Thanks for asking this important question! Here's what you need to know about HOH status: • HOH requires a qualifying dependent (child, parent, or relative) • Must pay more than 50% of household expenses • Must be considered unmarried (single, divorced, etc.) • Same address doesn't automatically disqualify dual HOH • But requires proof of separate economic households Without dependents, they'll file as Single. With dependents, they'll need clear documentation showing separate household maintenance.

This is a tricky situation that trips up a lot of people! The key thing to remember is that Head of Household status isn't about who lives where - it's about financial responsibility and dependents. If your brother and his girlfriend don't have any qualifying dependents (kids, elderly parents they support, etc.), then they both need to file as Single. No exceptions. If one or both DO have qualifying dependents, then it gets more complex. They'd each need to prove they're maintaining separate households within the same residence AND paying more than half the cost of keeping up their respective "households." This means separate grocery bills, utilities split in a documentable way, etc. Given that you mentioned needing to know ASAP and wanting to avoid an audit, I'd strongly recommend going the conservative route: file them both as Single unless there are clear qualifying dependents AND you have rock-solid documentation of separate household expenses. The IRS tends to scrutinize dual HOH claims at the same address pretty carefully. Better safe than sorry when it comes to filing status!

Has anyone used the TurboTax iPad app for filing with rental property income? Im worried it might be too basic for handling depreciation schedules and expense tracking compared to the desktop version.

I'm in a similar boat - had to sell our desktop computer last year and only have iPhones and an iPad now. From what everyone's saying here, it sounds like there are actually several good mobile options for filing taxes with more complex situations like ours. The TurboTax mobile app seems like the safest bet since you're already familiar with their interface and trust their results. I appreciate @Oliver Cheng explaining that it has all the same features as the desktop version - that's exactly what I was worried about missing. @Taylor To's recommendation of taxr.ai sounds intriguing too, especially the document scanning feature. That would save so much time compared to manually entering all those numbers from W-2s and 1099s. Though I'm curious about the cost comparison between that and TurboTax Deluxe. Ashley, given your specific needs with mortgage deductions, charitable donations, and education credits, I'd probably start with the TurboTax app since you know it works well for your situation. You can always download it and explore the interface before committing to purchase the Deluxe upgrade. The fact that you can switch between your iPhone and iPad seamlessly is a huge plus too. The filing deadline stress is real - but it sounds like you have some solid mobile options to choose from!

4 Hey, don't forget that IRA withdrawals themselves are taxable income (unless it's a Roth), separate from any gift tax issues! So you'll pay income tax on the withdrawal first, then potentially gift tax if you exceed the annual exclusion when giving it to your spouse.

Just want to add another consideration that might be relevant - if you're planning multiple years of transfers, you might want to spread them out strategically. Since the annual exclusion resets each year, you could potentially transfer $175,000 this year and another $175,000 next year (assuming the limit stays the same or increases with inflation adjustments). Also, timing matters for IRA withdrawals if you're doing this over multiple years. Once you hit 73, you'll have required minimum distributions (RMDs) that might affect your withdrawal strategy. If you're planning ahead, it might be worth calculating whether it makes sense to do larger transfers now while you have more control over the timing and amounts. One more thing - keep good records of everything! Gift tax returns and documentation become really important for estate planning purposes down the road, especially with the current high lifetime exemption amounts potentially changing in the future.

took like 3 weeks for my transcript to update after filing. yours should update soon

This is totally normal! Your transcript won't show your current year return info until it's fully processed, which can take 2-3 weeks for e-filed returns. The old address is just what's on file from previous years. Once they process your 2023 return, the transcript will populate with all the current info including your new address. Just be patient - if there were any issues with your return, you'd receive a rejection notice within 24-48 hours of filing.

I switched from TurboTax to TaxAct last year and honestly the $50 I saved went straight to buying pizza lol. Both got me the same refund amount. TurboTax is prettier but TaxAct works fine. Im never going back to paying turbotax prices again tbh.

I've been using TaxAct for the past 3 years after switching from TurboTax, and for what it's worth, I think you're overthinking this a bit. Both software options will calculate your taxes correctly - the IRS requirements are the same regardless of which platform you use. Given your situation (investment income, freelancing, property sale), either software can handle it. TaxAct's interface might feel a bit clunky at first if you're used to TurboTax's hand-holding, but you'll adapt quickly. The $10 savings plus getting actual audit representation (vs just guidance) seems like the smarter financial choice here. One practical tip: whichever you choose, make sure to import your investment documents electronically rather than typing them manually. Both platforms support this and it'll save you hours of data entry while reducing errors. That's probably more important for audit prevention than which audit protection plan you pick.