7 Did they send you any kind of notification when the IRS actually accepted it? Or just confirmation that you submitted?

21 Yes, they sent two emails. The first was immediate confirmation that my form was submitted through their system. The second email came about 24 hours later confirming the IRS had accepted my extension. They also had a status tracker on their website where I could log in and check if anything had changed.

11 Not all tax software includes Form 7004 in their basic packages though. I tried using TaxAct last year and discovered I needed to upgrade to their business package just to file an extension, which was like $70+ more than I wanted to spend just for the extension form.

What counts as "maintaining the home" exactly? I pay all the rent and utilities, but my ex buys most of the groceries and clothes for our son. Can I still claim Head of Household?

Maintaining the home specifically refers to expenses like rent/mortgage, property taxes, utilities, repairs, and groceries. The IRS looks at the overall cost of running the household - not specifically child-related expenses like clothing or education. If you pay all the rent/mortgage and utilities, that's typically the largest portion of household expenses, so you're probably still providing more than half the cost of maintaining the home even if your ex buys groceries and clothes. Just add up all your household costs for the year and make sure your portion exceeds 50%. Keep those records handy in case the IRS ever has questions.

Yikes! How did the audit turn out? I'm worried bc my ex and I alternate years claiming our daughter but I'm not sure if she knows that means only one of us gets Head of Household.

Thanks for mentioning this! Is the $250,000 threshold based on the balance at the end of the year, or is it at any point during the year? And do you have any recommendations for providers that offer good flexibility without charging an arm and a leg?

The $250,000 threshold is based on the total assets in the plan at the end of the year (December 31st). So you'll need to file Form 5500-EZ by July 31st of the following year if your balance is $250,000 or more on December 31st. As for providers, I'm using Fidelity for my Solo 401(k) and have been happy with them. Their plan documents allow for both traditional and Roth contributions on the employee side, and they don't charge any setup fees or annual maintenance fees. E*TRADE and Vanguard are also popular options, but Vanguard doesn't offer Roth options for their Solo 401(k) last I checked. Charles Schwab is another good option with no fees, but they don't accept rollovers from other plans if that's something you might need in the future.

I did this calculation last year. For me (33% marginal tax bracket), contributing $30k to my Solo 401k saved about $9,900 in taxes immediately. Even factoring in that I'll pay taxes on withdrawal later, the tax-free growth over 25+ years makes a HUGE difference in the final amount. Plus having that $9,900 working for me now instead of going to the IRS is a big advantage.

That makes sense, thanks for the numbers! I guess I need to consider my time horizon too. I'm probably 20 years from retirement so that tax-free growth would compound significantly. Do you have a recommendation for how much self-employment income makes it "worth it" to set up a Solo 401k? I'm only making about $25k from my side gig right now.

Does your tax software have a specific place to add notes like this? I use TurboTax and I'm not sure where I would include this kind of explanation.

In TurboTax, when you're entering your Schedule C information, there's a section for "Description of Business." You can include your note there, but the better place is in the "Additional Information" section that appears after you enter all your income and expenses. You'll find a text box where you can add notes or explanations for the IRS. If you can't find it, another option is to create a simple one-page statement titled "Explanation of Duplicate Income Reporting" that lists your 1099-K and 1099-MISC forms and explains they represent the same income. You can attach this as a PDF if filing electronically or as a physical page if mailing your return.

I used H&R Block last year for a similar situation. When you're entering your Schedule C info, there's a section called "General Information" where you can add notes in the description field. I put something like "Note: Income reported on 1099-K from Stripe and also on 1099-MISC from clients. Total actual income is $XXXX." Never heard anything from the IRS about it. Just make sure you keep copies of all your 1099 forms in case they do have questions later.

Can you explain what exactly needs to be filled out on Form 2441? My preparer is insisting I don't even need to file this form since I'm not eligible for the credit. Should I be concerned?

Your preparer is definitely wrong. If you have a Dependent Care FSA, you MUST file Form 2441 regardless of your filing status or eligibility for the credit. For Form 2441, you need to complete Part III specifically. Line 12 should show your FSA contributions (this amount is often shown in Box 10 of your W-2). You'll work through the form, and even though you won't qualify for the credit as an MFS filer, completing Part III correctly ensures your FSA contributions remain pre-tax. Lines 18 through 24 are critical for properly accounting for the benefits. If your preparer skips Form 2441 entirely, your FSA benefits could incorrectly become taxable income.

Is there a specific certification or experience level I should look for? My current guy has been doing taxes for 20+ years but still got confused by my FSA situation when filing separately.