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One thing nobody's mentioned yet - if you're self-employed, you should definitely be making quarterly estimated tax payments to avoid this problem in the future. Pay as you go through the year (April, June, Sept, and Jan of the following year) and you won't end up with a huge bill at tax time. I learned this the hard way too. Got hit with a $8k tax bill my first year of self-employment and couldn't pay it all at once. Now I put aside 25-30% of every payment I receive and make quarterly payments. No more surprises!
Do you set aside a separate bank account for this? I've tried to do quarterly payments but always end up spending the money I should be saving for taxes.
Yes, I have a separate savings account specifically for taxes! This was game-changing for me. Every time I get paid, I immediately transfer 30% to this account. I don't even think of that money as mine - it's already the government's money that I'm just holding temporarily. Some banks let you create sub-accounts with different names, which helps mentally. I named mine "NOT MY MONEY - TAXES" to remind myself not to touch it except for quarterly payments. Having it separate from your main checking account removes the temptation to spend it.
Don't forget that if you paid penalties and interest on your 2023 taxes, those are treated differently than the tax itself. While the $13,500 tax payment isn't deductible on your 2024 return, any interest you paid on late taxes might be deductible if you itemize. Penalties are never deductible though. If you paid through the IRS payment system, you should be able to see the breakdown of what portion was tax, what was penalty, and what was interest. Might be a small silver lining!
Wait really? Interest on tax payments can be deducted? That's amazing, I paid about $400 in interest because I was on a payment plan. Do you know which form this goes on?
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Make sure you get this fixed before filing your taxes! My cousin had something similar happen with his dad's IRA at a small bank and ended up paying taxes on the whole thing because he didn't realize the mistake until after he filed. He tried to amend later but it was a huge headache that took like 18 months to resolve. The key issue is the distribution code in Box 7 of the 1099-R. For a properly handled beneficiary IRA distribution due to death, it should be coded as a "4" not a "1" or "7". If it's coded wrong, the IRS computers automatically treat it as fully taxable.
Do you know if we need to get the 1099-R corrected before we file, or can we just file with the explanation that it's incorrect? The tax filing deadline is coming up soon and I'm worried the credit union won't fix this in time.
You really want to get the corrected 1099-R before filing if at all possible. Filing with an explanation that contradicts the 1099-R information the IRS has on file often triggers correspondence audits or notices. If you're running close to the deadline, file an extension to give yourself more time to get this corrected. An extension gives you an additional six months to file (though not to pay, but in this case the correct tax should be much lower or zero). The credit union should be able to issue a corrected 1099-R within a few weeks if they acknowledge their mistake.
Has anyone mentioned the 10% early withdrawal penalty yet? If your wife is under 59.5, that could be an additional hit on top of the income tax unless this gets fixed properly. When my husband's credit union messed up his inherited IRA from his grandmother, we got slapped with both regular income tax AND a 10% penalty on the whole amount.
Actually, the 10% early withdrawal penalty doesn't apply to distributions to beneficiaries after death, even if the beneficiary is under 59.5. That's one of the exceptions listed in the tax code. But they would still owe regular income tax on the distribution if it's not corrected.
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do u have an actual accountant or just a tax preparer? big difference tbh. my "accountant" last year was just a lady at a strip mall tax place & she missed tons of stuff. real accountant this year saved me like $3,200 by finding actual business deductions & doing proper income splitting
This is so true! I used to go to one of those chain tax places and when I finally switched to a CPA, the difference was huge. Worth every penny, especially for self-employment stuff.
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I'm a professional musician with a similar situation. I have W2 income from teaching at a college but make about $8k from gigs and recording sessions (1099). I stopped claiming home office after an accountant friend scared me about audit risks. The way he explained it: if your side business consistently loses money, the IRS might question if it's really a business or just a hobby. If classified as a hobby, you lose all those business deductions. My solution was to be more selective about which home expenses I allocate to the office. I still deduct my music equipment, supplies, and direct business expenses, but I'm more conservative with the home office portion. This keeps me showing at least some profit most years.
That's an interesting approach. Which specific home expenses did you stop allocating to your office space? I'm wondering if I could take a similar middle ground where I still claim some home office expenses but not all of them.
I stopped allocating a percentage of my mortgage interest and property taxes to the home office, since I already claim those on Schedule A itemized deductions. I also reduced the percentage of utilities I allocate to business use to better reflect actual usage. I still deduct direct expenses related to my music business - instruments, equipment maintenance, software subscriptions, recording supplies, and a reasonable percentage of my internet costs since that's essential for sharing files with clients. This approach has kept my Schedule C showing a small profit most years while still giving me legitimate deductions for actual business expenses.
Have you considered just taking the simplified home office deduction? It's $5 per square foot up to 300 sq ft, so max $1500. Super simple, way less documentation needed, and you don't have to worry about calculating percentages of all your different home expenses. I switched to this method for my small freelance business a couple years ago and it's been WAY less stressful. My Schedule C still shows a small profit and I haven't had any issues. The deduction is smaller than what I could get with the regular method but the peace of mind is worth it.
This is what I do too! The simplified method is so much easier. I make about $7k from my side business and the simplified deduction of $750 (I use a 150 sq ft bedroom as my office) keeps my business profitable on paper while still giving me a decent deduction. Way less hassle and much lower audit risk.
Zoey Bianchi
For a tax/finance game, I think it should be like The Sims but focused on financial decisions! You create a character, choose a career path, and make life choices while managing your finances. Each decision impacts your taxes, savings, debt, and retirement readiness. Some features I'd include: - Career mode with salary negotiations, job changes, and side hustles - Housing market with renting vs. buying decisions - Investment portfolio building with different risk/reward options - Surprise life events that require financial adjustments - Tax filing seasons with different strategies - Achievement system for reaching financial milestones - "Time warp" feature to see future impacts of current decisions The key is making it fun while still educational - like having visualization tools that show compound interest or tax bracket changes in a satisfying way!
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Christopher Morgan
•Love this Sims-like approach! Would there be different character "classes" like entrepreneur vs. employee? Each would have different tax situations and strategies. Also would be cool to have seasonal events like tax season, open enrollment for benefits, etc.
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Zoey Bianchi
•Absolutely! Different career "classes" would be a fantastic way to introduce various tax situations. Entrepreneurs would deal with self-employment taxes, quarterly estimated payments, and business deductions. Employees would focus on W-2 optimization, benefit elections, and retirement account choices. Seasonal events would definitely be included! Tax season would be a major yearly milestone, with preparation activities in the months leading up to it. Open enrollment periods would prompt players to make healthcare decisions that impact both their tax situation and financial security. I'd also include annual financial checkpoints where players review their progress and adjust their strategies for the coming year.
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Aurora St.Pierre
Would anyone actually play a game about taxes? Lol. Maybe focus more on the investing side with a game where you can build a portfolio and compete against friends? Like fantasy football but for stocks and crypto. Could have leaderboards and everything.
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Grace Johnson
•An investment competition would be fun, but I think plenty of people would play a tax game if done right! Look at how popular games like Papers Please became - literally about checking documents. If you make the mechanics satisfying and include enough strategy elements, even "boring" subjects can become addictive. Tax optimization is basically a puzzle game anyway!
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