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One aspect of Section 174 that often gets overlooked is the territorial issue. If your R&D is performed outside the US, you have to amortize over 15 years instead of 5 years. That's a HUGE difference for multinational companies. And the definition of "outside the US" can get tricky with remote workers. We have engineers in Canada and Mexico, and our tax advisor said those salaries must use the 15-year schedule even though they're working on the same projects as our US team.
What about hybrid workers who split time between US and international locations? We have several people who work 3 months abroad, 9 months in the US. How would you calculate that?
For hybrid workers splitting time between US and international locations, you'd need to track their time and allocate accordingly. For your example of someone working 3 months abroad and 9 months in the US, you'd allocate 25% of their R&D salary to the 15-year amortization schedule (foreign) and 75% to the 5-year schedule (domestic). Documentation is absolutely critical here. Make sure you have systems tracking where work is performed, not just where the employee's home base is. Some companies use IP address logging or formal documentation of work locations to support their allocations in case of audit.
Does anyone use software to track all this? Our accounting software doesn't seem equipped to handle these complex amortization schedules with different employees on different schedules. We're currently using a mess of spreadsheets and I'm worried we're going to make mistakes.
We use TaxMatrix Pro which has a decent R&D module. It's not perfect but it lets you set up different amortization schedules and track them year over year. The reporting is decent for tax time too.
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Have you checked your tax transcript? Sometimes that has more info than the "Where's My Refund" tool. Log into your IRS account and look for the transcript. It might have codes that tell you why there's a delay. Usually code 570 means there's a hold on your account and code 971 means they sent you a notice. If you see those, you'll probably get a letter explaining what's going on.
Thanks for this tip! I just checked my transcript and I do see code 570 from back in April and code 971 about two weeks later. But I never received any notice from them in the mail. Should I just keep waiting or try to call them?
If you see those codes but never received a notice, you should definitely call them. The 971 code means they sent (or were supposed to send) you a notice explaining the issue, and if you never got it, you won't know what action you need to take. The 570 code means there's a hold on your account that needs to be resolved before your refund can be processed. Without knowing what the specific issue is, it could remain on hold indefinitely. I'd recommend calling them as soon as possible to find out exactly what the hold is for and what you need to do to resolve it.
Happened to me too. Filed in Feb, didn't get my refund until August. Turns out they thought my W-2 info was suspicious because my employer messed up some reporting. Never got any notification about it! The IRS is terrible at communicating. Did you move recently? Sometimes they send notices to old addresses.
How did you finally find out about the W-2 issue? Did they eventually send you a letter or did you have to call?
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Has anyone used the IRS's Direct Pay system for making these estimated payments? I'm wondering if there's any advantage to that versus mailing in a check with a 1040-ES voucher. I made a big payment for capital gains last year but never got any confirmation it was received other than my bank showing the check cleared.
I've used Direct Pay for the last 3 years and it's WAY better than mailing checks. You get an immediate confirmation number, you can designate exactly what the payment is for (estimated tax, extension, etc), and it shows up in your IRS account transcript within a few days. Plus no worries about checks getting lost in the mail!
Thanks for the info! That sounds much more reliable than what I've been doing. I hate not knowing if the IRS properly applied my payment until months later when I file. Do you know if the confirmation they send is something I should keep for my records or is it just for peace of mind? I'll definitely switch to Direct Pay for my next payment.
kinda off topic but does anyone know if we need to make our q1 2025 estimated payment before or after filing the 2024 return? i always get confused about this. like if i owe for 2024 when i file, does that payment also count toward 2025 estimates or are they totally separate things?
They're totally separate things. The Q1 2025 estimated payment (for income you earn January-March 2025) is due April 15, 2025, which is typically the same deadline as your 2024 tax return. But they're completely different payments. Any payment you make when filing your 2024 return is just to settle up what you owe for 2024 - it doesn't count toward your 2025 estimated taxes. You need to make that Q1 estimated payment separately if you expect to have income not covered by withholding in 2025.
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I know this sounds annoying but you might wanna look into if someone close to you did this. When it happened to me it turned out my own parent had filed using my SSN without telling me because they thought they were "helping" since I was in college. Caused a huge mess that took months to untangle.
I second this. My ex-roommate stole my W-2 from our mailbox and filed with my info. The IRS agent I spoke with said a surprising number of tax identity theft cases are people you know, not random hackers.
Zara Rashid
I think the decision depends on a few factors beyond just income and investments: 1) How comfortable are you with tax concepts? 2) How much do you value your time? 3) Do you have any unusual situations (like that tuition reimbursement) that might be handled differently? I paid a CPA $275 last year and she found over $1,800 in deductions I would have missed. For me, that was worth it. But when I was in your situation (just W-2 and retirement accounts), I did my own with software.
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Luca Romano
•Do you think there's a middle ground? Like using software but then having a pro review it before filing? Is that even a service people offer?
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Zara Rashid
•Yes, that middle ground definitely exists! Many tax professionals offer a "review service" where they'll look over a return you've prepared and check for errors or missed opportunities. It typically costs less than having them prepare the entire return from scratch. Some tax software companies also offer audit protection or review services as add-ons. These can be good options if you're comfortable doing most of the work yourself but want a safety net. Just make sure you're getting a review from an actual tax professional and not just a glorified spell-check.
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Nia Jackson
Don't overlook the educational value of doing your own taxes at least once! I hired a tax person for years and had no idea what was happening with my money. Last year I decided to try it myself with TurboTax and learned SO MUCH about tax-advantaged investing, credits, etc. Your situation sounds simple enough that you could totally DIY. If you're nervous, maybe do it yourself first and then pay for a professional review before submitting? Best of both worlds.
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NebulaNova
•This is great advice. I did my own taxes for the first time last year and actually found a mistake my previous accountant had been making for TWO YEARS with my HSA contributions. Sometimes understanding your own taxes is valuable beyond just the money saved on preparation fees!
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