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I'm wondering if the simplified option for home office deduction would be better in your case? You get $5 per square foot up to 300 square feet (max $1,500). Less paperwork and no need to track all those actual expenses. Might be worth calculating both ways to see which gives you the better deduction.
The simplified method is definitely easier but often results in a smaller deduction. When I ran both calculations for my 250 sq ft home office, the regular method gave me about $3,800 in deductions while the simplified would have been only $1,250. Worth doing the math both ways.
As a partner with K-1 income, you're definitely eligible for the home office deduction since you're treated as self-employed for tax purposes. Your situation sounds like a clear case for claiming it - working 40+ hours weekly from home with only occasional visits to the firm office establishes your home as your principal place of business. One key point to emphasize: make sure your home office space is used EXCLUSIVELY for business. The IRS is strict about this requirement. If you use that space for any personal activities (watching TV, personal computer use, etc.), it could disqualify the entire deduction. For calculation, you have two options: the simplified method ($5 per square foot, max $1,500) or actual expense method (percentage of home expenses). Given that you're working full-time from home, the actual expense method will likely give you a much larger deduction. Keep detailed records of your office square footage, total home square footage, and all qualifying expenses (utilities, mortgage interest/rent, property taxes, repairs, insurance). You'll report this on Schedule C since your K-1 income is considered self-employment income. The fact that your firm maintains a separate office doesn't disqualify you as long as your home is where you conduct the substantial portion of your business activities.
16 I'm in the exact same situation and my accountant advised something different than what others are saying here. He told me that since I own more than 2% of the S-Corp, health insurance has to be handled as additional compensation on my W-2, then I deduct it as self-employed health insurance on my personal taxes. He said S-Corps can't use QSEHRA for owners with >2% ownership. Is this right??
17 Your accountant is correct about the >2% owner treatment. As a more-than-2% S corporation shareholder, you cannot participate in a QSEHRA tax-free. Any health insurance premiums paid or reimbursed by your S-Corp must be included in your W-2 wages. The good news is you can then deduct those premiums on your personal tax return using the self-employed health insurance deduction, which essentially gives you the same tax benefit. Just make sure the arrangement is formally established by the corporation before any reimbursements are made.
As someone who's been through this exact scenario, I can confirm what others have mentioned about the >2% shareholder rules. The key thing to remember is that even though the reimbursements have to go through your W-2 as taxable wages, you still get the tax benefit through the self-employed health insurance deduction on Line 16 of Schedule 1. One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned - make sure you keep detailed records of the actual premium amounts your spouse's employer deducts from their paychecks. The IRS may want to see that the reimbursements from your S-Corp don't exceed the actual premiums paid. Also, the reimbursement timing matters - you generally need to reimburse in the same tax year the premiums were paid. The formal plan documentation is absolutely critical. I learned this when helping a friend who got audited - the IRS disallowed all their health insurance deductions because they couldn't produce the required corporate resolutions and plan documents, even though they had been reporting everything correctly on their tax returns.
This is really helpful context about the documentation requirements! I'm curious about the timing aspect you mentioned - if my spouse's premiums are deducted monthly from their paycheck, should I be doing monthly reimbursements from my S-Corp, or can I do it quarterly or even annually as long as it's within the same tax year? Also, do you know if there are any restrictions on reimbursing premiums that were paid before I officially established the health insurance plan with my S-Corp?
Don't forget the income requirements too. If you made substantially more in 2025 than previous years, you might have phased out of the credit. This happened to me when I got a big promotion and couldn't figure out why my credit disappeared.
I'm a tax preparer and see this issue frequently. Based on your income level ($75K), you're definitely eligible for the full Child Tax Credit. The most likely culprit is indeed those advance CTC payments you received throughout 2024. Here's what probably happened: If you received the maximum advance payments ($250/month per child under 6, $300/month per child 6-17), you would have gotten $3,600 for your 4-year-old and $3,000 for your 7-year-old over the year. When you file your return, TurboTax calculates your total eligible credit, then subtracts what you already received in advance payments. Look for IRS Letter 6419 which shows your total advance payments, or check your IRS online account. The "remaining" credit showing as $0 just means you already received your full credit amount throughout the year - you're not losing anything! This is actually the system working as designed. Many taxpayers are confused by this because they're used to getting the credit as a lump sum at tax time.
This is exactly what happened to me! I was so confused when I first saw $0 for the child tax credit, but then I found my Letter 6419 and it all made sense. I had received $6,600 in advance payments throughout the year ($3,600 for my 5-year-old and $3,000 for my 8-year-old), which was exactly what I was eligible for. The thing that threw me off was that I had completely forgotten about those monthly deposits by the time I was doing my taxes. They just seemed like regular direct deposits after a while. It's actually pretty nice getting the money spread out during the year instead of waiting for tax time, but I can see how it confuses people when they're expecting that big credit at filing time. @957d079ff649 Thanks for the clear explanation - that's really helpful for understanding how this works!
I've been dealing with a 570 code for about 3 weeks now too and I know exactly how you feel! The uncertainty is the worst part. From what I've learned lurking in this community, the 570 usually just means they're doing additional processing on your return - could be anything from verifying income amounts to checking deductions. Most people seem to get their 571 release code within 4-6 weeks if there are no major issues. Try to stay patient (easier said than done, I know!) and keep checking your transcript weekly rather than daily. The fact that you haven't gotten any CP notices is actually a good sign - means they're not asking for additional documentation. Hang in there! š¤
Really appreciate this breakdown! 4-6 weeks sounds reasonable when you put it that way. You're right about checking weekly instead of daily - I've been obsessively checking every morning and it's just making the anxiety worse. Good point about no CP notices being positive too, hadn't thought of it that way. Thanks for the reassurance! š
I went through this exact situation last year! Had a 570 code for about 5 weeks with no notices or verification requests. Turns out it was just a routine income verification - the IRS was cross-checking my W-2 with what my employer reported. The 571 release code finally appeared and my refund was deposited 3 days later. The hardest part is definitely the waiting and not knowing what's happening. Since you haven't received any CP notices asking for documentation, it's likely just standard processing delays. Keep checking weekly (not daily - it'll drive you crazy!) and try to stay patient. Most 570 holds resolve within 4-8 weeks for routine reviews. You got this! š¤
Anastasia Romanov
I'm sorry to hear you're dealing with this! As someone who works in financial services, I can tell you that TurboTax and other tax prep companies have definitely tightened their advance criteria this year due to regulatory changes and risk management concerns. The fact that you got it before but not now doesn't reflect anything negative about your financial situation - they're just being more conservative across the board. Since you've already filed and been accepted, I'd honestly recommend just waiting for your actual refund rather than trying to start over with another service. The IRS has been processing returns much faster this season - most people are seeing their refunds within 10-14 business days for direct deposit. Given that you filed on Jan 24th, you should hopefully see movement soon on the "Where's My Refund" tool. If you're in a real bind financially, definitely avoid those predatory "refund loan" services that others have warned about. Your bank or credit union would be a much safer option for a small short-term loan if absolutely necessary. Best of luck with everything, and congrats on graduating! š
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Malia Ponder
ā¢This is really helpful perspective from someone in the industry! I had no idea there were regulatory changes affecting the advance programs this year. That actually makes me feel a bit better knowing it's not something I did wrong or a problem with my return specifically. I've been beating myself up thinking I somehow messed up my eligibility. Your point about waiting for the actual refund makes a lot of sense too - I guess I was just panicking because I was so used to getting that advance cushion. Thanks for the congrats and the solid advice about avoiding those sketchy loan services! š
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Evan Kalinowski
Hey! I'm actually a tax preparer and can shed some light on this. TurboTax made some significant changes to their advance program this year - they're now using a more restrictive algorithm that considers factors like your filing history, refund amount, and even seasonal demand. The Credit Karma integration you mentioned has also affected some users' eligibility since they merged the platforms. Since you already filed and got accepted, your options are pretty limited at this point. Most other services require you to file through them initially to qualify for advances. However, the good news is that the IRS has been processing refunds much faster this season - many people are getting theirs within 7-10 business days for direct deposit. Given that you filed on Jan 24th, I'd honestly just wait for your actual refund rather than paying fees to restart with another service. Keep checking "Where's My Refund" - you should see movement soon. And congrats on graduating! The financial stress after college is real, but your refund should hopefully come through quickly. š
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