Don't forget that if you CAN claim your parents, look into claiming the Credit for Other Dependents which is worth up to $500 per dependent. Not as much as the child tax credit but still something!

Just want to emphasize the importance of keeping detailed records if you do decide to claim your parents as dependents. The IRS may ask for proof of support, so document everything - bank transfers, receipts for groceries you buy them, medical bills you pay, etc. I learned this the hard way when I was audited a few years ago for claiming my elderly father. Even though I was legitimately providing over 60% of his support, I had to scramble to gather evidence because I hadn't kept organized records. Now I keep a simple spreadsheet tracking all support payments throughout the year, including dates, amounts, and what the money was for. Makes tax time much less stressful! Also remember that "support" includes their housing costs even if they own their home - property taxes, utilities, maintenance, etc. all count toward their total support needs when you're calculating that 50% threshold.

Did anyone address whether books and supplies count in the support calculation? I spent about $1,200 on textbooks last year and another $600 on a required laptop. Do these count toward my total "support" figure?

Just wanted to chime in with some clarification since I see there's been some confusion in the thread about the support test calculation. The key thing to remember is that for the refundable portion of AOTC, "support" means the TOTAL amount it cost to support you during the tax year, regardless of who actually paid for it. This includes: - Full tuition costs (even scholarship-covered portions) - Full room and board costs (even if paid by grants) - Books, supplies, and required equipment - Personal expenses like clothing, transportation, medical costs - Any other living expenses So in your example, Elijah, if your fall tuition was $32,000 but scholarships covered $29,000, you include the full $32,000 in your support calculation, not just the $3,000 you paid. The IRS looks at it this way: What was the total dollar amount needed to support you? Then, did you provide at least half of that support through your own earned income? Given your income of $27,500, your total support would need to be $55,000 or less for you to qualify. With university costs these days, that might be challenging, but you'll need to add up all your actual expenses to see where you stand. Hope this helps clarify things!

This is a really helpful thread! Just wanted to add one more thing that might be useful - make sure your son and his girlfriend both keep good records of which expenses they're paying for each child. Things like medical bills, daycare costs, school supplies, etc. If they're each claiming one child, the IRS could potentially ask for proof that they're actually providing more than half the support for their respective claimed child. Also, they should probably sit down together and formally decide who claims which child going forward, rather than just assuming. Having it in writing (even just a simple agreement between them) can help avoid confusion later and shows they're being intentional about following the rules rather than just randomly splitting the kids.

This is such a practical question that comes up a lot! Just want to emphasize something that others touched on - the "residency test" is really crucial here. Each parent needs to make sure the child they're claiming actually lived with them for more than half the year (more than 183 days). Since they're doing 50/50 custody, they'll need to be really careful about tracking this. Even a few extra days can make the difference in who's eligible to claim which child. I'd suggest they keep a shared calendar or app where they track exactly which nights each child stays at each house - not just for tax purposes, but it's also great for co-parenting coordination. One more tip: if either parent is eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), that can be a significant benefit too. The amount varies based on income and number of qualifying children, so they might want to run some scenarios to see how different arrangements could affect their overall tax situation.

Has anyone here actually gone through the process of acquiring one of these GSA lighthouses? The application requirements seem intense, and I'm wondering how competitive the process is. Are there usually multiple nonprofits applying for each lighthouse?

One thing to keep in mind with the GSA lighthouse program is that you'll need to demonstrate significant financial capacity upfront. These properties often require substantial immediate repairs - we're talking potentially $100K+ just to make them safe and weather-tight before you can even think about B&B operations. The GSA will want to see your nonprofit has either cash reserves or committed funding sources for initial restoration work. If you're planning to rely on rental income from the for-profit business to fund maintenance, you'll need a very detailed financial projection showing how you'll handle the gap between acquisition and when rental income begins. Also worth noting - lighthouse properties are typically quite remote with limited utilities infrastructure. Factor in costs for upgrading electrical, plumbing, and septic systems to handle B&B operations. These expenses need to be part of your nonprofit's budget since the property will be owned by the 501(c)(3). The good news is that successfully operating lighthouses as B&Bs can be quite profitable given their unique appeal, but the upfront investment is substantial and the nonprofit needs to be financially prepared for that reality.

Just to give a different perspective - I tried doing my S-Corp taxes with TurboTax Business last year and deeply regretted it. Spent 20+ hours struggling through it, thought I'd done everything right, and still got notices from the IRS about missing forms 6 months later. Had to hire a CPA to fix everything anyway and ended up paying way more than if I'd just gone to them in the first place.

As someone who's been through the exact same transition from W-2 to S-Corp, I'd definitely recommend going the CPA route for your first year. The complexity isn't just in filing the returns - it's understanding all the ongoing compliance requirements that TurboTax won't teach you. Since you mentioned you've only been taking owner's draws instead of paying yourself a salary, you're going to need professional help to sort that out anyway. The IRS is pretty strict about S-Corp owners paying themselves reasonable compensation through payroll, and getting that wrong can trigger audits or penalties. One thing I wish someone had told me: start interviewing CPAs now, not in March when everyone's swamped. Many good ones are already booking up for tax season. Look for someone who specializes in small business and can explain things clearly - you want to learn the process, not just hand everything off blindly. The investment in professional guidance your first year will save you headaches (and probably money) down the road. Once you understand the S-Corp requirements and have proper systems in place, you can always consider doing simpler years yourself later.