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If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
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Yara Abboud
OP, I think you might be overthinking this. The substantial presence test is really meant for people who split time between countries. You've been here 23 years straight - you're definitely a resident alien for tax purposes. When I was doing payroll, we had lots of folks in similar situations. The key thing the IRS cares about is where you're physically living and earning money, not your immigration status. Just select "US citizen or resident alien" on your W-4.
Thanks for the confirmation! I was definitely overthinking it, but it's my first time seeing this specific question so directly on a form. I'm going to select "US citizen or resident alien" option. Do you know if there are any other special considerations I should be aware of for the rest of my W-4 since I'm a resident alien and not a citizen?
Yara Abboud
ā¢Not really! Once you select "US citizen or resident alien," the rest of the W-4 is identical regardless of citizenship status. You'll fill out the standard deductions, multiple jobs section, and dependents information just like everyone else. The only time you'd have different tax paperwork is if you were a nonresident alien, which would involve some different withholding rules. But as a resident alien, you're treated exactly the same as a US citizen for tax purposes.
PixelPioneer
I was actually in the opposite situation - lived in the US for years but traveled outside the country frequently for work. Make sure you keep detailed records of any time you leave the US even for short trips (if you ever do). I got audited once because the IRS thought I didn't meet the substantial presence test due to my travels.
How did the audit go? Did you have to prove each day you were in the US? I travel internationally a lot and now I'm worried about this!
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Avery Davis
Something nobody's mentioned yet - have you checked if your company has an accountable plan? Some employers have a formal process where they don't "reimburse" expenses but will pay you for them if you follow their documentation procedure. If they do, that might be your best option. Also, see if your manager will at least provide a letter stating that the laptop is required for your job but isn't provided by the company. While it won't make it deductible, it's good documentation to have if your tax situation changes or if you're ever questioned about the purchase.
Dyllan Nantx
ā¢Thanks for bringing this up - I've never heard of an accountable plan before. I'll check with HR to see if we have something like this in place. That's a really good idea about getting a letter from my manager. Even if I can't deduct it now, having that documentation could be useful later on. I appreciate the advice!
Has anyone considered just making your employer pay for it? Instead of asking nicely, try framing it as "I need a laptop for the Johnson client visit next Tuesday." Then when they say there aren't enough, say "OK so you're telling me to cancel on the client?" Put it back on them to solve the problem they created.
This is actually solid advice. I did something similar at my old job - forced management to deal with the consequences of their own policies. They magically found budget for new equipment when client relationships were at stake.
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Miguel Silva
From my experience working at a tax firm before, the difference really depends on how complicated your taxes are. If you just have W-2 income and take the standard deduction, you're probably not missing anything major by doing it yourself. Where professionals sometimes help more is if you have multiple income sources, self-employment, rental properties, investments with complex tax implications, etc. They might know strategies for timing certain transactions or maximizing certain deductions that aren't obvious.
What about education expenses? I'm in grad school part-time while working full-time and always wonder if I'm claiming everything correctly. The lifetime learning credit vs tuition deduction confuses me every year!
Miguel Silva
ā¢Education expenses are definitely an area where people often miss opportunities! For grad school while working, you need to evaluate whether the Lifetime Learning Credit (up to $2,000) or the tuition and fees deduction would benefit you more - it depends on your income level and other factors. An often-overlooked benefit is that if your education is related to your current career (even if not required by your employer), you might be able to deduct some expenses as unreimbursed employee expenses if they exceed 2% of your AGI and you itemize. Most tax software will ask about education expenses, but may not always connect the dots between your education and potential business expense deductions.
I switched from using an expensive preparer to doing my own taxes with FreeTaxUSA three years ago and my refund actually INCREASED by about $400. Turns out my "expert" was missing some credits I qualified for. The key is to take your time and answer every question thoroughly. Don't rush through the software prompts - that's where most people miss deductions. If something doesn't make sense, Google it or check the IRS website directly.
What kinds of credits did they miss? Now I'm worried my guy is missing stuff too. I pay $250 for what's probably 30 minutes of his time.
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One thing to be super careful about when filling out Form 4852 - make sure you're calculating your Social Security and Medicare taxes correctly. Those are usually 6.2% for Social Security (on the first $168,600 for 2025) and 1.45% for Medicare (on all earnings). I messed this up last year when dealing with a missing W-2 and it caused my return to get flagged for review, which delayed my refund by almost 2 months.
Nick Kravitz
ā¢Is there a specific place on the tax return where we note that we're using Form 4852 instead of a W-2? Or does just attaching the form take care of that?
Just attaching the Form 4852 to your return takes care of it - there's no special place you need to note it elsewhere on your return. The form itself has a field where you explain why you're using it instead of the W-2 (missing W-2, incorrect W-2, etc.), which gives the IRS all the information they need.
Hannah White
Has anyone used TurboTax with Form 4852? My situation is basically identical to the original poster, but I'm not sure if the tax software will handle this correctly or if I need to file on paper this year.
Yes! TurboTax actually handles this pretty well. When you get to the income section, there's an option that says something like "I don't have a W-2" or "My employer didn't give me a W-2." If you select that, it walks you through entering all the information from your paystubs and generates Form 4852 automatically.
Oliver Becker
Something nobody has mentioned yet - you should really consider setting up an LLC before starting this job. It's not that expensive (usually under $200 depending on your state) and it gives you personal liability protection. Without an LLC, if someone gets hurt on the job or something goes wrong with the concrete work, your personal assets could be at risk. Plus it makes the tax situation cleaner since you can get an EIN and use that instead of your SSN for all the paperwork. Just my two cents after learning this lesson the hard way on a roofing project last year.
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Miguel Diaz
ā¢Interesting point about the LLC. Is it something I can set up quickly? This job is starting in about two weeks, so I'm not sure if there's enough time. And would I need to get insurance too if I form an LLC?
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Oliver Becker
ā¢You can usually set up an LLC in just a few days in most states. Many states have online filing systems now where you complete everything electronically. Once approved, you immediately get your filing documents, then you can apply for an EIN online with the IRS and get it instantly. Yes, you absolutely should get insurance regardless of whether you form an LLC or not. At minimum, you need general liability insurance for a construction project. The LLC helps protect your personal assets, but insurance is what covers actual claims. Many general contractors won't even let you on the jobsite without proof of insurance, so check if that's required in your contract.
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CosmicCowboy
What tax software are you guys using for filing once the project is done? I did some contracting work last year and TurboTax completely messed up my Schedule C and I ended up owing penalties.
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Natasha Orlova
ā¢I switched to FreeTaxUSA last year after having issues with TurboTax. Way cheaper and handled my Schedule C and all my 1099 income perfectly. Their interface for business expenses is actually easier to use than TurboTax in my opinion.
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