Omg thank you! I just found my school's W-9 online exactly where you said it would be. Honestly why wouldn't the administration just tell me this instead of giving me the runaround for weeks?!

Most university staff just aren't trained well on tax questions - they get focused on their specific department responsibilities and don't think about the bigger picture. It's frustrating but pretty common across higher education. Another tip is that the procurement office or accounts payable department will almost always know where to find the W-9 and EIN info if you can't locate it online. They deal with these requests from vendors constantly.

You're right about the Lifetime Learning Credit being usable for certificate programs, but TurboTax and other tax software still require you to enter the school's EIN to process the credit. The IRS technically requires the EIN of the educational institution for any education credit claim.

I didn't know about Informed Delivery! Just checked and my post office does offer it, but it takes a few days to set up so probably won't help with this letter. But thanks for the TAS number - I'll definitely call them if I can't work something out with the regular IRS line. I'm definitely in hardship territory right now, so maybe they can help me out.

Is this true about the appeal clock starting at attempted delivery? That seems really unfair. What if you're on vacation or something? How would you even know they tried to deliver it?

That's really important info, thank you! So even if I did qualify (which I now understand I don't since I'm not a practitioner), filing Form 4361 would mean giving up all future Social Security retirement benefits? That seems like a major decision that shouldn't be taken lightly.

Yes, that's correct - but with an important clarification. Filing Form 4361 means you'd be exempt from paying self-employment tax on your earnings from ministerial services, and consequently, those specific earnings wouldn't count toward your Social Security benefits. However, if you have other employment where you pay Social Security taxes (like a second job), those earnings would still count toward your benefits. Many people misunderstand and think it's an all-or-nothing situation, but it only applies to the income from your religious services. It's still a significant decision though, especially if ministry is your primary income source.

This is accurate. My cousin tried to claim this exemption as a devout Christian Scientist who occasionally counseled church members, but his application was rejected because he wasn't officially listed in the Journal. The IRS doesn't mess around with these religious exemptions.

I hadn't thought about the implications for when I eventually sell my home. Do you have any suggestions for how to properly account for this now so I don't create problems down the road?

You should maintain a completely separate amortization schedule just for the business portion of the loan. Track principal and interest payments specifically for that $150k portion each year. This becomes especially important if you sell your home before that portion is paid off. When you do sell your home, you'll need to clearly identify how much of the remaining mortgage is attributable to the business. Your tax professional should then help you determine if there are any tax consequences related to that business portion during the home sale. The key is having clean, separate records from day one.

I do this in QuickBooks. Create two separate liability accounts - one for the personal portion of your mortgage and one for the business portion. Then split your mortgage payment between the two accounts each month using the amortization schedules. For the business portion, the interest gets coded as business interest expense and the principal as payment to the business liability account.

Thanks for sharing your rates - that's helpful perspective. I've been hesitant to ask for a breakdown of their work because I don't want to come across as difficult, but I think I need to have that conversation. You're right that tax laws change constantly. Did your CPA provide any kind of value explanation when they quoted their fee, or did you have to ask specifically?

My CPA provides an annual "tax planning letter" that outlines specific strategies they've implemented and potential opportunities for the following year. I didn't get this initially - I had to specifically ask for a breakdown of value after questioning a fee increase three years ago. After that conversation, they started providing this document automatically. It's been eye-opening to see exactly what they're doing beyond basic compliance. For example, they found a cost segregation opportunity on one of my rental properties that saved me about $8,000 in taxes, which more than covered their fee. I'd definitely recommend asking for something similar to better understand what you're paying for.

This is terrible advice for someone with a medical practice S-corp and multiple properties. The tax code complexity and audit risk are significantly higher than for a simple LLC. DIY software might miss specialized deductions, credits, or compliance requirements that would cost far more than professional preparation fees.

I appreciate your perspective, but I've been doing this successfully for 7 years with no issues. My situation is actually quite complex with multiple state filings and specialized business deductions. You're right that a medical practice S-corp has additional considerations, but someone with Big4 accounting experience likely has the knowledge to navigate those issues. I wasn't suggesting this approach for everyone, just offering an alternative given the OP's professional background. The potential savings of $5,000+ annually might be worth considering, especially since they're already doing most of the accounting work.