Has anyone used TurboTax to handle this kind of situation? I'm wondering if it walks you through determining whether something is a repair vs improvement or if I need to figure that out ahead of time.

I just went through this exact situation last year with a $16k roof replacement on my rental property. After doing a lot of research and consulting with my CPA, here's what I learned: The IRS has specific criteria for distinguishing repairs from improvements, and unfortunately, a complete roof replacement almost always qualifies as an improvement that must be depreciated. The key factors are: 1. **Betterment** - Does it improve the property beyond its previous condition? 2. **Adaptation** - Does it adapt the property to a new use? 3. **Restoration** - Does it restore the property to like-new condition? A full roof replacement typically hits the "restoration" criteria since you're essentially putting a brand new roof on the property. However, don't give up hope on getting some immediate deduction! If you can document that portions of the work were repairs to the existing roof structure (like fixing damaged decking, replacing a few shingles, or repairing flashing), those specific costs might be immediately deductible while the bulk of the replacement gets depreciated. The key is having detailed invoices that break down the work performed. Generic "roof replacement" invoices make it harder to argue for any immediate deductions. I ended up depreciating mine over 27.5 years, but I was able to immediately expense about $2,800 in repairs that were clearly restoration work on the existing structure. Every bit helps when you're looking at a big expense like this!

One resource I've found super helpful is the "Sales Tax Institute" website. They have free state-by-state guides that outline service taxability. From my experience in running a marketing agency for 5+ years: - Pure marketing services (strategy, consulting, campaign management) are exempt in most states - Digital products (downloadable reports, templates, etc.) are taxable in about 30 states - SaaS tools you might resell to clients are taxable in ~20 states - Design services fall into a gray area in some states Multi-state sales tax compliance is honestly one of the biggest headaches of running a digital business. I ended up registering in the 5 states where I have the most clients just to be safe.

Something nobody's mentioned yet - make sure you're tracking where your CLIENTS are, not just where you're located. I made this mistake when I started my agency. Even if marketing services are exempt in your state, if you hit economic nexus thresholds in other states (usually around $100k in sales or 200 transactions), you might need to register and file there too. Some states also have different rules for digital products vs. services.

Be extremely careful when searching for IRS phone numbers online. I found what I thought was a legitimate number on a tax help website, called it, and it turned out to be a scam operation. They started asking for my SSN and payment info to "verify my identity." The ONLY safe place to get IRS contact info is directly from IRS.gov or the official IRS publication you received. Don't trust random Google search results like I did - lesson learned the expensive way.

For property tax deduction questions specifically, you might want to try the Individual Tax Line at 800-829-1040 and specifically ask to be transferred to someone who handles Schedule A itemized deductions. When you call, have your prior year returns ready and be prepared to explain that your question relates to property tax deductibility - this helps them route you to the right specialist faster. I'd also recommend calling right at 7am when they open, as the wait times are typically shortest then. If you're dealing with SALT (State and Local Tax) limitation issues on your property taxes, mention that specifically since it requires someone familiar with the $10,000 cap rules.

I'm at week 15 myself and completely feel your pain! Filed my amended return on March 5th to correct some 1099 income reporting that was missed on my original return. Still stuck on "received" status despite being so close to that 16-week mark. What's been driving me crazy is how random the processing seems to be. I've tracked posts on various forums and there really doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to who gets processed when. I've seen people who filed simple amendments in April already getting their refunds, while others with basic corrections from February are still waiting. The one thing that's given me some peace of mind is reading that the IRS is actually processing MORE amended returns than usual this year, but they're being extra thorough due to increased fraud detection measures. So the delays might actually be a sign that they're being more careful, which could be good in the long run. I'm planning to call next week when I hit 16 weeks, but honestly after reading all the experiences here about getting through to them, I might try one of those callback services if the regular phone lines don't work. At this point I just want to know my return isn't lost in some black hole somewhere! Stay strong - sounds like most people eventually get their refunds, it's just a matter of when!

I'm at week 10 with my amended return (filed March 20th to correct some retirement account distributions) and this thread is exactly what I needed to see! I was starting to panic thinking something was wrong, but it sounds like everyone is dealing with similar delays. What's been helpful for me is setting a reminder to check the "Where's My Amended Return" tool just once a week instead of obsessively checking it daily. It was driving me crazy to see the same "received" status over and over. Now I check every Friday morning and it's much less stressful. One thing I learned from my tax preparer is that certain types of amendments (like retirement account corrections, stock sales, or credit claims) often get routed to specialized review teams, which can add extra time. That might explain why some of us with more complex amendments are waiting longer than others with simple income corrections. I'm going to wait until week 16 before calling, but reading about the callback services here has me curious. If the regular IRS phone lines don't work out, I might give one of those a try rather than spending hours on hold. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's reassuring to know we're all in this together!

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now! I received a $12k refund from my university last semester that came entirely from federal student loans I took out but didn't need for tuition. After reading through all these responses, I feel much more confident that I don't need to report this as taxable income. The key insight that helped me was understanding that borrowed money isn't income - even when it's refunded back to you - because you still have the obligation to repay it. What really sealed it for me was checking my loan servicer's website. The refund amount shows up as part of my total loan balance that I'll be paying back after graduation. If I had to pay taxes on it AND still repay the full loan amount, that would essentially be double taxation on the same money. Thanks everyone for the detailed explanations - this thread probably saved me from making a costly mistake on my tax return!

Great question, and I can see why you're confused with all the conflicting information out there! The consensus here is absolutely correct - your $15k student loan refund is NOT taxable income and you don't need to report it on your tax return. Here's the key principle: borrowed money is never considered taxable income because you have a legal obligation to repay it. This applies whether it's a mortgage, credit card advance, or in your case, student loan funds that were refunded to you. The IRS doesn't tax money that you'll eventually have to pay back with interest. Your 1098-T showing $7.5k in box 1 (qualified tuition/fees billed) and $7.1k in box 2 (scholarships/grants) is completely separate from your loan situation. The 1098-T tracks tuition billing and grant/scholarship money, but doesn't show loan transactions at all - that's why the numbers don't seem to add up to your refund amount. You mentioned not receiving additional tax documents about the refund from your school or loan servicer - that's normal and expected! Since loan refunds aren't taxable events, there's no requirement for anyone to send you tax forms about them. Just keep your refund documentation and loan statements for your records, but you can rest easy knowing this doesn't create any tax liability for you.