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One thing to watch out for - make sure your state extension gets filed too! I filed my federal extension one year but completely forgot that my state needed a separate extension form. Ended up with a state penalty even though my federal was fine.
Omg thank you for mentioning this! I totally would have forgotten about the state part. Do you know if most CPAs automatically handle both the federal and state extensions when you ask them to file an extension?
Most CPAs will handle both federal and state extensions automatically if they know which state(s) you need to file in. It's part of their standard process, but it never hurts to specifically ask to make sure they're filing all necessary extensions. Always good to explicitly confirm they're handling both, especially if you have multi-state filing requirements or if you've recently moved. Different states have different rules about extensions too - some automatically grant the same extension as federal while others require their own form.
Just a quick tip - even though you're expecting a refund, if your calculations are off and you end up owing, you'll be charged interest from the April deadline, not from the extended October deadline. When I filed an extension in 2023, I estimated wrong and ended up owing $600... got hit with like $30 in interest because I waited until September to file!
One thing nobody's mentioned yet - check if you qualify for any deductions or credits you might have missed! At your income levels, you probably can't take full advantage of many credits, but you might still qualify for: - Mortgage interest deduction if you own a home - State and local tax deductions (capped at $10k) - HSA contributions if you have eligible health insurance - Student loan interest deduction (though this phases out at higher incomes) - Charitable contributions Even if it doesn't eliminate the whole bill, finding an extra thousand in deductions could help take the edge off! Just make sure whatever software you're using is checking for all possible deductions.
We do own a home, so I'll make sure the mortgage interest is included. I think we've got about $8k in state taxes too. Do you know if student loan interest is still deductible if we file MFS for the IDR benefits?
Unfortunately, one of the major downsides of filing MFS is that you cannot deduct student loan interest. This is one of several tax benefits you lose when filing separately. The student loan interest deduction starts phasing out at $75,000 for single filers and $155,000 for joint filers, and is eliminated completely at $90,000 and $185,000 respectively. You should definitely make sure you're capturing the mortgage interest and state/local taxes (SALT). Keep in mind that the standard deduction for MFJ is $27,700 for 2023, so your itemized deductions would need to exceed that amount to be worthwhile. For MFS, each of you would have a $13,850 standard deduction.
Don't forget to check your actual W-2s to make sure the withholding amounts look right! I had a situation where my employer messed up my withholding for half the year and that's why I ended up with a huge tax bill. Box 2 on both your W-2s should show federal income tax withheld. Add those numbers up and compare to what you're supposed to owe. If your total combined withholding is way less than $10k, that's definitely the problem. At your income levels (about $300k combined), your effective tax rate should be around 15-20% depending on deductions, so you should have had roughly $45-60k withheld throughout the year.
4 Regarding your wholesale business question - make sure you're tracking inventory properly. Cost of goods sold is definitely deductible, but the IRS has specific rules about inventory accounting for wholesale businesses. You need to be consistent in how you value inventory from year to year. I learned this the hard way when I got audited for my small retail business.
1 Thanks for this info. I'm actually not sure I'm doing this correctly. Do you use specific inventory tracking software or do you have another system? My business is fairly small but growing, and I've mostly been tracking things in spreadsheets so far.
4 I started with spreadsheets too, but as my business grew, I invested in QuickBooks Online with their inventory add-on. It was a game-changer for tracking cost of goods sold properly. The key thing the IRS looks for is consistency in your inventory methods - whether you're using FIFO (first in, first out) or another approved method. For a smaller business, good spreadsheets can work fine as long as you're methodical. Just make sure you're tracking: 1) Beginning inventory value 2) Purchases made throughout the year 3) Ending inventory value. The formula is: Beginning inventory + Purchases - Ending inventory = Cost of Goods Sold for the year.
11 One thing nobody mentioned - if you're giving money to help your friend with specific expenses like medical bills or tuition, you could potentially pay those directly instead of giving cash. Direct payments to educational institutions or medical providers on someone's behalf aren't subject to gift tax limits at all! Might be worth considering if your friend has those specific needs.
One thing nobody has mentioned yet - have you considered taking a reasonable salary from the partnership? This would create W2 wages that could help with QBI limitations if your income increases in the future. I'm a partner in a similar consulting business and we restructured last year to ensure each partner receives both a W2 salary and K-1 distributions. It reduced our QBI slightly in the short term but gives us more flexibility as our incomes increase above the thresholds. Just make sure the salary is "reasonable" for your services or you could face scrutiny from the IRS. We based ours on industry standards for our positions.
That's really interesting - I hadn't considered that approach. Do partnerships typically have the ability to issue W2s to partners? I thought partners were generally treated as self-employed rather than employees.
Regular partnerships can't issue W2s to partners - you're right that partners are treated as self-employed. What we did was elect to be taxed as an S-corporation while maintaining our partnership agreement internally. An S-corp can pay wages to shareholders who work in the business. This creates the W2 wages needed for QBI calculations at higher income levels. There are some additional compliance requirements and costs with this approach, but for us, the tax benefits made it worthwhile once our incomes crossed the threshold amounts.
I made a costly mistake with this exact situation last year - my income was $175k, no wages or UBIA in the partnership, and my accountant incorrectly told me I couldn't take the QBI deduction. After reading these comments, I went back and checked the rules, and everyone here is correct. Below the threshold, you CAN take the full 20% deduction regardless of W2 wages or UBIA. I'm now filing an amended return to claim approximately $35,000 in QBI deductions across 2022 and 2023. That's a lot of money to leave on the table! Make sure your new accountant understands these rules correctly.
Do you know how far back you can amend returns for this? I think I might have missed out in previous years too!
Jordan Walker
Just FYI - even if you missed the window to amend your 2018-2019 returns, current homeowners should keep an eye on this deduction. Congress has extended it several times in the past, and there's always a possibility they'll reinstate it again for future tax years. I make a habit of checking every January to see what deductions have been extended. The mortgage insurance premium deduction can be worth hundreds of dollars if you itemize.
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Natalie Adams
ā¢Do you know any good resources to keep track of these changing tax provisions? I always seem to find out about extensions after I've already filed.
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Jordan Walker
ā¢I usually check the IRS website directly in January before tax season starts. They publish updates on extended provisions. The other resource I've found helpful is following the IRS newsroom (https://www.irs.gov/newsroom) which announces major tax law changes. Tax software usually updates quickly too, but if you file early in the season, sometimes they haven't incorporated the latest extensions that Congress passes at the last minute. That's why I generally wait until at least mid-February to file if I think I might benefit from typically extended provisions like the mortgage insurance premium deduction.
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Elijah O'Reilly
Anyone know if PMI on a refinanced mortgage qualifies for this deduction? I refinanced in 2018 and had to keep paying PMI even though I only pulled out a small amount of extra cash.
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Olivia Harris
ā¢Yes, PMI on a refinanced mortgage would qualify for the deduction in 2018-2019, as long as the loan was primarily for home acquisition debt (buying, building, or substantially improving your home). If you took out some cash but it was minor compared to the refinance amount, the PMI should still be deductible. The key factor is that the insurance contract needed to be issued after 2006 and the loan had to be for your primary or second home, not an investment property.
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