Doesn't the tiebreaker rule mean that if two people can claim a child, the person with the higher AGI gets the claim? Or is that only when both people are equally eligible?

The tiebreaker rules only come into play when BOTH people are eligible to claim the dependent under all the qualifying child or qualifying relative tests. They're essentially the "last resort" when two people legitimately could claim the same dependent. In most disputes like this, the IRS determines only one person actually qualifies under the support and residency tests. If the child lived with the grandparent for more than half the year and the grandparent provided more than half the support, then the tiebreaker rules won't even be needed - the other person simply doesn't qualify regardless of their AGI.

You don't need proof for all that. IRS Publication 501 clearly states that for the support test, you only need to show you provided MORE than half of the child's total support for the year. You don't need to document every single expense.

ur right but in an audit they ask for everything. my cousin had to make a spreadsheet showing all expenses for the kid and who paid what. better to have too much proof than not enough! in a normal year ya don't need all that but when someone else also claimed the same kid its different. they check everything super carefully.

Doesn't the IRA limit what kind of options strategies you can use though? I thought you couldn't sell naked calls or do certain spreads.

You're absolutely right about the limitations. In an IRA, you generally can't sell naked calls or puts because they have undefined risk and require margin. Most brokers only allow covered calls, cash-secured puts, and certain defined-risk strategies like vertical spreads. The exact permissions depend on your broker and your approved option level within the IRA. Fidelity, for example, is pretty conservative and might restrict you to just covered calls, while some others allow vertical spreads if you have enough experience and account value.

I got a "review" (not technically an audit) last year because my 1099-B didn't match what I reported. Turns out my broker didn't have the correct cost basis for some options I traded. Make sure you're keeping your own records and don't just rely on the broker forms.

That's not a bad approach for quick budgeting! Do you have any tips for how to determine the withholding percentages for each scenario? Are you just using the actual percentages from past paychecks?

I just look at my past paystubs and calculate the actual withholding percentage for each category. So I'll find a few examples of 40-hour weeks, average the withholding percentage, and use that. Same for the other scenarios. It's not perfect, but it gets me close enough for budgeting. The key is to categorize your past paychecks based on hours worked and then find the patterns. Over time, you'll see that the percentages are fairly consistent within each band of hours.

The IRS calculator is good for annual planning but it's not great for weekly variations. It assumes consistent income throughout the year which is exactly what OP doesn't have.

Thanks for your insight! That's a really good point about the franchise agreement duration and the fact that the franchisor requires specific POS systems. In your experience, do fast food franchisors typically require POS system replacements or major upgrades during the franchise term? Or do they generally last the distance?

In my experience, most fast food franchisors require major POS upgrades every 5-7 years, but not complete replacements. The hardware components might get swapped out, but that's often handled as repair and maintenance rather than a new capital expenditure. Franchisors are primarily concerned with system uniformity across all locations. They want consistent reporting, menu management, and customer experience. So even if the technology could physically last longer, franchise requirements often dictate the practical useful life.

In my experience, even with integrated payment processing, the entire unit is still treated as a single asset under the 7-year class life. The IRS generally doesn't want us breaking down assets into components unless they're truly separate and distinct assets.

Wait seriously? I had no idea there was a difference between "Free Edition" and "Free File". Is the interface the same? Does it still have all the helpful guidance?

The interface is nearly identical. It has all the same guidance and error checking features as the paid versions. The main difference is they don't try to upsell you throughout the process. It does have some income limitations (you need to make under $73,000), but it handles much more complex situations than their "Free Edition" which constantly forces upgrades for basic things like student loan interest or unemployment income. Just make sure you access it through the IRS Free File page rather than TurboTax's main site.

I've used both. H&R Block's interface isn't quite as slick as TurboTax, but their prices are usually a bit lower. Their free version also covers more forms than TurboTax's free edition. Customer service was better in my experience - shorter wait times to chat with someone.