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One thing to consider with the new W-4 is that if you and your spouse both work and make similar incomes, just checking the box in Step 2(c) is usually sufficient. But if there's a big difference in your incomes, you might want to use the online IRS Tax Withholding Estimator or the worksheet that comes with the W-4 for more accurate results. At least that's what worked for us - my spouse makes about twice what I do, and when we just checked the box, we ended up owing quite a bit. Using the more detailed worksheet got us much closer to breaking even.
What if one person gets bonuses that vary year to year? That's what always throws off our withholding calculations.
For variable bonuses, I recommend using the IRS Withholding Estimator tool and updating your W-4 after any significant bonus payment. Most companies withhold bonuses at a flat 22%, which might not be enough depending on your tax bracket. Another approach is to estimate your total bonus amount for the year (maybe based on last year plus a little extra) and add additional withholding in Step 4(c) to cover the difference. Then if you get more than expected, you can submit a new W-4 to adjust. It's a bit of work, but it's better than getting hit with a big tax bill and possibly underpayment penalties.
I worked in payroll for 10 years and the new W-4 confuses EVERYONE. Here's the simplest way to think about it: - Filing status and Steps 1 & 5 are the only REQUIRED parts - If you check the box in Step 2c, it basically tells payroll to withhold at a higher single rate - Step 3 REDUCES your withholding (for dependents) - Step 4a and 4b affect withholding based on other income or deductions - Step 4c is for requesting additional withholding each paycheck If you're married and both work, either check box 2c (simple but sometimes withholds too much) OR use the IRS calculator for a more precise amount to put in 4c. If you just want to be safe and not owe, check the box in 2c and maybe add a small amount in 4c ($20-50 per paycheck) as a buffer.
This is the clearest explanation I've seen! One question - if my spouse doesn't work currently but might start later this year, should I still check that box in Step 2c now? Or wait until they actually get a job?
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One important thing to consider: will your daughter have enough earned income to benefit from the non-refundable portion of the credit? Remember, while $1,000 of the $2,500 AOTC is refundable, the other $1,500 is non-refundable, meaning she needs tax liability to use it. If she barely worked during college, this strategy might not maximize the benefit.
That's a really good point I hadn't considered fully. My daughter did have an internship last summer and works part-time during school, probably earning around $14,000 for the year. Would that be enough to utilize most of the credit?
With $14,000 in earnings, your daughter should have enough tax liability to utilize a good portion of the non-refundable part of the AOTC. After the standard deduction (around $13,850 for 2023), she'll have a small taxable income. Even with minimal tax liability, she'll still get the $1,000 refundable portion, plus whatever portion of the $1,500 non-refundable part her tax liability allows. So while she might not get the full $2,500, she'll likely get significantly more than $1,000. Definitely worth calculating both scenarios to see which benefits your family more overall.
Does anyone know if scholarships affect this? My kid gets a partial scholarship that covers about 60% of tuition.
Yes, scholarships definitely impact the AOTC calculation! Tax-free scholarships that are used for qualified education expenses (tuition and required fees) reduce the amount of expenses eligible for the credit. However, if the scholarship is used for room and board (by including it as taxable income), then it doesn't reduce qualified expenses.
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Another thing to check is if you received any one-time tax credits or stimulus payments in 2023 that weren't available in 2024. The tax code changes every year, and there were several temporary benefits during and after the pandemic that have since expired. For example, the expanded Child Tax Credit was a thing for a while, and the Earned Income Credit had different rules. Even if your income and withholding were identical, these changing credits could explain the difference in refund amounts.
Thanks for this explanation. I actually did get some kind of pandemic-related credit in 2023 now that I think about it. I'll have to check my old return. Do you know if there's a simple way to compare the two returns side by side to spot the differences?
Most tax software allows you to view or download PDF copies of your previous returns. I'd suggest opening both your 2023 and 2024 returns and comparing the following sections: adjusted gross income, taxable income, total tax, and tax credits. The key differences will usually jump out when you see them side by side. Pay special attention to any lines that have numbers in one year but are blank or zero in the other - those are often the special credits that might have disappeared. If you used online tax software, many have a comparison feature that will highlight year-over-year differences automatically.
check ur filing status too... i had a similar thing happen and realized i accidentally filed as single one year when i shoulda been head of household. made a HUGE difference in my refund! also look at ur witholding on ur w2s from both years... sometimes employers mess this up or apply the wrong tables.
Filing status makes a massive difference! I accidentally filed as Single instead of Head of Household last year and had to file an amended return. The refund difference was almost $2,000! Definitely worth checking.
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One thing to consider with your taxi service vs. rideshare work: you'll probably need different insurance policies. Regular rideshare insurance won't cover you when you're picking up your own taxi customers outside the apps. I learned this the hard way - had a fender bender while doing a private ride and my insurance denied the claim because I didn't have commercial coverage. Make sure to get proper commercial taxi insurance for when you're running your own service. It's more expensive but necessary. This is actually one reason some drivers choose to form an LLC - for additional liability protection.
Do you report the different insurance costs separately on your taxes? Like rideshare insurance vs commercial taxi insurance? Or is it all just lumped together as "insurance expense"?
You should definitely separate the insurance expenses when reporting on your taxes. The commercial insurance for your taxi service is a direct expense for that business, while your rideshare insurance is specific to your Uber/Lyft work. In QuickBooks, I create separate expense categories for each type of insurance and allocate them accordingly. This gives you a more accurate picture of the profitability of each business activity. Your tax professional (or tax software) will appreciate having these costs properly separated, and it helps ensure you're getting the maximum deduction while also maintaining clean records in case of an audit.
I actually did what you're planning - ran both Uber/Lyft and my own private car service. One major recommendation: get a separate phone number for your taxi business! I use Google Voice (free) but there are other options. Having a business-specific number helps with record-keeping and makes you look more professional. Also makes it easier to track which calls/texts are for which business. Just another way to keep things separate for tax and organization purposes.
That's a great tip about the separate phone number! Hadn't thought about that. Did you find that QuickBooks worked well for tracking both businesses? And did you end up forming an LLC eventually or kept everything as sole proprietorships?
QuickBooks Self-Employed worked pretty well for me. I created separate income categories and would tag each deposit appropriately. I did find that I needed to be really disciplined about entering everything promptly and tagging it correctly. I actually did form an LLC after my second year when my combined income from both businesses hit about $75,000. Before that, the costs of maintaining the LLC and doing the extra paperwork didn't make financial sense. My accountant advised waiting until I hit that income threshold. When I did form the LLC, I put both business activities under the same entity since they were related services. If you do form an LLC, you can still use QuickBooks Self-Employed, but you might want to consider upgrading to QuickBooks Online as it has more features for managing a formal business entity.
Laila Fury
Have you checked your withholding amounts? That's a huge factor that people often enter differently between programs. Make sure both programs have your correct federal withholding amounts from your W2s (Box 2). That alone could explain a huge difference.
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Annabel Kimball
•OMG you're a genius! I just checked and somehow I had completely missed entering the federal withholding amount in TurboTax. Withholding was there in Taxslayer but not TurboTax. After fixing this, both programs now show almost the same result (within $200 of each other). I can't believe I missed something so obvious but I guess that's why it's good to double-check with multiple programs. Thank you so much!
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Laila Fury
•Happy to help! That's such a common mistake and explains the massive difference you were seeing. The software can only work with what we give it. The $200 remaining difference is probably due to how each program handles certain calculations or rounding. That's normal and nothing to worry about. Either program should be fine for filing now that you've fixed the main issue.
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Geoff Richards
Which version of TurboTax are you using? Their free version often misses deductions that their paid versions catch. I've seen the Deluxe version find thousands in deductions that the free version missed.
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Simon White
•This is super important. TurboTax free doesn't support itemized deductions for homeowners properly. If you own a home, you really need at least their Deluxe version.
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