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Everyone's overthinking this. You're returning money to your dad that was essentially his anyway. The IRS isn't monitoring family financial arrangements at this level. As long as you're not repeatedly transferring large sums of money back and forth to avoid taxes, nobody cares about a one-time $15k transfer to your parent that's below the gift tax threshold anyway.
Thanks, that's reassuring. The bank teller really freaked me out mentioning tax implications. Just to be clear though - neither of us needs to mention this on our tax returns at all, right?
Correct, neither of you needs to report this on your tax returns. This kind of transaction isn't reportable income for your dad, and since it's under the annual gift exclusion limit (even if it were considered a gift), you don't need to file a gift tax return. The bank teller was probably just being cautious - they're trained to mention potential tax implications for large transactions, but they're not tax professionals. In the banking world, any cash transaction over $10,000 requires special reporting (for anti-money laundering purposes), so tellers tend to be extra cautious about large transfers.
Yara Sayegh
Something nobody's mentioned - if your dad ever gets audited, having some kind of documentation that this was a repayment might be helpful. Maybe just write "loan repayment for car purchased in 2018" in the memo line of the check, or even better, create a simple signed document between you two stating that the money is repayment for the truck he bought you. Better safe than sorry!
This is really good advice. My cousin had a similar issue come up during an audit and having even basic documentation saved them a ton of hassle.
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Luca Marino
Just wanted to add something I learned the hard way - if you DO decide to file Form 1116, make sure you have all the correct information. Last year I claimed $8 in foreign tax and decided to file the form (before I knew about the $300 exception). I messed up some allocation on the form and ended up getting a letter from the IRS six months later asking for clarification. Nothing serious, but it was a headache to deal with for such a small amount.
Did you end up having to amend your return or pay any penalties for the Form 1116 mistake? I'm leaning toward just not claiming the credit at all at this point.
Luca Marino
ā¢No penalties or amendments needed, thankfully. I just had to send in some additional documentation to clarify how I calculated the credit. But it was definitely an unnecessary hassle for $8! For your $1.99 credit, I absolutely wouldn't bother claiming it if it requires paying for software upgrades. Even beyond the immediate cost, the potential for questions or confusion just isn't worth it for such a small amount. The IRS certainly won't flag you for not claiming a credit you're entitled to - that's your choice.
Nia Davis
I'm using FreeTaxUSA this year after years with TurboTax, and Form 1116 is included in their regular price ($0 federal, $15 state). Might be worth looking into if you want to claim it. But honestly for $1.99, I'd just skip claiming it entirely.
Mateo Perez
ā¢FreeTaxUSA has been my go-to for years. So much cheaper than TurboTax and includes most forms. I've claimed foreign tax credit with them without issues.
Thanks for the suggestion! I've been with TurboTax for so long I guess I just assumed all tax software had similar pricing tiers. I'll definitely check out FreeTaxUSA for next year. For now I think I'll just skip claiming the tiny credit since it's literally less than my lunch cost today lol.
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Make sure you also consider state taxes! I did a one-time gig last year and completely forgot that I needed to pay state tax on the income too. Some states have different thresholds than federal for self-employment reporting.
Sarah Ali
ā¢Good point about state taxes! I'm in Illinois - do you know if they have any special rules for small amounts of self-employment income? I'm already stressing about the federal forms.
Illinois follows the federal guidelines pretty closely for self-employment income. They don't have a separate self-employment tax, but you do need to report that income on your IL-1040 form. The $842 will flow through to your state return once you've completed the Schedule C for your federal taxes. It's actually pretty straightforward on the state side compared to the federal requirements.
Jay Lincoln
Don't forget to check if you're required to make estimated tax payments next year! If you expect to owe more than $1000 in taxes when you file, you might need to make quarterly payments to avoid penalties.
This is such overkill for a one-time payment under $1000. The tax system is ridiculous for small amounts. In other countries they make this so much easier!
Sarah Ali
ā¢Thanks for bringing this up! I don't plan on doing more freelance work this year, this was really just a favor for my cousin. Based on my regular tax situation I usually get a refund of about $800, so I'm guessing this small amount won't push me over that $1000 threshold?
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Pedro Sawyer
13 Have you checked if any of your tax credits changed? I had something similar happen when I turned 25 and suddenly wasn't eligible for some education credits. Also, did you have any side income or unemployment at all? Even a small amount can change your refund pretty dramatically sometimes.
Pedro Sawyer
ā¢1 I didn't have any side income and I don't think I had any special credits before. I've always just taken the standard deduction since my situation is pretty simple. I did pick up more hours at work toward the end of the year but I didn't think that would affect things so much.
Pedro Sawyer
ā¢13 The additional hours actually might be a big part of it. If you earned significantly more in the last quarter of the year, the withholding system might not have adjusted properly. The system typically assumes you'll earn the same amount consistently throughout the year. Another thing to check is if you had any changes to your health insurance situation. If you started getting insurance through your employer or had marketplace coverage with premium tax credits, these can significantly impact your refund calculation.
Pedro Sawyer
9 Did you check if your filing status changed? Sometimes people accidentally select the wrong option (like going from Single to Head of Household or vice versa) and it dramatically changes the refund amount.
Pedro Sawyer
ā¢4 This is a good point. I've seen this happen with friends who didn't realize that just checking different boxes could change their refund by hundreds of dollars. Especially things like whether someone can claim you as a dependent.
Charlie Yang
8 Don't overthink the W-4! I'm a payroll specialist and see people stress about this all the time. Quick tip: the IRS withholding calculator is your best friend for complicated situations like yours. Just Google "IRS tax withholding estimator" and it'll walk you through everything. You'll both need to update your W-4s for best results.
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Charlie Yang
ā¢1 I tried using that IRS calculator but got stuck when it asked for YTD income and withholding amounts. Since I haven't started the job yet, I don't have that info. Should I just put zeros?
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Charlie Yang
ā¢8 For your new job, yes, you would put zeros for the YTD income and withholding since you haven't started yet. The calculator will still work - it'll just base the calculations on projected amounts for the remainder of the year. For your wife, you should use her actual YTD information from her most recent paystub. That way, the calculator can give you the most accurate recommendation based on what's already happened this year and what's projected to happen with both incomes going forward.
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Charlie Yang
17 Has anyone used the IRS online portal to adjust withholding throughout the year? I'm wondering if it's better to start with a "safe" W-4 filing and then adjust as needed.
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Charlie Yang
ā¢3 The IRS doesn't have an "online portal" for W-4 adjustments - you have to submit a new W-4 to your employer anytime you want to change withholding. I usually file a new W-4 quarterly since my commission income fluctuates. Most HR departments let you update it anytime.
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