Lotta confusion in this thread! I installed solar skylights last year and here's what I learned: - Regular "energy efficient" skylights: 30% credit up to whatever portion of the $3,200 annual limit - Solar-powered skylights (just the operating mechanism): Same as above, under the $3,200 limit - TRUE solar skylights that generate electricity for your home: 30% credit with NO annual limit Most skylights branded as "solar" are just the middle category - the solar part only opens/closes the skylight. If you want the unlimited credit, look into actual solar roof windows that generate electricity (like some GAF or Tesla products). Much more expensive but different tax treatment.

Has anyone actually claimed these credits yet on their taxes? I'm curious which forms you used. I've heard conflicting advice from my tax software versus what my friend's accountant told him.

Has anyone actually looked at box 12 on all three forms? Sometimes companies will use multiple W2s if they have different types of income or benefits to report in box 12 (codes A-Z). This happened to me when I had regular wages plus stock options.

This is definitely confusing, but you're not alone in dealing with multiple W2s from the same employer! Based on your description, it sounds like your company's payroll system is separating different types of tax reporting across multiple forms. A few things to check that might help clarify the situation: 1. Look at the "Employee's social security number" box on each form - they should all be identical and match your SSN. If they're different, that could indicate a data entry error. 2. Check if there are any codes in box 12 on any of the forms. Sometimes employers issue separate W2s when they need to report different types of compensation (like regular wages vs. bonuses, stock options, or retirement contributions). 3. The fact that your total earnings appear consistently across all three forms in different boxes is actually a good sign - it suggests the forms are related parts of your complete tax picture rather than errors. For your immediate next steps: definitely talk to your payroll department as planned. Ask them specifically why they issued three forms and request a corrected W2 showing your actual state of residence. Most tax software can handle multiple W2s from the same employer without double-counting income, but you want to make sure the state information is accurate. Don't stress too much - this is more common than you'd think, especially with companies that have complex payroll systems or operate across multiple states. The key is getting proper documentation from your employer about why the forms were issued this way.

One thing nobody's mentioned is that whatever you decide now might be difficult to change later. When I joined my accounting firm as a partner, I pushed to have my K-1 issued to my S-corp and it created some complications when I later wanted to change the structure. The operating agreement had specific language about partner entities that made it really tough to modify my arrangement. We ended up having to revise the entire operating agreement (at significant legal cost) to accommodate the change.

I'm going through a similar decision with my veterinary practice partnership right now. After reading through all these responses, I'm leaning toward keeping things simple and having the K-1 issued directly to me personally. The complexity and potential complications seem to outweigh the tax benefits, especially considering what @Riya Sharma mentioned about professional licensing and credentialing issues. In veterinary medicine, we have similar concerns with state licensing boards and insurance credentialing that could be affected by entity structure changes. @Jayden Reed - have you considered whether your medical malpractice insurance would be affected by having an LLC as the partner instead of you personally? That's another angle I'm investigating for my situation. Some malpractice carriers have specific requirements about entity structures for coverage. Based on what everyone's shared, it sounds like the S-corp election for payroll tax savings can be achieved without forcing the K-1 structure change, which would avoid the conflict with your managing partner entirely.

Just to add some clarity here - withholding and estimated payments are treated very differently by the IRS. Withholding from paychecks is treated as if it occurred evenly throughout the year, even if it didn't. So if you significantly increase your withholding in December, the IRS treats it as if you paid that amount throughout the entire year. Estimated payments don't get this favorable treatment. They're credited when you actually make them. This is why the uneven payment question matters. A strategy many people with both W-2 and self-employment income use: increase your W-2 withholding rather than making estimated payments. Since withholding is treated as occurring evenly throughout the year, you avoid the whole question of uneven estimated payments.

One thing no one has mentioned yet - if you don't meet any safe harbor and have to use Form 2210 to calculate penalties, you can use the "annualized income installment method" by completing Schedule AI of Form 2210. This is SUPER helpful if your income is extremely uneven throughout the year. For example, if you made 70% of your income in Q4, you'd naturally have a much larger Q4 estimated payment. The annualized method accounts for this. It's more work to complete the form, but it can save you from penalties if your income isn't earned evenly and you don't meet either safe harbor test.

Has anyone had luck with state efiling for prior years? I know the IRS doesn't allow it, but I'm wondering if some states might have different rules? I'm in California if that matters.

I went through this exact same situation last year! Unfortunately, as others have mentioned, you really can't efile prior year returns through any service - it's just not allowed by the IRS regardless of who prepares them. What I ended up doing was printing my completed TurboTax returns and sending them via USPS Priority Mail with tracking. It actually wasn't as slow as I expected - my returns were processed within about 6-8 weeks, which is pretty standard for paper filing. One tip that helped me: I called the IRS processing center for my area about 3 weeks after mailing to confirm they received my returns. You can find the right number on the IRS website based on where you're mailing your returns. It gave me peace of mind knowing they actually got them and were in the system. The certified mail route that Connor mentioned is also a good option if you want extra proof of delivery, though it does cost a bit more than regular Priority Mail.