When I filed my 9465 last year they also made me fill out a 433-F financial statement even though I owed less than $25k. They said it was because I had a history of not filing on time. So just be ready that they might ask for more documentation depending on your specific tax history.

I went through this exact situation last year and totally understand the stress! Here are the key things that helped me get my 9465 approved on the first try: **Most Important Sections:** - Lines 1-8: Your basic info (must match your tax return exactly) - Line 9: Monthly payment amount (be realistic - propose what you can actually afford) - Line 11a: I highly recommend direct debit - shows you're committed - Line 12: Make sure to sign and date it! **Pro Tips:** 1. Calculate a payment amount that pays off your debt in 72 months or less if possible 2. If you can swing a larger first payment, include that - it shows good faith 3. Double-check that your SSN matches your return exactly 4. Keep copies of everything you submit The IRS is actually pretty reasonable with payment plans if you're honest about what you can afford. Don't lowball the monthly amount thinking you're gaming the system - they'll just reject it and you'll have to start over. Better to be realistic upfront. You've got this! The form looks scarier than it actually is once you break it down section by section.

Make sure to save copies of your transcript! Screenshot everything incase you need proof later that the refund was processed before they filed the offset

Also worth checking if DeVry actually has the right to collect from you - some of these for-profit schools have been known to pursue debts that were already discharged or forgiven. If you never received proper notices before, that could be a violation of debt collection laws. Document everything and consider reaching out to your state's attorney general office if something seems fishy about their collection practices.

Has anybody actually been audited after adjusting their land-to-building ratio? I'm thinking about doing this but I'm worried about raising red flags with the IRS. My tax assessment shows land at 40% but I think it should be closer to 20% based on vacant land prices.

I've been through this exact situation with two rental properties over the past few years. The key thing to understand is that the IRS doesn't require you to use your property tax assessment's land-to-building ratio - they just want you to have a reasonable, defensible method. Here's what I learned works best: 1. **Get actual comparable sales data** - Don't rely on listings. Go to your county assessor's website or recorder's office and pull 3-5 actual sales of vacant land in your area from the past 1-2 years. This gives you real market data. 2. **Consider multiple valuation methods** - I used a combination of comparable land sales, my insurance replacement cost for the building, and even got a letter from my realtor about typical land values in the neighborhood. 3. **Document everything thoroughly** - Keep all your research in one file. If you're ever audited, you want to show you put thought and effort into arriving at a reasonable allocation. For your specific numbers, going from a 40% land allocation (based on tax assessment) to 20% (based on market research) seems very reasonable if you have the data to support it. That would increase your annual depreciation from $2,918 to about $4,377 - definitely worth the effort. The most important thing is making sure your final allocation passes the "smell test" - it should be reasonable and supportable with market evidence. As long as you're not claiming something ridiculous like 5% land value, you should be fine.

Random tip that might help explain why the refund/owed amount changed so dramatically: when you entered your husband's W2 first, the software was calculating his taxes as if his $45k was your ENTIRE household income for the year. It was applying the standard deduction against just his income. When you added your income, suddenly your combined income jumped to $265k, putting you in a much higher tax bracket AND the standard deduction became a much smaller percentage of your total income. Its not that filing separately is better - its that your tax situation completely changed when you added your much larger income to the calculation!

This is such a common confusion and you're definitely not alone! The key issue is that tax software shows misleading "running totals" as you enter information. When you entered your husband's W2 first, it calculated his refund based on being Single with $45K income. But once married, he can't file as Single anymore - his only options are Married Filing Jointly or Married Filing Separately. Here's what likely happened: your husband's $2,500 "refund" was based on Single filing status, which has more favorable brackets than Married Filing Separately. When you switch to the actual comparison - Married Filing Jointly vs Married Filing Separately - you'll probably find that joint filing saves you money overall. The dramatic swing to owing $7,500 jointly isn't because joint filing is bad for you - it's because your combined $265K income puts you in higher tax brackets and reduces the relative benefit of the standard deduction. This would happen regardless of filing status once you're married. I'd recommend running the actual comparison in your software: set up two separate calculations, one as Married Filing Jointly and another as Married Filing Separately (for both of you), then compare the total tax liability. The joint filing will almost certainly be lower when you're doing an apples-to-apples comparison.

Has anyone used TurboTax to compare filing separately vs jointly? Does it let you try both ways without having to pay twice?

Great question! I went through this exact decision last year. The key is to actually run the calculations both ways because there are several factors that can make separate filing beneficial despite the general advice favoring joint filing. In your specific situation, a few things stand out: your wife's business losses would normally offset your higher income when filing jointly, which is usually good. However, with medical expenses at 9% of income, you might benefit from separate filing if those expenses were primarily for one spouse - it could help you exceed the 7.5% AGI threshold more easily. Also consider: Are either of you on income-driven student loan repayment plans? Separate filing could keep those payments lower by excluding the other spouse's income from the calculation. My recommendation is to prepare your taxes both ways (or use software that compares both) before deciding. I was surprised to find that separate filing saved us money due to student loan considerations, even though conventional wisdom said otherwise. Don't assume joint is always better - do the math!