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In case anyone's curious about other valid methods for determining land vs building value for depreciation purposes, the IRS accepts several approaches: 1) Tax assessment ratio (what others have mentioned) 2) Property appraisal that separates land and improvements 3) Insurance replacement cost (for the building portion) 4) Land-to-building ratio typical for your specific neighborhood I'm a real estate investor with multiple properties and have used different methods depending on what documentation I had available. Just be consistent and keep good records of how you made the calculation.
Do you need to get a new appraisal specifically for this, or can you use the appraisal from when you purchased the property? My purchase appraisal has a land value listed but it's way higher than what the tax assessment suggests.
You can absolutely use the appraisal from when you purchased the property, assuming it breaks out the land value separately from improvements. That's actually one of the best documents to use since it's specific to your property and was done around the time of purchase. If your purchase appraisal shows a higher land value than the tax assessment suggests, you can use either method - but the appraisal might be more accurate since tax assessments can sometimes be outdated. The key is to pick a reasonable method and be consistent. Just document your reasoning and keep the appraisal with your tax records in case of questions later.
Um, I think everyone's overlooking something super basic here. The assessed values are usually WAY lower than market values bcuz counties use weird formulas and don't update them often. In my state (TX) assessed values are like 10% of actual value. So $21,000 × 10 = $210,000. That matches your county's market value estimate! The ratios still work like everyone said, but the raw assessed numbers aren't supposed to add up to market value.
Ohhhh that makes so much sense now! I was driving myself crazy trying to figure out why the numbers were so far off. Thanks for explaining this so clearly!
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Here's a simple breakdown of RMD calculations for inherited IRAs as of 2025 filing: 1. Find the account value as of December 31 of the previous year 2. Locate your life expectancy factor in IRS Publication 590-B (Table I) 3. Divide the account value by your life expectancy factor 4. That's your RMD for this year For example, if you're 43 and the account was worth $275,000 on Dec 31, your life expectancy factor would be approximately 40.7. So your RMD would be about $6,757 ($275,000 ÷ 40.7). The reason it seems "crazy low" is because the distribution is designed to stretch over your lifetime. Each year, you'll use your life expectancy factor minus 1 from the previous year.
But doesn't the SECURE Act eliminate the stretch IRA approach you're describing? I thought that's what the 10-year rule was about - that I have to empty the account within 10 years now instead of spreading it over my lifetime. I'm so confused because different sources say different things!
You're right to be confused - the SECURE Act did eliminate the lifetime stretch for many beneficiaries, replacing it with the 10-year rule. However, there are exceptions based on when the original owner died and your relationship to them. Since your father died in 2022 and hadn't yet reached his required beginning date (age 72), you might still qualify for special treatment under certain circumstances. This is why your calculation seemed low - if you do qualify for the life expectancy method, you'll get a much smaller initial distribution than if you were simply dividing by 10 years. I'd recommend getting professional tax advice specific to your situation to confirm which method applies to you. The penalties for getting this wrong are significant (25% of the underpayment).
Has anyone else had issues with their financial institution giving them conflicting info about RMDs? Fidelity told me one thing, then Vanguard told me something completely different for the exact same situation with my dad's inherited IRA.
OMG yes! TD Ameritrade told me I had to take all the money out in 5 years, then Schwab said 10 years, and my tax guy said I could stretch it over my lifetime. I ended up requesting a private letter ruling from the IRS which cost me $10,000 but was worth it to get a definitive answer for my situation. The rules are so complicated now with all the SECURE Act changes.
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My sister dealt with this same situation. If the IRS already sent your refund including the child tax credit/EIC, there's a good chance they sided with you initially. The system automatically checks for duplicate SSNs being claimed, so they probably processed your claim first. BUT... the other person might still be going through review. If they submitted after you and included documentation, the IRS might still be reviewing their claim. In that case, you could still get a letter in the future. Keep EVERYTHING that proves you supported the child financially and that they lived with you. Calendar showing overnight stays, medical receipts, daycare payments, anything with dates on it. Don't throw away any of that until at least 3 years have passed.
Doesn't the tiebreaker rule mean that if two people can claim a child, the person with the higher AGI gets the claim? Or is that only when both people are equally eligible?
The tiebreaker rules only come into play when BOTH people are eligible to claim the dependent under all the qualifying child or qualifying relative tests. They're essentially the "last resort" when two people legitimately could claim the same dependent. In most disputes like this, the IRS determines only one person actually qualifies under the support and residency tests. If the child lived with the grandparent for more than half the year and the grandparent provided more than half the support, then the tiebreaker rules won't even be needed - the other person simply doesn't qualify regardless of their AGI.
watch out they might still audit u later. happened to my cousin last year. got the refund with dependent then 4 months later got a letter saying they were auditing. make sure u have proof of EVERYTHING. did u save receipts from when u bought stuff for the baby? need proof for: - medical expenses - food/formula - diapers - clothes - toys - percent of rent/utilities also need proof baby lived with u like mail addressed to baby at ur house, doctor records, anything with the address
You don't need proof for all that. IRS Publication 501 clearly states that for the support test, you only need to show you provided MORE than half of the child's total support for the year. You don't need to document every single expense.
ur right but in an audit they ask for everything. my cousin had to make a spreadsheet showing all expenses for the kid and who paid what. better to have too much proof than not enough! in a normal year ya don't need all that but when someone else also claimed the same kid its different. they check everything super carefully.
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Just a heads up for everyone amending 2020 returns - make sure you're using the CORRECT forms. The IRS changed some of the business expense categories on Schedule C for that year. I messed up my first attempt because I used a current year Schedule C as my reference instead of the 2020 version. Also, if your amendment results in a refund, be prepared to wait a WHILE. My amended return took about 16 weeks to process last year. The IRS says to expect 16 weeks but it can take even longer.
Do you remember what specifically changed on Schedule C? I'm working on mine now and want to make sure I get it right.
The main differences weren't dramatic, but there were some COVID-related options that existed only for 2020 returns. For example, there were special provisions for the Employee Retention Credit and paid sick/family leave credits that appeared on that year's forms. The core expense categories stayed the same (advertising, car expenses, insurance, etc.), but some of the instructions and limitations were different due to pandemic relief provisions. Your best bet is to download the actual 2020 Schedule C form and instructions directly from the IRS website rather than using any current year references. That way you'll be working with the exact form as it existed then.
You might want to calculate if this is worth your time first. While you can definitely still amend a 2020 return, remember that you'll need to: 1) Recalculate your entire return with the new expenses 2) File Form 1040-X plus a new Schedule C 3) Include any supporting documentation 4) Wait potentially months for processing For $7,800 in business expenses, assuming you're in the 22% tax bracket plus self-employment tax, you might get back approximately $2,500. Only you can decide if that's worth the effort!
Not to mention the possibility of having to amend your state return too depending on where you live. Some states require you to file a state amendment if you change your federal return.
Amina Diallo
The comments about software vs CPAs made me wonder - does anyone have recommendations for the best tax software for someone with a relatively basic 1040 but with some stock trades? I used FreeTaxUSA last year but wasn't super impressed with how it handled my investments.
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Oliver Schulz
•I switched from TurboTax to TaxSlayer this year because TurboTax kept upselling me. TaxSlayer handled my stocks and mutual funds really well, and it was about half the price. Might be worth checking out.
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Natasha Kuznetsova
I'm a licensed CPA and I'll tell you the honest truth - if your return is truly simple (just W-2s and standard deduction), there's not much value we can add beyond what tax software provides. We mainly help people with: 1) Complex situations like business income, rental properties, investments 2) Tax planning throughout the year (not just filing) 3) Representation if you get audited 4) Peace of mind knowing a professional reviewed everything Most of our clients have complexities beyond a basic 1040. For simple returns, you're probably fine with software. But be honest about how "simple" your taxes really are. Many people think their return is simple when it actually has complications they're overlooking.
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