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If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
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Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
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Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
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Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
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I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
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Something nobody mentioned yet - make sure you research the providers for whichever account you choose. I have my Solo 401k through Fidelity and it's been great - no setup fees or annual maintenance fees, and decent investment options. Some providers charge hefty admin fees, especially for Solo 401ks. Also, if you go with the Solo 401k route and your plan assets exceed $250k, you'll need to file Form 5500-EZ each year, which is an extra administrative task. Not a huge deal but something to be aware of.
Do you know if Vanguard's Solo 401k has similar fee structure to Fidelity? I've heard Vanguard has good low-cost index funds but wasn't sure about their 401k admin fees for small businesses.
Vanguard does have a similar fee structure with no setup or annual maintenance fees, and they definitely have excellent low-cost index funds. The main difference I found was that Fidelity allowed me to invest in a wider range of options including individual stocks within the Solo 401k, while Vanguard limited me to their funds. Both are solid choices though. The key is to avoid the providers that charge $200+ annual administration fees or have costly setup fees. Those can really eat into your returns over time, especially when you're just starting out with your retirement savings.
One thing to consider with a Solo 401k vs SEP IRA - if you think you might hire employees in the future, the Solo 401k rules get much more complicated once you have employees. With a SEP IRA, you'd have to contribute the same percentage for all eligible employees as you do for yourself. I started with a SEP IRA when I was solo, then had to switch everything when I hired my first employee. Wish I'd known that earlier!
That's a really good point I hadn't considered. I don't have immediate plans to hire employees, but it's definitely possible in the next 2-3 years. So if I understand correctly, once I hire employees, I'd need to either: 1. Convert my Solo 401k to a regular 401k with all the additional compliance requirements 2. Or with a SEP IRA, I'd need to contribute the same percentage for employees as I take for myself Is there a clear better option between those two scenarios?
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Don't cash that check yet! This happened to my brother last year. Turns out the IRS system had somehow duplicated his return and processed it twice - once correctly showing that he owed money, and once incorrectly showing a refund. When he called, they told him to return the check with a letter explaining the situation. He sent it back certified mail with a copy of his original tax return. About a month later, they withdrew the correct amount from his account. The IRS rep said if he had cashed the erroneous refund check, they would have eventually caught it and he'd owe interest and possibly penalties.
How do you return an IRS check properly? Do you just write "VOID" on it and mail it back, or is there a specific process to follow?
There's a specific process. You should mail the check back to the IRS location listed in the instructions that came with it (or if no instructions, to the IRS office that services your area). Include a brief letter explaining why you're returning it. Don't write VOID on the check - send it back uncashed exactly as you received it. Include your taxpayer info (name, address, SSN) and phone number in your letter. Send it certified mail so you have proof you returned it. The IRS website has instructions for returning erroneous refunds - search for "returning erroneous refund" on IRS.gov.
Check your tax transcript ASAP! You can access it online at IRS.gov by setting up an account. The transcript will show exactly what happened with your return and why they issued a refund. Most likely explanations: 1) The IRS made a mistake in processing 2) You had credits/payments you weren't aware of 3) Your return had a calculation error the IRS corrected 4) They processed an amended return you didn't file (identity theft risk) If it's #4, you need to contact the IRS fraud department immediately. Had this happen to a client of mine - someone filed a fake amended return in their name.
I second this! Transcript is the fastest way to see what's happening. My cousin got a surprise refund last year, and the transcript showed someone had filed an amended return with her info. Turned out to be identity theft.
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I've used both services and can give a real comparison. TurboTax has more hand-holding features and better handles complex situations like self-employment, investments, and rental properties. Cash App Taxes (formerly Credit Karma) is completely free and works great for simpler returns. TurboTax pros: - Better guidance and explanations - Handles more complex tax situations - Better audit support - More refined interface Cash App Taxes pros: - Completely free (federal AND state) - No upselling - Clean, simple interface - Good for straightforward returns If your taxes are simple to moderate, Cash App Taxes will probably work fine. If you have complex deductions or special situations, TurboTax might be worth paying for.
What would you recommend for someone who has W-2 income plus some stock sales and dividend income? Is that too complex for Cash App?
For W-2 income plus some stock sales and dividend income, Cash App Taxes should actually handle that just fine. That's considered a moderate complexity return, not highly complex. If you have straightforward stock sales with basis properly reported on your 1099-B, and standard dividend income, Cash App Taxes can manage this without issues. Where it starts to struggle is with things like rental properties, complex self-employment with multiple business expenses, or unusual tax situations like foreign income or alternative minimum tax scenarios.
One important thing nobody mentioned - CreditKarma/Cash App Tax doesn't support multiple state returns! If you moved states or worked in multiple states during the tax year, you'll need TurboTax or another service. I found this out the hard way last year when I moved from Illinois to Texas mid-year. Had to abandon my Cash App Tax return halfway through and switch to TurboTax. Just something to keep in mind if your situation involves multiple states!
Good catch! I ran into this issue too. H&R Block online also handles multiple state returns if you need a cheaper alternative to TurboTax.
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I actually built my own Excel spreadsheet to handle this exact situation. The key is to understand that with Section 1250 property, you have to count the actual months, but the month of disposal only counts as half a month. So for your example: Property placed in service in May, sold in February. If it was mid-month convention and straight-line: - In the year of sale: count January (1) + half of February (0.5) = 1.5 months - So you'd take (annual depreciation ÷ 12 × 1.5) for your final year amount Happy to share my spreadsheet if anyone wants it.
Would love to see that spreadsheet! Does it handle different recovery periods (27.5 vs 39 year) and mid-quarter convention too?
Yes, it handles both 27.5 and 39-year recovery periods for real property. It also has a section for mid-quarter convention that I use for equipment and other business assets. I designed it to be pretty flexible where you just input the property type, cost basis, placed in service date, and disposal date. It automatically determines the right convention and calculates both the regular annual depreciation and any partial year amounts. I've found it matches up with what my accountant calculates manually.
Has anyone here tried using the IRS's own depreciation worksheet in Publication 946? I know it's not as convenient as an online calculator, but it does walk you through all the different conventions and how to handle dispositions during the year. It's a bit tedious but at least you know it's following the exact IRS rules. I think the example on page 47 (or somewhere around there) specifically covers selling property before its anniversary date.
Pub 946 is technically correct but extremely difficult to follow. I tried using those worksheets last year and still ended up making errors. The exampels they give never quite match my situation exactly.
Oliver Wagner
One important thing to note that hasn't been mentioned yet - the timing of your return of excess contribution matters a lot. If you withdraw excess contributions before your tax filing deadline (including extensions), you won't be taxed on the earnings from those contributions. But if you miss that deadline, you'll have to pay a 6% tax on the excess amount for each year it remains in your account. So even though your distribution wasn't coded properly, the fact that you took it within the same tax year is good!
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Natasha Kuznetsova
•Does the timing issue apply differently for Roth vs Traditional IRAs? I have a similar situation with both types of accounts and I'm confused about which deadlines apply to each.
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Oliver Wagner
•The timing rules are actually the same for both Roth and Traditional IRAs. For both types, you need to withdraw excess contributions (and any earnings on those contributions) by your tax filing deadline including extensions (typically October 15th) to avoid the 6% excise tax penalty. The main difference is in how the earnings are treated. For Traditional IRAs, the earnings are generally taxable in the year you make the withdrawal. For Roth IRAs, the earnings are also taxable if you withdraw them, but they may additionally be subject to the 10% early withdrawal penalty if you're under 59½ and don't qualify for an exception.
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Javier Mendoza
Has anyone used Form 5329 for this type of situation? I'm wondering if I need to file that along with my tax return when dealing with the improperly coded distribution.
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Emma Thompson
•Yes, you'll likely need Form 5329. I had a similar situation and had to use it to report the excess contribution and show that I had taken corrective action by removing it, even though it was incorrectly coded as a normal distribution. This helps avoid the 6% excise tax on excess contributions.
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