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If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
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Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
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An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls ā which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
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Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
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I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
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One thing to consider is audit support! I used Free Tax USA last year and got a letter from the IRS questioning some of my deductions. Free Tax USA's help section had exactly what I needed to respond correctly, but they don't provide direct representation if you get audited unless you pay extra for their "Audit Defense" add-on when you file. Not sure about Tax Slayer's audit support, but worth looking into if that's a concern for you!
I can answer about Tax Slayer - their basic package doesn't include audit support either. You have to upgrade to their Premium or Self-Employed tiers to get that (~$45-70 range). Honestly though, for simple returns like what OP described, the chance of a serious audit is pretty low.
I switched from TurboTax to Free Tax USA two years ago and haven't looked back! For your situation (W2, mortgage interest, student loan interest), Free Tax USA will handle everything perfectly. The interface is clean and straightforward - maybe not as hand-holdy as TurboTax, but honestly that's a good thing because you can see exactly what's happening with your return. One tip: make sure to take advantage of their free review feature before filing. It caught a small error I made entering my mortgage interest that could have delayed my refund. The state return fee ($14.99 in most states) is totally worth it compared to what you'd pay elsewhere. I've recommended it to several friends and family members, and everyone has been happy with the switch. The money you save can go toward something much more enjoyable than tax software!
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Anita George
Does anyone know how the tax stuff works if you use bitcoin or other crypto for sports betting? I've been using this offshore site that only takes crypto deposits and I'm confused about how to handle the taxes.
Savannah Vin
ā¢That creates a more complicated tax situation. When you use cryptocurrency for gambling, you potentially have TWO taxable events: 1. The gambling winnings themselves (taxed as income) 2. Any gains or losses from the cryptocurrency when you convert it back to USD For example, if you bought Bitcoin at $30,000, it rose to $40,000, and then you used it for gambling, you would have a capital gain on the Bitcoin. Then, your gambling winnings would be separately taxable. For offshore betting sites, be extremely careful. The IRS still expects you to report all gambling income regardless of where it was earned or how it was paid. Using offshore sites doesn't exempt you from tax obligations, and using cryptocurrency doesn't make it "invisible" to tax authorities.
One thing to keep in mind about sports betting taxes that I learned the hard way - the $600 W-2G threshold only applies to certain types of gambling like horse racing and casinos. For sports betting, the platforms are supposed to issue a 1099-MISC if your winnings exceed $600 AND are at least 300 times your wager. But even if you don't get any tax forms, you're still required to report ALL winnings as income. I'd also recommend setting aside a portion of any big wins throughout the year for taxes, especially if you're not having taxes withheld from other income. Getting hit with a big tax bill in April because you didn't plan for it can be brutal. I usually put about 25-30% of any significant winnings into a separate savings account just to be safe. The record-keeping really is crucial - not just for potential audits, but also to help you understand if you're actually profitable after taxes. A lot of casual bettors think they're doing better than they actually are when they don't account for the full tax impact.
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I'm confused about one thing. If you have foreign tax credit carryover from multiple years, how do you determine which year's credits get used first? Is it FIFO (first in, first out) or can you choose?
Kylo Ren
ā¢It's always FIFO (first in, first out). The IRS requires you to use the oldest credits first. This is actually beneficial since the credits expire after 10 years - using the oldest ones first ensures you don't lose credits due to expiration. Form 1116 Part III has a section for this calculation. You list the current year credits, then add carryovers from previous years (oldest first), and then apply them against your current year limitation. Any excess becomes your new carryover.
Ava Thompson
This is exactly the situation I found myself in last year! I had been working in Singapore from 2018-2020 and accumulated about $2,800 in unused foreign tax credits in the general category. When I returned to the US in 2021, I made the mistake of not filing Form 1116 for general income since I had no new foreign employment income that year. I discovered my error when preparing my 2022 taxes and panicked thinking I'd lost those credits permanently. After doing some research and consulting with a tax professional, I learned I could still recover them by filing an amended return (Form 1040X) for 2021. The key thing I learned is that you MUST file Form 1116 every single year if you have carryover credits, regardless of whether you have new foreign income in that category. Even if it means filing a form that shows zero current year income, it's the only way to preserve your carryover rights. I ended up manually adding the Form 1116 in my tax software by searching for it specifically and forcing it to stay even when the software wanted to remove it due to zero income. The amended return was approved without any issues, and I was able to use those credits against my 2022 and 2023 tax liability. Don't make the same mistake I did - always document those carryovers!
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Leila Haddad
Has anyone had experience with hybrid policies? My financial advisor keeps pushing this combo life insurance/LTC policy that supposedly has tax advantages, but I'm having trouble finding clear info on how to report the premiums.
Emma Johnson
ā¢I have a hybrid policy. Only the portion that's specifically designated for LTC coverage can be counted as a medical expense. Your insurance company should provide a breakdown that shows what percentage of your premium is for LTC vs life insurance. In my case, about 65% of my premium qualified as an LTC expense.
Great question about LTC premiums! Just to add to what others have shared - make sure you keep detailed records of your premium payments throughout the year. The IRS may want to see documentation that your policy is indeed qualified LTC insurance if you're audited. Also, don't forget that if either of you becomes self-employed in the future (even part-time consulting), the rules change significantly in your favor. Self-employed individuals can deduct LTC premiums as an above-the-line deduction (on Schedule 1) up to the age-based limits, which means you don't have to meet the 7.5% AGI threshold or itemize to get the benefit. One more tip: if you're planning any major medical expenses this year (dental work, surgery, etc.), it might push you over that 7.5% threshold where your LTC premiums would actually provide a tax benefit. Worth running the numbers to see if timing any elective procedures could help maximize your deductions.
Kaiya Rivera
I think... I might have a slightly different perspective that could help. While most updates do happen Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, I've noticed that sometimes... depending on your specific processing cycle... you might see updates on other days. Maybe try checking Wednesday morning first, but if nothing appears, perhaps check again Saturday morning? I wouldn't recommend staying up all night though - that's not good for anyone's stress levels.
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Evelyn Xu
As a newcomer to the U.S. tax system, I totally understand your confusion! I went through the same thing my first year here. From what I've learned and experienced, Tuesday night into Wednesday morning (around 3-6am Eastern) is definitely the main update window. I made the mistake of checking randomly throughout the week my first year and drove myself crazy. Now I just check Wednesday mornings and occasionally Saturday mornings if I missed the midweek update. The IRS processing cycles are pretty consistent once you understand the pattern. Don't stress yourself out checking every day - the updates will happen when they happen, and you'll see the changes when you check at the right times!
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