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15 Don't forget about your state quarterly taxes too! Everyone's talking about federal, but depending on your state, you might need to make state estimated tax payments as well. I learned this the hard way last year with a surprise tax bill from my state.
2 Oh crap, I didn't even think about state taxes! Do they have the same deadlines as federal? And do all states require quarterly payments for freelancers?
15 Most states follow the federal quarterly tax deadlines, but not all of them. It really depends on where you live. Some states like Texas and Florida don't have income tax, so you wouldn't need to worry about state quarterly payments there. For states that do have income tax, you typically need to make quarterly payments if you expect to owe more than a certain amount for the year. The threshold varies by state - in California it's $500, in New York it's $300, etc. Your state's department of revenue website should have the specific requirements and forms.
4 Has anyone tried using TurboTax for quarterly payments? Their website says they can help calculate and pay quarterly taxes, but I'm not sure if it's worth the cost compared to just doing it directly through the IRS.
11 I used TurboTax Self-Employed last year. It does calculate your quarterly payments pretty well and reminds you of deadlines, but you still have to actually make the payments through the IRS systems. So you're basically paying TurboTax for the calculation service and reminders. Honestly, I switched to just using a free spreadsheet template I found online and setting calendar reminders. I save the TurboTax fee and just pay directly through IRS Direct Pay now.
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My wife actually works in payroll for a large company, and she says this happens all the time. The problem is that many employers outsource their FSA administration to third parties (like your Navia), but then the communication between that third party and the payroll system that produces W-2s breaks down. The correct thing to do is exactly what the first commenter said - report the W-2 as is, but make sure you account for the FSA contributions separately on Form 2441. As long as you have documentation from the FSA administrator showing your contributions (check your online account or year-end statement), you're fine. If you get audited (super unlikely for just this issue), you'd just show them the FSA documentation.
That's really helpful context, thanks! Do you know if we should be getting any kind of tax form from the FSA administrator directly? We have the enrollment confirmation and can see the contributions on my wife's paystubs, but I didn't receive any year-end tax statement from the FSA company.
Most FSA administrators don't send a specific tax form. The paystubs showing the contributions and the enrollment confirmation should be sufficient documentation. You might also check your online account with the FSA administrator - many of them provide a year-end summary of contributions that you can download. Keep all this documentation with your tax records for at least 3 years. While there's no specific form you need to attach to your return, having this documentation is important if questions ever arise.
I'm a bit confused. If the W-2 doesn't show the FSA contribution in Box 10, how does the IRS know you even had an FSA? Couldn't someone theoretically claim they had FSA contributions even if they didn't, just to get a bigger child care credit?
The IRS has multiple ways to verify this information. First, your employer reports all benefits they provide, including FSA plans, separately from your W-2. Second, the FSA administrator typically reports distributions to the IRS. Third, if you were audited, you would need to provide documentation of both the contributions and the eligible expenses. Falsely claiming FSA contributions would be tax fraud and could result in penalties and interest. The risk isn't worth it because the IRS has systems to cross-reference this information, even if it's not on your W-2.
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I switched from H&R Block to FreeTaxUSA last year and couldn't be happier. It's only $15 for state filing (federal is free), and it walks you through everything step by step. I had some complicated stuff with crypto transactions and rental income, and it handled everything perfectly. The interface isn't as fancy as TurboTax, but it asks all the same questions and found all the same deductions for WAY less money. H&R Block wanted to charge me $389 for their premium service, but FreeTaxUSA cost me just $15 total.
Do they offer audit protection? That's the main reason I've stuck with the big companies.
Yes, they do offer audit assistance for an additional $7.99. It's not the same as full audit representation, but they provide guidance on what documents you need, help you understand what the IRS is requesting, and assist with preparing your responses. I actually think their audit assistance is more straightforward than what H&R Block offers. H&R Block's "Peace of Mind" warranty has a lot of fine print exclusions, and they often try to upsell you on more comprehensive audit defense. FreeTaxUSA's offering is simpler and much more affordable, while still giving you professional guidance if you get audited.
I strongly recommend finding a local independent CPA instead of any chain tax service. After getting burned by H&R Block (they missed over $3,000 in deductions for my small business), I found a local CPA through my chamber of commerce. The difference is night and day! She charges me $400 flat rate no matter how complicated my return gets, is available year-round for questions (not just during tax season), and has saved me thousands by helping with tax planning throughout the year. Most importantly, she actually takes time to understand my business and financial situation.
How did you vet the CPA before hiring them? I'm nervous about just picking someone random.
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One thing nobody's mentioned - you should check whether you're actually itemizing deductions in the first place. With the standard deduction being so high now ($12,950 for single filers in 2022), many people don't even benefit from mortgage interest deductions anymore unless you have a lot of other itemized deductions too. If you're taking the standard deduction, this whole issue becomes moot since you wouldn't be claiming the mortgage interest anyway. Might save you a lot of worry if that's your situation!
That's actually a really good point I hadn't considered. I don't have enough other deductions to itemize since our property taxes and mortgage interest combined are only about $11,000 for the year. So I guess I wouldn't be claiming it anyway with the standard deduction being higher. Does that mean my partner might be in the same boat?
Yes, your partner would need to calculate whether their total itemized deductions exceed their standard deduction amount. If they're also filing as single, they'd compare their potential itemized deductions (mortgage interest, property taxes, charitable contributions, etc.) against the $12,950 standard deduction. If their itemizable deductions don't exceed the standard amount, then they would also just take the standard deduction and not need to worry about reporting the mortgage interest. But if they have other significant deductions that push them over the threshold, then itemizing and claiming 100% of the mortgage interest (since they paid 100%) would make sense for them.
Just a heads up - you mentioned "fiancé" in your post. If you're planning to get married this year, think ahead about how this will change for next year's taxes. Once married, if you file jointly, this whole issue goes away since you'll file one return together. But if you choose married filing separately, you'll need to be very clear about who paid what, as MFS has some special rules around deductions.
Good point! And married filing separately often loses a bunch of tax benefits compared to joint filing. When my husband and I first got married, we ran the numbers both ways and filing jointly saved us almost $3k.
Jean Claude
Quick tip for first-time 1040 filers: The IRS has a free guided filing system called Free File if your income is under $73,000. Much easier than trying to figure out the paper form yourself, and it automatically checks for student credits. I used to think doing taxes meant filling out paper forms by hand, but the electronic systems ask you simple questions and fill in the right lines on the 1040 for you. Saves tons of headaches!
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Charity Cohan
•Does Free File include state tax returns too? Or do I need to pay extra for that part? My state doesn't have its own free filing system.
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Jean Claude
•It depends on which Free File provider you select. Some include free state returns, others charge for them. When you go to the IRS Free File page, you can see which providers offer free state returns for your situation. I used TaxAct through Free File last year and got both federal and state for free. The IRS website has a tool that helps match you with the right provider based on your income, state, and other factors like being a student. Just make sure you start at the official IRS.gov website to get the truly free versions.
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Josef Tearle
dont stress too much about the 1040. i was overwhelmed too but honestly for most college students with just a W-2 it's super simple. the most important thing is dont miss the education credits!!!! they can be worth a lot of money. look for the american opportunity credit, it gave me like $2500 back last year!!!
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Marcus Marsh
•What documents do I need to claim the education credit? Just my tuition statement from school? And does financial aid affect how much I can claim?
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