Don't forget about the year of disposition too! The year you convert a property back to personal use or sell it has special depreciation rules. You generally only get half the annual depreciation in the year you place it in service AND in the year you dispose of it (the "mid-month convention").

Great information in this thread! Just to summarize the key points for @dcac7ecca8da: 1. Your rental property conversion date is November 2014 when tenants moved in, not when you moved out 2. Form 3115 is definitely the right approach - don't amend prior returns 3. You'll get the catch-up depreciation deduction on your 2025 return, but no refunds for prior years 4. The IRS will still treat you as having taken depreciation when you sell (even though you didn't), so filing Form 3115 now prevents you from losing those deductions entirely One additional tip: make sure to keep good records of when you converted the property to rental use and any improvements you've made since then. The IRS may ask for documentation if they have questions about your Form 3115. Also, since you mentioned this is a military move situation, you might want to check if there are any special provisions that apply to your situation, though the standard depreciation rules should still apply to your rental property. Good luck with your filing!

I've been through this exact same situation! As a fellow Pennsylvania homeowner, I can confirm that sales tax on warranty deductibles is indeed legal here. Pennsylvania taxes most repair services to tangible personal property, which includes home appliances and systems. The inconsistency you're experiencing is super common because warranty companies typically contract with different local service providers for different types of repairs. Each contractor may handle the tax collection differently - some build it into their rates, others collect it separately, and some might not collect it at all (though they're supposed to). One thing that helped me was asking my warranty company for a list of their "preferred contractors" in my area and specifically asking about their tax policies when I call to schedule service. That way I know what to expect on the bill. You might also want to keep records of which contractors charged tax vs. which didn't - if you ever get audited, you'll want to show you paid the proper taxes when they were collected. The $6.50 in tax on a $100 deductible sounds about right for PA's sales tax rate. Welcome to homeownership - it's always something new to learn!

Great question about verifying contractor licensing! In Pennsylvania, you can check if a contractor is properly registered to collect sales tax through the PA Department of Revenue's online business search tool. Just search for their business name or license number - legitimate contractors should have a valid PA sales tax license. However, here's an important distinction: even if a contractor doesn't collect sales tax from you at the time of service, that doesn't necessarily mean they're doing anything wrong. Some contractors pay the sales tax directly to the state themselves and build it into their service rates, rather than collecting it separately from customers. This is called "absorbing the tax" and it's completely legal. The real issue would be if NO sales tax is being paid to the state at all on these transactions. But as the customer, that's not really your responsibility to police - it's between the contractor and the state revenue department. For your own records though, I'd definitely recommend keeping detailed receipts showing which contractors charged you tax separately and which didn't. If you're ever questioned about it, you can show you paid tax when it was collected and relied on the contractors to handle it properly when it wasn't.

Another thing to consider with the EIC look back provision is that if your filing status changed between 2023 and 2024, this can dramatically affect how the calculation works. I went from filing Single in 2023 to Head of Household in 2024 after getting custody of my nephew. When I used the look back provision, it used my 2023 income but with my new 2024 filing status and dependents, which actually gave me a much higher EIC than either year would have individually. Tax software doesn't explain this well at all - it just asks if you want to use last year's income without showing how the calculation changes.

Don't forget that the look back provision ONLY applies to earned income for calculating the EIC and Additional Child Tax Credit. It doesn't affect other parts of your tax return. I made this mistake by thinking my entire tax situation would be calculated using my 2023 income, but that's not how it works. Only the specific credits get recalculated - everything else (standard deduction, tax brackets, other credits) still uses your actual 2024 income and status.

Be careful relying too heavily on cycle codes. Last year I had an 05 code and was told to expect an update that Friday. Nothing happened for three weeks, and when I finally got through to an IRS agent, they told me my return had been flagged for a random review which completely threw off the normal cycle timing. The cycle code is just one piece of the puzzle and doesn't account for other factors that might delay processing.

Based on my experience with cycle code 05, here's what you can realistically expect: Your return gets processed Thursday nights around midnight EST, and any updates typically show up on your transcript by Friday morning around 6 AM. However, don't set your expectations too high for immediate movement. I've seen 05 cycle codes take anywhere from 1-4 weeks to show actual progress, especially during peak season like now. The code just tells you WHEN your account gets looked at, not IF it will move forward. Since you filed jointly for the first time, there might be additional verification steps that could delay things regardless of your cycle code. My advice? Check Friday morning, but have a backup plan for your finances that doesn't depend on getting your refund this week.

Had this issue. Fixed it myself. Called the TPP directly. Number is different. Regular agents can't help. Asked for supervisor on third call. Got transferred properly. Verified identity by phone. Refund arrived three weeks later. Don't wait for letters. Be proactive. Keep detailed notes of each call. Names and badge numbers help. Good luck.

This exact situation happened to me last year, and I completely understand your frustration. The inconsistent information is maddening when you're depending on that refund. Here's what I learned after going through this nightmare: the regular customer service reps literally cannot see your full case details when you're in TPP (Taxpayer Protection Program). They're looking at different systems that don't talk to each other, which explains the wildly different answers. What finally worked for me was calling early morning (7-8 AM seems to be the sweet spot) and immediately asking to be transferred to the Taxpayer Protection Program department. Don't let them tell you they can help - they can't. You need TPP specifically. Have your prior year AGI ready and be prepared to answer security questions. Also, check if you can access idverify.irs.gov - some people can complete verification online without waiting for the letter. The anxiety of not knowing what's happening while drowning in debt is real, and I'm sorry you're going through this. Document every call with names and reference numbers. You've got this!