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Quick question - does anyone know if I should report my kid as "can be claimed as dependent" if I'm dealing with Form 8615? My daughter made about $5,000 last year from a summer job plus has some dividend income, but I'm not sure if checking that box affects how the kiddie tax is calculated.
Yes, you should definitely mark that your child can be claimed as a dependent if that's the case. The kiddie tax (Form 8615) specifically applies to dependents with unearned income above a certain threshold. If you don't indicate they're a dependent, the tax calculations will be incorrect.
Just want to mention that if your child only has unearned income (no job income), you might have the option to include it on YOUR tax return using Form 8814 instead of filing a separate return with Form 8615. That can sometimes be simpler. But since your daughter has both earned income from her job and investment income, she'll need to file her own return with Form 8615. Also, the threshold for filing Form 8615 in 2024 (for 2023 taxes) is $2,500 in unearned income, so with $1,800 you might actually be under the threshold and don't need Form 8615 at all. Double check the current year's threshold!
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You should try a third tax software as a tiebreaker! I had a similar issue between H&R Block and TaxSlayer last year. Added my info to CashApp Taxes (formerly Credit Karma Tax) and it matched one of them, which gave me confidence in which calculation was correct. Also, don't forget to check if both programs are handling your state taxes the same way. Sometimes the federal returns match but state calculations cause big differences in the final refund amount.
That's a great idea! I didn't think about using a third software as a tiebreaker. Have you found any free options that would work for this? I'm hesitant to pay for yet another tax program just to verify.
CashApp Taxes is completely free for federal and state, so that's a good option for a tiebreaker. TaxAct also has a free version that might work depending on your tax situation. Just enter your information and go far enough to see the calculation results - you don't need to file through them. Even if you just get to the federal calculation stage, that should tell you which of your other returns is calculating federal taxes correctly.
Just a warning from my experience last year - I had a $2400 difference between TaxAct and TurboTax. Turned out TurboTax was incorrectly calculating a premium tax credit for my ACA healthcare plan. I filed with the (lower) TaxAct refund amount, which was correct. If healthcare subsidies are involved in your taxes, check those calculations specifically! The difference can be huge and TurboTax doesn't always get it right.
Same thing happened to me but with H&R Block calculating it wrong! The ACA credit calculations are super complicated. Double check Form 8962 on both returns if you have marketplace health insurance.
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For anyone struggling with Form 8962, there's a really helpful worksheet from the IRS that breaks down the calculation step by step: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i8962.pdf The basic formula is: 1. Your income as a % of federal poverty level determines your "expected contribution" 2. Your expected contribution is subtracted from your plan's benchmark premium 3. The difference is your premium tax credit 4. Compare that to the advance payments you received 5. Line 24 shows if you get more credit (positive) or need to repay (negative) The most confusing part for most people is the "expected contribution percentage" which is on a sliding scale. For 2024, if your income is below 150% of poverty level, you pay 0%, and it gradually increases up to 8.5% for higher incomes.
That link just takes me to a 20-page instruction booklet that's even more confusing than the form itself! Is there a simpler explanation or maybe a calculator where I can just plug in my numbers?
You're right, that instruction booklet is pretty dense. The Healthcare.gov website has a much more user-friendly calculator at https://www.healthcare.gov/tax-tool/ where you can input your information and it will estimate your premium tax credit. For a simple explanation: think of it as the government saying "based on your income, you should only have to pay X% of your income for health insurance." If your actual plan costs more than that, the premium tax credit makes up the difference. Form 8962 is just reconciling what you received in advance versus what you were actually eligible for based on your final income for the year.
Does anyone know if there's a repayment cap for Form 8962? My income ended up being way higher than I estimated (got a big promotion mid-year), and line 24 is showing I owe back over $4,000 in premium tax credits. That can't be right, can it??
Yes, there are repayment caps based on your income as a percentage of the federal poverty line! For 2023 taxes, if your income is below 200% of FPL, the cap is $350 for single filers or $700 for families. If your income is 200-300% of FPL, the cap is $950/$1,900. And for 300-400% FPL, it's $1,500/$3,000. However, if your income ended up above 400% of the federal poverty line, there unfortunately isn't a repayment cap - you'd have to repay the full amount. This is one of the most painful surprises people encounter with marketplace insurance.
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Former tax office manager here. Those disclaimers ARE standard, but what your tax preparer is doing is not providing proper service for what you're paying. Here's what should be happening: 1. The questionnaire is normal but should be SUPPLEMENTED by an actual consultation where the preparer reviews your situation and looks for tax planning opportunities 2. A quality preparer should be available for questions throughout the year, not just at tax time 3. While they all have liability disclaimers, reputable firms carry Errors & Omissions insurance specifically to cover mistakes they make 4. They should offer audit assistance as part of their service package You're definitely overpaying for glorified data entry. I'd recommend interviewing other preparers and specifically asking about what value-added services they provide beyond basic return preparation. Ask about their process for reviewing returns before filing and what happens if there's an IRS notice.
Thanks for this perspective! This is really helpful. When you talk about audit assistance, is that something that should be included in the base fee, or is it typically an add-on service? And what's a reasonable expectation for how much contact I should have with my preparer outside of tax season?
Most quality tax professionals include basic audit assistance in their standard fee - this means they'll help explain notices, prepare response letters, and clarify how items were reported on your return. More extensive representation (like attending IRS meetings) is typically an additional fee, but should be discounted for existing clients. For year-round contact, you should expect to be able to email questions periodically and get responses within 1-2 business days at no additional charge. Many preparers offer quarterly check-ins for more complex situations. At minimum, you should feel comfortable reaching out about tax implications before making major financial decisions (buying property, changing jobs, etc.) without being nickel-and-dimed for every interaction.
I went through the same thing and switched to a different CPA who charges about the same but provides WAY more value. The questionnaire is pretty standard (mine uses one too), but my new accountant: 1. Has a 30-minute consultation AFTER reviewing my documents to discuss strategies 2. Sends tax planning emails throughout the year with deadlines and tips 3. Answers quick questions by email year-round at no extra charge 4. Has an explicit policy that they cover penalties/interest if the mistake is their fault Not all tax pros are created equal! I'd interview a few others and specifically ask about these things. My guy costs $400 for a fairly complex return with some investment income and a small side business, which seems pretty standard in my area.
This is super helpful! Do you mind sharing how you found your new accountant? Did you just Google local CPAs or use some kind of referral service? I'm in the same boat as OP and definitely want to find someone better.
Miles Hammonds
Excel is fine but honestly Google Sheets might be better for your situation. I created a simple template where I: 1. Made a table with all my common stops and the mileage between each one 2. Created a daily log sheet where I just check boxes for which stops I visited 3. Set up formulas to calculate the total based on checked boxes 4. Added a monthly summary tab that pulls from the daily logs The advantage over Excel is you can access it from your phone when you're on the road, plus it automatically backs up. I've been using this system for 2 years for my pool service business and it's worked great for tax purposes.
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Ruby Blake
•Can you share a template of how you set yours up? I'm not great with formulas and would love to see an example.
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Miles Hammonds
•I don't have a public template I can share, but I can explain the basic setup. First tab has a matrix of locations with miles between each. For example, if you go from Office to Client A to Client B, you'd have those distances mapped. Second tab has dates down the left column, then checkboxes for each stop. I use SUMIFS formulas to add up the mileage based on which boxes are checked. For example, if you check Office→Client A→Client B, it adds those specific segments. The monthly summary just uses SUMIF to pull all mileage from a given month into a neat report. The trickiest part is setting up the conditional logic to only count consecutive stops.
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Micah Franklin
Just a heads up - I'm a delivery driver too and the IRS audited me last year specifically about my mileage deduction. They made me provide: - Daily mileage logs showing odometer readings - Service records showing odometer at maintenance visits - Receipts for gas that matched my driving patterns My Excel sheet wasn't detailed enough and I lost about 30% of my claimed deduction. Whatever system you use, make sure you're recording: - Starting and ending odometer EVERY DAY - Specific business purpose for each stop - Total business vs personal miles
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Ella Harper
•That sounds terrifying! Did you have to pay penalties too or just the additional tax?
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