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Has anyone used TurboSelf-Employed for this kind of situation? I'm trying to figure out the easiest way to file with all these business expenses.
I used TurboSelf-Employed last year for my Etsy shop. It was pretty straightforward for tracking business expenses and income. The questionnaire format makes it easy to find deductions you might miss otherwise.
One thing to keep in mind is that since you're dealing with expensive camera equipment, you might want to look into Section 179 deduction vs. depreciation. For 2024, you can deduct up to $1,220,000 worth of qualifying business equipment in the year you purchase it instead of depreciating it over several years. This could be really beneficial for your lenses and tripod since they're probably under that threshold. Also, make sure you can prove the business use percentage if you ever use that equipment for personal photography too. The IRS will want to see that you're only deducting the portion actually used for your paid gigs. Keep a log of when you use the equipment for business vs. personal use - it'll save you headaches if you ever get audited. Your $800 in income definitely qualifies this as a business activity, so you're good there. Just make sure to report everything properly on Schedule C.
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Does anyone know if we're supposed to have received a letter from the IRS showing how much we got in advance payments? I'm trying to fill out my Schedule 8812 but can't remember exactly how much I received.
Yes, you should've received Letter 6419 from the IRS that shows your total advance Child Tax Credit payments for last year. If you can't find it, you can also check your IRS online account - they have a record of all payments they sent you.
The IRS also has a tool on their website where you can look up your advance Child Tax Credit payments if you can't find Letter 6419. Just go to IRS.gov and search for "Child Tax Credit Update Portal" - you can log in and see exactly how much you received in advance payments throughout the year. This is super important to get right because if you enter the wrong amount on Schedule 8812, it'll throw off your entire refund calculation. I learned this the hard way when I accidentally used the wrong number and ended up owing money when I should have gotten a refund!
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Has anyone dealt with this by sending a letter through certified mail? I'm in a similar situation and wondering if regular mail is good enough or if I should spend the extra money on certified mail with return receipt.
ALWAYS send important IRS correspondence through certified mail with return receipt! Regular mail can get lost and then you have zero proof you responded. The few dollars for certified mail is worth avoiding potential headaches if they claim they never received your response.
I went through almost the exact same thing last year! The IRS penalty notice made no sense since I had clear proof of payment before the deadline. Here's what I learned from my experience: First, get your account transcript from the IRS website (irs.gov) - it's free and shows exactly how they've recorded your payments. In my case, the transcript revealed that my payment was applied to the wrong tax year due to a data entry error on their end. Second, gather ALL your payment documentation - bank statements, confirmation numbers, screenshots from your tax software, anything that shows the payment date and amount. The IRS will need this to correct their records. Third, respond to the notice in writing with copies of all your proof. I sent mine certified mail with return receipt (costs about $7 but gives you proof they received it). In my letter, I requested penalty abatement under "reasonable cause" since I had paid on time and it was their processing error. The whole process took about 6 weeks, but they completely removed the penalty and sent me a letter confirming the correction. Don't just ignore it hoping it goes away - these penalties can grow with interest if not addressed promptly. The frustrating part is that these processing errors happen more often than the IRS likes to admit, especially during busy filing season. But they will fix it once you provide the documentation.
To get your account transcript online, you'll need your SSN, filing status, and some identity verification info like your address from your tax return and either a credit card number, mortgage account number, or student loan account number. The IRS uses this to verify your identity before giving you access to your tax records. For the penalty abatement request, I didn't use a specific form - I just wrote a clear letter explaining the situation. I mentioned that I was requesting penalty relief under IRC Section 6664(c) for "reasonable cause" and included phrases like "good faith effort to comply" and "circumstances beyond taxpayer's control." The key is being specific about dates, amounts, and referencing your documentation. Make sure to reference the specific notice number from your penalty letter and include copies (not originals) of all your payment proof. The IRS representatives told me that clear documentation with specific details gets processed much faster than vague requests.
For the account transcript, you'll need your SSN, filing status, and the exact address from your most recent tax return. The IRS is pretty strict about the address matching exactly - even an apartment number format difference can cause issues. You'll also need to verify your identity through their online system. For the penalty abatement request, I didn't use a specific form - I wrote a detailed letter explaining the situation. The key is to reference "reasonable cause" for penalty relief and include phrases like "good faith effort to comply" and "circumstances beyond taxpayer control." I also cited IRC Section 6664(c) which covers reasonable cause exceptions. Make sure to include your SSN, the notice number from the penalty letter, and the specific tax year/period in your response. The IRS needs these details to locate your account quickly. And definitely keep copies of everything you send!
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Can someone explain if there's any difference in how Form 2555 should be filled out using TurboTax vs. H&R Block? I've been using TurboTax but it seems to be giving me weird results for my Housing Exclusion when I enter my Singapore housing expenses. I'm wondering if H&R Block handles Form 2555 better?
I've used both and found H&R Block actually handles Form 2555 better than TurboTax. TurboTax has a tendency to miscalculate the housing exclusion, especially when dealing with high-cost locations like Singapore. H&R Block seemed to have more updated information about location-specific housing limits. But honestly, neither is perfect. I ended up having to manually override some calculations in both programs. The biggest issue I found was that neither software clearly explains the one-year rule for when per diems and housing become taxable. I had to do additional research myself.
I've been through a similar situation with Form 2555 while working in South Korea, and I can confirm that TurboTax's interface for foreign income exclusions can be frustrating. Based on your circumstances, here are a few additional considerations: Since you left Japan on December 4th and your assignment was confirmed indefinite on October 18th, you're correct to only include the post-October 18th amounts for taxable fringe benefits. However, double-check that your 297 days calculation is accurate - make sure you're counting complete 24-hour periods outside the US, not partial days. For Line 21c (the rental car), if the vehicle was available for both business and personal use, you should include the full amount after October 18th ($1,700) as taxable income. The IRS generally treats employer-provided vehicles as taxable fringe benefits when the assignment exceeds one year. One thing I'd recommend: consider filing Form 2555 by paper rather than through TurboTax if the software keeps giving you strange results. The IRS processors are quite familiar with these forms, and sometimes the manual approach is more straightforward than fighting with software that doesn't handle complex expat situations well. Also, make sure you have documentation from your employer about the exact date your assignment status changed to indefinite. This will be crucial if the IRS has questions about your fringe benefit calculations.
Nina Fitzgerald
One important thing to consider that hasn't been mentioned yet: If you're setting up Solo 401ks, make sure you choose a provider with good investment options and low fees. I went with Fidelity for mine because they have no account fees and lots of low-cost index funds. Some providers charge annual account maintenance fees or have limited investment options. And if you ever want to roll over other retirement accounts into your Solo 401k to consolidate, make sure the provider allows for that.
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Jason Brewer
•Does Fidelity allow you to do both a Roth and traditional within the same Solo 401k? My wife wants to do Roth for employee contributions but traditional for employer portion to get the tax deduction.
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Nina Fitzgerald
•Yes, Fidelity allows for both Roth and traditional components within the same Solo 401k. Your wife can make Roth contributions for the employee portion (paying tax now) while keeping the employer contributions traditional (for the immediate tax deduction). This is a common strategy to diversify tax treatment of retirement savings. Just make sure you keep good records of which contributions are which when you're doing the paperwork. Their online portal makes it pretty straightforward once it's set up.
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Kiara Fisherman
Don't forget the deadline to establish a Solo 401k is December 31 of the tax year, even though you can actually fund it later (employee contributions by tax filing, employer contributions by business tax deadline)! I missed this subtlety last year and lost out on significant tax savings. Also, for the record, my CPA confirmed that with a partnership LLC, both spouses can have separate Solo 401ks as long as they're both partners in the business, but you need to be careful with the specific plan documents.
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Liam Cortez
•Do you need separate EINs for each Solo 401k plan or can both use the partnership's EIN? And where did you set yours up? I'm looking at Vanguard but heard they're limited.
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Dmitry Petrov
•You can use the same partnership EIN for both Solo 401k plans since they're both tied to the same business entity. Each spouse will have their own separate account, but they can share the business EIN. Regarding Vanguard - they do have some limitations compared to Fidelity or Schwab. Vanguard's Solo 401k doesn't allow loans or hardship withdrawals, and their investment options are primarily their own funds (though they're excellent low-cost options). If you want maximum flexibility, Fidelity might be better, but if you're happy with Vanguard's fund selection and want to keep everything in one place, it's still a solid choice. The setup process is pretty straightforward with any of the major providers - just make sure you have your partnership agreement and EIN ready when you apply.
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