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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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Have you checked out the IRS Direct File program? It's new this year and completely free. I think it's limited to certain states for now, but worth checking if yours is included. It handles basic investment income including Schedule B without charging.
I just looked it up and unfortunately my state isn't included in the Direct File pilot program yet. Seems like it could be a good option in the future though! I'll probably go with one of the free alternatives mentioned here instead of paying for TurboTax.
I've been using FreeTaxUSA for years and it handles Schedule B no problem. Federal is completely free regardless of which forms you need. They only charge like $15 for state filing. Way cheaper than TurboTax or H&R Block's "upgrades.
Is FreeTaxUSA actually reliable? I'm always worried about using less well-known tax software. Do they have good support if you have questions?
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Something similar happened to my brother last year. The identity theft department will help, but here's what you absolutely need to do right now: 1. File a police report about the identity theft - some IRS departments require this 2. Pull your husband's credit reports to check for other fraud 3. Put a fraud alert on his credit reports with all three bureaus 4. File Form 14039 (Identity Theft Affidavit) if the IRS hasn't already sent it 5. Consider freezing his credit while this is sorted out Even though it sounds like an IRS error rather than someone actively stealing his identity, these steps protect him in case there's more to it. When this happened to my brother, they discovered someone had somehow gotten access to his SSN and was using it for other purposes too.
Thanks for all these suggestions! We didn't think about checking his credit reports - doing that right now. Do you know if the IRS will require the police report even if they're the ones who made the mistake? And did your brother eventually get his refund?
The police report is a good idea regardless of where the error originated. When the IRS sees you've taken formal steps, they tend to prioritize the case more. Some IRS divisions won't process certain claims without it, so it's better to have it and not need it. My brother did eventually get his refund, but it took about 5 months total. The identity theft department issued him a new IP PIN to use for future tax filings as well, which adds an extra layer of security. Make sure your husband asks about getting an IP PIN once this is resolved - it's the best way to prevent similar issues in the future.
Just to give you a realistic timeline - I went through this exact situation in 2022. The IRS sent my $2300 refund to someone with a similar name. It took exactly 9 months from start to finish to get my money. The identity theft department is thorough but extremely slow. The thing that finally broke the logjam was contacting my congressional representative's office. Their constituent services team has liaisons with the IRS who can often cut through red tape. After 7 months of no progress, I reached out to my representative, and within 6 weeks, the issue was resolved and I had my refund. Don't hesitate to take this step if you're getting nowhere after a few months. It's literally their job to help constituents with federal agency issues.
The congressional representative tip is gold! I had a similar issue and was getting nowhere for months. Called my rep's office, and their staff person had a direct line to someone with actual authority at the IRS. Problem solved in under a month after that.
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Don't forget about Section 179! Depending on how you structure things and how much you use the vehicle for business, you might be able to take advantage of that rather than regular depreciation. We did this for our company truck that has our logo plastered all over it. BUT - and this is a BIG but - the vehicle has to be used for business purposes more than 50% of the time.
Does Section 179 still apply with the luxury auto limits though? I thought those kicked in regardless of whether you use 179 or regular depreciation.
You're absolutely right about the luxury auto limits - they do still apply even with Section 179 deductions. So there's a cap on how much you can deduct each year regardless of which method you choose. What's important to note is that with Section 179, you can deduct a larger amount in the first year rather than spreading it out over several years with regular depreciation. But as you mentioned, there are still annual limits for passenger vehicles regardless of which method you use. For 2025, those limits are pretty restrictive for higher-end vehicles, which is something to seriously consider when making this purchase.
One thing no one's mentioned yet is insurance implications. When I started using my personal car for business advertising, my insurance company required me to get a different policy that was more expensive. Make sure you factor that into your calculations when deciding if this is worth it!
This is really good advice. My brother put his lawn care company logo on his truck and then got into a minor fender bender. Insurance company gave him trouble because he hadn't disclosed it was being used for business purposes. Cost him a ton in the end.
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Just to add one more perspective - being "poor" is actually when you MOST need to file! The tax system has several credits specifically designed for low-income folks: - Earned Income Credit: up to $600 for someone with your income and no kids - Recovery Rebate Credit: if you missed any stimulus payments - Savers Credit: if you put ANYTHING in a retirement account Plus you get back all federal tax withheld if you're below the standard deduction. It's literally free money that people leave behind every year.
This is really helpful! One question - for the Savers Credit, does it matter how much I put in? I managed to put $50 in a Roth IRA last year but that's all I could afford.
Every little bit counts! Even with just $50 contributed, you could get a credit of $10-$25 depending on your exact income. Not life-changing money, but it's something! And it establishes the good habit of saving for retirement. The key with low income is that every tax benefit is essentially amplified because it represents a bigger percentage of your overall finances. That $900 withheld might be a month of rent or several weeks of groceries for you.
Dont listen to others here saying "definitely file" without knowing yr situation. Iff your only making 11k from regular job and 2k from gigs u might be better just staying off the radar. Gov doesnt care about small fish and filing might put u in system for audits.
This is literally the worst advice possible. The IRS already has OP's W-2 information from their employer. Not filing when you're entitled to a refund is just giving free money to the government. And the IRS virtually never audits low-income people - they don't have the resources to go after small fish.
Isabella Oliveira
One thing to consider that I didn't see mentioned yet - if you're in a community property state, this gets even more complicated. My spouse and I were in a similar student loan situation, and we had to figure out who could claim our son while dealing with Arizona's community property laws. In community property states (AZ, CA, ID, LA, NV, NM, TX, WA, WI), income and deductions may need to be split 50/50 regardless of who earned what. This creates another layer of complexity for the married filing separately strategy.
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StardustSeeker
•Thanks for bringing this up! We're in Pennsylvania, which isn't a community property state. Do you know if there are any specific state-level considerations for non-community property states that might affect our decision?
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Isabella Oliveira
•For non-community property states like Pennsylvania, you generally report income and deductions based on which spouse actually earned the income or paid the expense, which is much simpler. The main state-level consideration would be your state tax rules around dependent exemptions or credits. Some states have their own child tax credits or dependent exemptions that might have different phase-out thresholds than the federal ones. Pennsylvania specifically has a relatively simple income tax system with a flat rate, but you should check if there are any dependent-related benefits at the state level that might influence your decision about who claims your daughter.
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Ravi Patel
I'm surprised nobody mentioned the earned income tax credit. If the lower-earning spouse (husband in this case) claims the child, they might qualify for EITC, which you can't get if you file MFS. Might be worth running the numbers on filing separately vs jointly just to see the full picture.
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Freya Andersen
•The Earned Income Tax Credit isn't available for married filing separately status - it's one of the credits you give up when you choose MFS. They'd need to file jointly to claim it, which defeats the purpose of keeping the student loan payments lower.
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