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OP, something similar happened to me last year. Double check that you didn't have any tax prep fees taken out of your refund. If you paid for TurboTax by having the fee deducted from your refund, that would explain some of the difference too. I was expecting $1,250 but only got $1,075 because I forgot about the $175 preparation fee that was coming out of my refund.
That's a good point! I just checked and I did opt to have the $89 fee taken out of the federal refund, but that still doesn't explain the big difference. Based on other comments, I'm pretty sure now that I'm just waiting on the state portion to come separately. I'll give it another week or two before I start worrying.
For future reference, you can actually track both your federal and state refunds online: Federal: Use the "Where's My Refund" tool on IRS.gov with your SSN, filing status, and exact refund amount. State: Most states have their own version of refund tracking. Google "[your state] where's my refund" and you should find it. You'll usually need your SSN and the exact amount you're expecting.
Ezra Beard
ā¢The IRS "Where's My Refund" tool has been super unreliable this year though. Mine was stuck on "received" for 3 weeks even though the money had already been deposited in my account. The state tracker was more accurate for me.
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Have you checked if you might be missing some deductions? My husband and I were in a similar situation ($240k combined income) and kept owing despite withholding at the single rate with 0 allowances. Turns out we weren't maximizing our retirement contributions. Once we both maxed out our 401ks, that lowered our taxable income enough that we broke even. Plus, you know, we're saving for retirement which is a bonus. Also, do you have any 1099 income on the side? Even small amounts of self-employment income without quarterly payments can push you into owing territory.
That's an interesting point about retirement contributions! We do contribute to our 401ks but definitely not maxing them out. How much difference did that make in your tax situation? And no, we don't have any 1099 income - just our regular W-2 jobs.
For us, maxing out our 401ks made a huge difference. At your income level, it could save you around $8,000-10,000 in taxes annually depending on your tax bracket. When we went from contributing about 6% to the max (which is $22,500 per person for 2023), our withholding issues disappeared. It effectively reduced our taxable income by about $35,000 combined. It was a bit of a lifestyle adjustment to put that much away, but the tax savings plus the long-term retirement benefits made it worthwhile. And honestly, once it's automatically deducted, you adjust your spending and barely notice it.
Jayden Hill
Check your state tax withholding too! Everyone's talking about federal, but my wife and I had this exact problem. We fixed our federal withholding but forgot about state taxes. We live in California with high state taxes, and even though our federal withholding was perfect, we were under-withholding for state.
This! I'm in NY and had the same issue. The state withholding tables don't always scale correctly with the federal ones, especially for dual-income households in high tax states.
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11 Don't forget about business licenses and permits! I own a similar shop and got hit with fines because I didn't have all the proper local permits. Each city/county has different requirements, especially for smoke/vape shops. Also, make sure you're collecting age verification documentation properly - that's another area where businesses like ours can get into trouble.
1 Thanks for bringing this up - I think I have my business license sorted but I'm not sure about specialty permits for tobacco/vape products. Who would I even contact to make sure I have everything covered? The city? County? State? It's so confusing trying to figure out which government entity handles what.
5 Has anyone here used a tax pro who specializes in small retail businesses? I'm shopping around and the quotes are all over the place, from $350 to $2,000 for year-end business taxes. How do I know if I'm getting someone good vs. just expensive?
8 Look for someone who has specific experience with retail businesses, particularly those dealing with specialized inventory like yours. Ask potential tax pros what percentage of their clients are small retail businesses, and how familiar they are with your state's specific sales tax requirements for your products. A good tax professional should be asking YOU lots of questions about your business operations, not just quoting you a price. They should inquire about your inventory methods, point-of-sale system, how you track expenses, etc. If they don't ask these types of questions, they're probably not specialized enough for your needs. The cheapest option is rarely the best for specialized businesses. That said, the most expensive isn't automatically the best either. Focus on finding someone with relevant experience rather than making decisions based purely on price.
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You're legally required to report your expenses. If you don't and get audited, you could face penalties for misrepresenting your income. The IRS expects rental properties to have expenses. What's happening is that your rental is probably showing a loss after expenses. Since your income is relatively high, these losses are being limited by passive activity loss rules. However, these losses don't disappear - they carry forward to future years or until you dispose of the property. Definitely talk to a CPA who specializes in real estate. This is a complex area and online tax software doesn't always explain things clearly.
StarSeeker
ā¢Thanks for the clear explanation. I definitely don't want to do anything that would trigger an audit. Do you know if these carried forward losses have any time limit? Like if I keep the property for another 10 years, can I still use these losses when I eventually sell?
There is no time limit on carried forward passive losses. You can continue to carry them forward indefinitely until you either have passive income to offset them against or until you dispose of the property in a taxable transaction. When you eventually sell the property, you'll be able to use all accumulated passive losses against any type of income (not just passive income). This is one of the benefits of holding real estate long-term - those suspended losses can create a nice tax break when you ultimately sell the property, even if it's 10, 20, or more years down the road.
Paolo Conti
Another rental owner here! This is completely normal and happens to all of us with higher incomes. You NEED to report those expenses even though it seems counterintuitive. Here's why: 1) Those expenses adjust your basis in the property, which affects capital gains when you sell 2) Unused losses carry forward indefinitely 3) When you eventually sell, you can use ALL accumulated losses against ANY income type Also, don't forget to properly classify repairs vs improvements. Repairs can be deducted fully in the current year, while improvements need to be depreciated. That new flooring and sod might be improvements, not repairs.
Amina Diallo
ā¢How do you tell the difference between a repair and an improvement? I replaced my water heater last year and wasn't sure how to classify it.
Michael Adams
Something important that nobody has mentioned yet - if you end up setting up a payment plan with the IRS, make sure you ask specifically about the Fresh Start program. They increased the thresholds a few years ago and made it easier for people with lower incomes or hardships to qualify for better terms. Also, document EVERYTHING. Every call, every letter, names of agents you speak with. The IRS can be incredibly disorganized and having your own detailed records has saved me multiple times when they claimed they didn't receive something or didn't have record of a previous conversation.
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Lucas Adams
ā¢Thank you for this advice! Do you know what kind of documentation I should prepare before calling about the Fresh Start program? And will they take my upcoming SSDI into account when determining payment amounts?
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Michael Adams
ā¢You'll want to gather documentation of all your current expenses and income. This includes rent/mortgage, utilities, medical expenses, food, transportation, and any other essential costs. For income, include your wife's pay stubs and documentation of your approved SSDI amount. Yes, they will consider your upcoming SSDI as income when determining payment amounts, but they're required to leave you enough for basic living expenses. Be very clear about all your necessary expenses, especially any ongoing medical costs related to your disability. This is where being detailed really helps - if you can show that after essential expenses you have very little left, they have to work with those numbers.
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Natalie Wang
One thing to consider - have you looked into whether you might qualify for an Offer in Compromise? Its basically where the IRS agrees to settle for less than what you owe if paying the full amount would create economic hardship. With your disability situation you might have a good case.
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Noah Torres
ā¢OIC is super hard to get approved tho. I tried twice and got rejected both times even with legit hardships. They want like proof you'll basically never be able to pay the full amount ever.
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