Be careful with some of the advice here! I had a rental vacant for 9 months last year and my accountant said I could only deduct a percentage of expenses based on the occupied vs vacant months (8/12 of annual expenses). Something about "not actively engaged in business" during those months. Anyone else been told this?

I went through this exact same situation with my rental duplex last year! Had one unit vacant for 5 months and was worried about deducting expenses. After doing a lot of research and talking to my CPA, I can confirm that HOA dues are absolutely deductible during vacancy periods as long as you're actively marketing the property for rent. The key is documentation - I kept a detailed log of all my rental activities during the vacancy: every Zillow listing renewal, Craigslist post, showing appointment, and even declined applications. I also took photos of any maintenance or improvements I did to make the property more rentable. One tip that helped me: I created a simple spreadsheet tracking all my marketing efforts with dates and screenshots. When I filed my taxes, I included this as backup documentation. My CPA said this level of detail really shows the IRS that you're serious about renting the property and not just trying to claim personal property expenses as business deductions. Don't let the vacancy stress you out too much from a tax perspective - it's a normal part of being a landlord and the IRS recognizes that!

Just wanted to share what I learned from my accountant about this exact issue. For nearly all 1099-NECs from businesses (including Google/YouTube): 1. The Payer's Federal Tax ID is always an EIN for businesses 2. It should follow the xx-xxxxxxx format 3. Google often prints it without the dash, but it's still an EIN 4. Only individual payers (like if a person hired you directly) would use an SSN If you're making decent money on YouTube, consider getting an accountant who specializes in creator income. There are so many deductions available that most people miss! I was able to write off a portion of my internet, my editing software, equipment, and even part of my home as a studio space.

Another creator here - wanted to add that Google's EIN is actually publicly available information. Their EIN is 77-0493581, so you can verify your 1099-NEC has the right info. Most big tech companies' EINs can be found online.

Don't forget about the SALT (State And Local Tax) deduction cap of $10,000! Even if your state income tax and property tax combined are higher, you can only deduct up to $10k when itemizing. This trips up a lot of homeowners in high-tax states who assume all their property taxes will help push them over the standard deduction threshold.

Sarah, based on the calculations others have shared, it looks like you actually made the right choice by taking the standard deduction! With $9,800 in mortgage interest, $3,400 in property taxes, and $1,000 in charitable donations, your total itemized deductions would be around $14,200. Since the standard deduction for married filing jointly was $27,700 in 2023, you saved about $13,500 by taking the standard deduction instead of itemizing. This is actually a common misconception among new homeowners - many assume that having a mortgage automatically means they should itemize, but with the increased standard deduction amounts since 2018, most people still benefit more from the standard deduction unless they have very high mortgage interest or live in high-tax states with significant property taxes. So don't stress about this! Your tax software did exactly what it was supposed to do by automatically selecting the more beneficial option for you. No amended return needed in your case.

Check your WMR (Wheres My Refund) tool daily. Sometimes it updates before the transcript shows changes.

Based on your transcript, you're in great shape! Your return processed cleanly on March 3rd with no holds or additional review codes. The April 17th dates you see for codes 766 and 768 are just IRS system placeholders - they don't represent when you'll actually receive your refund. Code 766 is a credit to your account ($3,042) and code 768 is your Earned Income Credit ($5,116), totaling your $8,158 refund. Since your transcript shows processing complete with a negative balance (money owed to you), you should expect your refund within 7-21 business days from March 3rd. The key indicator is that there are no additional transaction codes after the initial processing, which means no delays or reviews. Most people with similar clean transcripts see their refunds hit their accounts within 2-3 weeks of the processing date. Keep checking your bank account - it could arrive any day now!

I went through this exact situation with my E-Trade Roth IRA about 6 months ago. Here's what I learned that might help you: First, the good news - since your account has been sitting there without investments, you likely have little to no earnings. As others mentioned, you can withdraw your original contributions penalty-free and tax-free at any time from a Roth IRA. To find out exactly what's contributions vs. earnings, log into your E-Trade account and look for "Account History" or "Tax Documents." You can also call them and ask specifically for your "Form 5498" information, which shows your contribution history. One thing that surprised me - even small amounts of interest from uninvested cash can count as "earnings." My $1,800 sitting in the settlement fund for years had earned about $15 in interest, which would have been subject to penalties if I withdrew it. The withdrawal process itself was straightforward once I knew my numbers. I was able to withdraw just my contribution amount online, and the money hit my bank account in 2 business days. E-Trade automatically generates the tax forms you'll need (Form 1099-R) at year-end. Since you're in Texas, you won't have state tax complications to worry about. Just make sure you only withdraw the contribution amount to avoid any federal penalties on earnings.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in a similar situation where I need to understand my withdrawal options, but I wanted to add one important point that hasn't been mentioned yet. If you're under 59½ and this is your first time withdrawing from a Roth IRA, make sure you understand the "ordering rules" for withdrawals. The IRS requires that you withdraw funds in this specific order: 1. Regular contributions (always tax and penalty-free) 2. Conversion contributions (may have penalties if under 5 years) 3. Earnings (subject to taxes and penalties if early withdrawal) Since your sister set up the account 7 years ago, you're likely dealing with regular contributions which come out first and are always penalty-free. But it's worth confirming with E-Trade what type of contributions were made to be absolutely certain. Also, even though you need the money urgently, consider if there are any other options first. Once you withdraw from a Roth IRA, you can't put that money back (unlike a 401k loan). The tax-free growth potential you're giving up could be significant over time, especially since you're young enough to have the account grow for decades. That said, financial emergencies are real and sometimes accessing these funds is the best available option. Just wanted to make sure you have all the information to make the best decision for your situation!