings could be substantial too! Everyone always focuses on federal, but don't forget to factor in state tax savings when deciding if a dedicated home office is worth it. In my case (California), the state tax savings added another 30% on top of the federal savings from my home office deduction.
Great point! We're in Illinois with a flat 4.95% income tax rate, so that would add another ~$190 in savings based on the numbers above. Definitely makes the dedicated space seem more worthwhile when you factor in both federal and state tax benefits.
Just wanted to add something that might be helpful - make sure you understand the record-keeping requirements if you do set up that dedicated space. The IRS expects you to maintain detailed records showing the exclusive business use. I keep a simple log of my business activities in the space, take dated photos of the setup, and maintain receipts for any office-related purchases. It might seem like overkill, but if you're ever audited, having thorough documentation makes the process much smoother. Also, consider the timing - if you're setting up the space mid-year, you can only deduct expenses for the portion of the year it was actually used for business. So if you convert the space in July, you'd only get 6 months of deductions for 2025. With your numbers ($920 federal + $190 state), even a partial year could be worthwhile, and you'd get the full benefit starting in 2026.
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Question for anybody who's filed Form 8828 before... Does turbtax handle this form correctly? I tried putting in my info and it's calculating a really high recapture amount that doesn't seem right based on what I've read.
In my experience, TurboTax struggles with Form 8828. When I had to file it last year, it calculated my recapture amount as $4,800 when it should have been closer to $1,200. I ended up using H&R Block's software instead, which handled it correctly. The MCC recapture calculation is pretty complex and TurboTax seems to just use the maximum possible amount rather than correctly calculating the adjusted amount based on your specific circumstances.
Thanks for the tip! I thought I was going crazy seeing that number. I'll try H&R Block instead. Did you have to enter anything special to get it to calculate correctly?
Based on your situation, you're absolutely in the clear! Since you owned your home for 11+ years after getting your MCC in 2013, you're well past the 9-year recapture period. The recapture tax under Form 8828 only applies to homes sold within 9 years of receiving the mortgage credit certificate. You don't need to file Form 8828 at all, and you don't need to worry about any recapture tax liability. The 9-year timeline you mentioned is exactly right - it's designed to protect homeowners who stay in their homes long-term, which is exactly what you did. Just to put your mind at ease: even if you hypothetically needed to file the form (which you don't), married couples filing jointly would only need to submit one Form 8828, not separate forms for each spouse. But again, since you're past the 9-year mark, this is all academic for your situation. Congratulations on being a long-term homeowner - the MCC program worked exactly as intended in your case!
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Has anyone calculated how much time they're losing on this? I've spent exactly 3.5 hours over 2 days trying to access my transcripts. Need them to verify my $4,750 refund status. Called IRS exactly 8 times with average wait time of 47 minutes before disconnecting. This is costing people real money in wasted time.
Shouldn't the IRS extend filing deadlines when their own systems prevent us from accessing necessary information? How are we supposed to verify our information when we can't even see our transcripts?
I finally got in on April 12th at around 2:15 AM! Such a relief. I was worried I wouldn't be able to get the documentation I needed for my mortgage application due on April 15th.
I'm experiencing the same issue! Been trying to access my transcripts since yesterday morning for a loan application and keep getting timed out. This is really concerning since I have a deadline coming up. Has anyone tried using the mobile app instead of the website? Sometimes different platforms have different server loads. Also wondering if there's an official IRS Twitter account or status page where they post about these outages?
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Have you considered a Cash Balance plan? With your income level, it might be worth looking into. It's a type of defined benefit plan that could allow you to contribute significantly more than a Solo 401k, especially if you're a bit older and trying to catch up on retirement savings.
I've heard of Cash Balance plans but don't know much about them. What kind of contribution amounts are we talking about and what's the setup/maintenance cost compared to a Solo 401k?
With your income level, you could potentially contribute $100,000-$200,000+ annually to a Cash Balance plan, depending on your age and other factors. The older you are, the higher the allowable contribution. The downside is definitely the cost and complexity. You'll need an actuary to set it up and perform annual certifications, which typically runs $2,000-$3,000 per year, plus initial setup fees. There are also more complex testing requirements and mandatory contributions. It makes the most sense if you: 1) consistently earn high income, 2) want to contribute much more than the Solo 401(k) limits, and 3) plan to maintain the plan for at least 5+ years.
Speaking from experience as a self-employed photographer with similar income - don't overlook a backdoor Roth IRA in addition to whatever main retirement plan you choose. I max out my Solo 401k first but also do the backdoor Roth for that tax-free growth. The contribution is small compared to what you can put in a Solo 401k but the long-term tax benefits are huge.
Can you still do a backdoor Roth if you have an existing SEP IRA? I tried to do this last year and my accountant said something about the pro-rata rule making it inefficient.
You're absolutely right about the pro-rata rule. If you have any traditional IRA balances (including SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, etc.), the backdoor Roth conversion gets complicated because the IRS treats all your traditional IRAs as one big pot when calculating the taxable portion of the conversion. One potential workaround is rolling your existing SEP IRA into a Solo 401(k) if your plan allows it (most do). This removes the traditional IRA balance and clears the way for clean backdoor Roth conversions. Just make sure to do this before December 31st of the year you want to do the backdoor Roth to avoid the pro-rata calculation.
Talia Klein
I work at a brokerage firm (not as a tax pro, just operations) and see this confusion ALL THE TIME. Your advisor is flat-out wrong. Here's the simple version of what happens with an inherited IRA and RMDs: 1. Year of death: Beneficiaries must satisfy any remaining RMD the original owner hadn't taken. 2. Years after death: Beneficiaries follow the 10-year rule (completely empty the account within 10 years) unless they qualify for an exception. The only exception to taking the year-of-death RMD is if the original owner died BEFORE their required beginning date for RMDs (which is age 73 for people born between 1951-1959, and 75 for people born in 1960 or later). Tell your advisor to check IRS Notice 2022-53 if they don't believe you.
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Maxwell St. Laurent
•What if the original IRA owner was taking RMDs but died early in the year before taking any distribution? Do the beneficiaries have to take the full RMD amount for that year?
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Talia Klein
•Yes, if the original owner died after their required beginning date (when they've already started taking RMDs) but hadn't taken any of their RMD for the year, the beneficiaries would be responsible for taking the ENTIRE RMD amount for that year. The RMD obligation doesn't disappear with death - if the person was already subject to RMDs, then that year's distribution must be taken, whether by the original owner while alive or by the beneficiaries after death. The beneficiaries would split the responsibility according to their percentage of inheritance (so if three beneficiaries with equal shares, each would take 1/3 of the required amount).
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PaulineW
Quick practical tip - if you're close to year-end and worried about getting the RMD done in time, most custodians have a "year of death RMD" form or process specifically for this situation. I went through this with my dad's IRA last year. Call the financial institution where the IRA is held and specifically ask about the "deceased owner's RMD" process. Different from the regular inherited IRA withdrawal forms. Also, make sure the custodian establishes the inherited IRA correctly in your wife's name - it should say something like "John Smith (deceased) FBO Jane Smith, Beneficiary" - this proper titling is important for tax reporting purposes.
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Annabel Kimball
•Does the year-of-death RMD get reported on the deceased person's final tax return or on the beneficiary's tax return?
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Natasha Kuznetsova
•The year-of-death RMD gets reported on the beneficiary's tax return, not the deceased person's final return. Even though it's considered the deceased owner's "missed" RMD, the IRS treats it as taxable income to whoever actually receives the distribution. So in your wife's case, when she and her brothers take their portions of the remaining RMD, each will report their share as IRA distribution income on their individual tax returns for this year. The custodian should issue 1099-R forms to each beneficiary showing their portion of the distribution. This is different from other assets that might appear on the deceased's final return - inherited IRA distributions are always taxable to the beneficiary who receives them, regardless of whether it's a year-of-death RMD or regular inherited IRA distributions in future years.
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