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Don't overthink the W-4! It's just telling your employer how much to withhold, not how you'll actually file. My advice: if both you and your wife work, check the "Married but withhold at higher single rate" box on your W-4s. This prevents underwithholding. For actual tax filing, almost certainly file as "Married Filing Jointly" - it's usually better. For dependents: zero for both of you unless you have children or other qualifying dependents. Being on someone's health insurance doesn't make you their dependent.
But on the new W-4 form there isn't a "Married but withhold at higher single rate" box anymore. They redesigned it in 2020. Now you have to check a box in Step 2 that says "Multiple Jobs or Spouse Works" instead. The form is completely different now.
@Anita George is absolutely right - thanks for the correction! The W-4 was completely redesigned in 2020. There s'no longer a married "but withhold at higher single rate option." For dual-income married couples like @Kiara Fisherman and her wife, you ll want'to: 1. Select Married filing "jointly in Step" 1 2. Check the box in Step 2 for Multiple Jobs "or Spouse Works 3. You" can also use the IRS withholding calculator online or fill out the worksheet that comes with the W-4 to get more precise withholding amounts The new form is actually better at handling two-income households once you complete Step 2 properly. It just looks different from the old version!
As a fellow newcomer to the US tax system, I completely understand your confusion! I went through something similar when I first arrived. One thing that really helped me was understanding that the W-4 is just an estimate for withholding - you're not locked into anything. Since you're both working and newly married, I'd recommend: 1. Both select "Married filing jointly" on your W-4s 2. Make sure to check the "Multiple Jobs or Spouse Works" box in Step 2 on both forms 3. Consider using the IRS withholding calculator at irs.gov to get a more precise estimate For dependents, put 0 unless you have children or other qualifying dependents. Health insurance coverage doesn't make you dependents of each other. The good news is that when you file your actual tax return next year, you can choose the filing status that works best for you (likely married filing jointly), regardless of what you put on your W-4s. The W-4 is just to help get your withholding close to what you'll owe. Don't stress too much - you can always adjust your W-4 later if needed once you see how your first few paychecks look!
Great question about timing! I'd recommend checking after your first 2-3 paychecks to see if the withholding amounts feel right. You can do a quick estimate by looking at your year-to-date withholding and multiplying by how many pay periods are left in the year. The IRS withholding calculator is actually really helpful for this - you can input your actual pay stub information and it'll tell you if you're on track or need adjustments. I'd suggest running it again once you both have a few paychecks under your belt. And you're absolutely right about @Kiara Fisherman s'wife starting at a new school in August - that s'perfect timing to make any needed W-4 adjustments based on what you ve'learned from the first half of the year. Plus, having those first few months of actual paycheck data will make filling out the new W-4 much more accurate. One more tip: keep your first few pay stubs handy when you use the withholding calculator - you ll'need the year-to-date numbers for both federal tax withheld and total gross pay.
Great question about timing! I'd recommend checking after your first 2-3 paychecks to get a feel for the withholding amounts. You can also use the IRS withholding calculator anytime to see if you're on track - it's really helpful for getting a mid-year estimate. One thing I learned is to pay attention to your paystubs and calculate what percentage of your gross income is being withheld for federal taxes. For most people, it should be somewhere in the 10-22% range depending on your income level. If it seems way off (like only 5% or over 30%), that's a sign you might need to adjust. @Yara Sayegh makes a great point about your wife s'job change in August - that s'actually perfect timing to reassess everything once you both have a few months of paycheck data to work with. Plus by then you ll'have a better sense of your combined household income for the year. The nice thing about the US system is that it s'designed to be forgiving - as long as you re'reasonably close with your withholding, any overpayment comes back as a refund and small underpayments can usually be handled when you file.
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can anyone clarify if i should be answering "yes" or "no" when turbotax asks if i have "earned income"? my only income is SSDI but i get so confused by these questions. last year i said yes and i got rejected for eitc, but from what everyone is saying here, maybe i should have said no??
You should answer "no" to the earned income question if your only income is SSDI. Social Security Disability is NOT considered earned income - it's unearned income. I suspect that's why you got rejected for EITC last year. The tax software was probably calculating based on your SSDI as if it were earned income, which would have messed up your EITC calculation. To qualify for EITC, you need at least some earned income (from a job or self-employment), but your SSDI doesn't count either for or against that calculation.
This is such a common source of confusion! I went through the exact same thing with my spouse's SSDI benefits. What really helped me understand it was thinking of it this way: the Earned Income Tax Credit is specifically designed to supplement income from WORK - that's why it's called "earned" income credit. SSDI, while it's taxable income that goes on your tax return, isn't something you "earned" through current work activity. It's a disability benefit based on your past work history. So for EITC purposes, it doesn't count as earned income at all. The good news is that if you only have SSDI and no other earned income, you unfortunately won't qualify for EITC since you need at least some earned income to claim it. But if you have even a small amount of earned income from work alongside the SSDI, the SSDI won't count against you when calculating your EITC eligibility - only your work income matters for that calculation. It might be worth checking if you qualified for EITC in previous years when you had any work income, since this is such a commonly misunderstood rule!
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I messed this up last year and got a letter from the IRS. Make sure the health insurance plan is actually in YOUR name or your business name. My wife had purchased our family plan under her name only (even though she's not self-employed), and I tried to take the self-employed health insurance deduction. The IRS disallowed it and I had to pay back taxes plus a small penalty.
How did you find out it was disallowed? Did they just send you a letter, or did they do a full audit of your return?
This is such a helpful thread! I'm in a similar boat with W-2 income from my day job and Schedule C income from freelance consulting. One thing I learned the hard way is to keep really detailed records of your health insurance payments throughout the year. The IRS wants to see that you actually paid the premiums (not just that you were supposed to pay them), so keep all your bank statements, credit card statements, or cancelled checks showing the monthly payments. Also, if you have any gaps in coverage during the year, you can only deduct premiums for the months you were actually covered. Since you mentioned your Schedule C business is profitable and generates most of your income, you should be in great shape to take the full deduction. Just make sure you don't deduct more than your net self-employment income - that's the cap on how much you can claim.
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Quick question - I'm in a similar situation but my balance is pretty small (like $300). Is it worth keeping the HSA open or should I just use it up? Are there fees I should worry about?
It depends on the HSA administrator. Some charge monthly maintenance fees ($2-5) if you're no longer with the employer that established the account. If that's the case and your balance is small, it might make sense to use it up rather than let it dwindle from fees. Check with your HSA administrator about their fee structure for former employees. If there are no fees, I'd personally keep it open since those dollars are still tax-advantaged. Even $300 tax-free is better than nothing for future medical expenses.
Just checked with my administrator and you're right - they charge $3.50 monthly for accounts no longer associated with the employer's group. Guess I'll be spending that $300 quickly before the fees eat it up! Thanks for the advice.
Your team lead is definitely confusing HSAs with FSAs! This is such a common mix-up that causes unnecessary panic. HSA funds are YOUR money - they don't disappear, become taxable, or change status just because you left your job. Here's what actually happens when you leave your employer: - Your existing HSA balance remains yours forever - The money stays tax-free for qualified medical expenses - You just can't make NEW contributions unless you have a qualifying high-deductible health plan - The account may transfer to individual management (sometimes with different fees) Feel free to save that money for your February dental work! There's absolutely no deadline to spend it. In fact, many people use HSAs as long-term retirement healthcare savings vehicles because the funds never expire. Your team lead probably meant well but was thinking of FSAs (use-it-or-lose-it accounts) rather than HSAs. Completely different rules!
Raj Gupta
Has anyone used direct file with income from multiple states? I have my main retirement and SSA-1099 in Florida (no state income tax), but I also have a small rental property in Georgia that generates some income. Will direct file handle this correctly?
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Lena Müller
•I had a similar situation last year with property in two states. Direct File isn't great for multi-state situations in my experience. It'll handle your federal return fine with the SSA-1099 and rental income, but for the Georgia state return, it gets complicated. When it transfers data to Georgia's system, it might not properly allocate which income is subject to Georgia tax vs what's exempt. I ended up using a paid preparer for this specific situation.
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AstroAce
@Esmeralda Gómez Since you're retired with only SSA-1099 income, you're in a great position to use Direct File! The process is actually pretty straightforward for your situation. After you complete your federal return through the IRS Direct File system, it will give you an option to transfer your information to your state's tax filing system (assuming your state participates). The IRS doesn't file your state return directly - instead, it sends your basic information and income data to your state's tax portal, which then pre-fills a state return form for you. For someone with just Social Security income, most of the transfer should be seamless. Your SSA-1099 information will carry over automatically, and you'll mainly just need to review the pre-filled state form and answer any state-specific questions before submitting. The key thing to remember is that you'll need to complete both steps - the federal filing through Direct File, and then the state filing through your state's portal after the data transfer. Don't worry about messing anything up - the system guides you through each step pretty clearly!
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