For Lifetime Learning Credit, the educational institution needs to be eligible to participate in federal student aid programs. Many coding bootcamps don't qualify because they aren't accredited in the right way. Check if your bootcamp has a Federal School Code and if they're on the Federal Student Aid Code List. If they gave you a legitimate 1098-T that's a good sign, but double-check their eligibility on the IRS website just to be sure!

Thanks for that info. I just checked and my bootcamp does have a Federal School Code. I was confused because it's not a traditional 4-year college, but apparently they do qualify for federal aid programs. Guess I'll go ahead and claim it!

This Box 1 vs Box 2 thing tripped me up too! My school put stuff in both boxes and I had no idea which one to use. Does anyone know the difference?

Box 1 shows amounts the school actually received during the calendar year, while Box 2 shows amounts that were billed for qualified expenses during the year. The difference matters because of timing - sometimes you might pay in December for classes starting in January, or pay in January for classes that started the previous December. You generally want to claim the credit in the year you actually paid the expenses, which would align with Box 1. However, you should look at both boxes and understand what educational expenses they represent. If there's a big difference between them, you might need to figure out exactly when you made payments and what academic periods they were for.

Thanks for this advice! I never thought about filing an identity theft form, but that makes sense if my info is being used on an account that isn't mine. Have you dealt with incorrect income reporting yourself? How long did it take to get resolved?

Yes, I had a similar issue when a company I briefly consulted for reported all their platform income under my SSN by mistake. It took about 5 months to fully resolve, which was frustrating but eventually worked out. The Identity Theft Affidavit is helpful because it flags your account in the IRS system and can help prevent collection activities while you're resolving the dispute. Just be clear in your explanation that this is a case of incorrect income reporting by a business, not someone stealing your identity for credit fraud.

This is exactly what happened to me in 2023! Request those transcripts ASAP because they'll show the exact source of the reporting. In my case, it was a former business partner who kept using my SSN for company accounts after I left. Such a nightmare to fix.

Thank you for this advice! Did you find it difficult to verify if a CPA truly had expertise with multi-state returns? I'm worried about just taking someone's word for it and then finding out they weren't as experienced as they claimed.

That's a valid concern! I'd recommend asking potential CPAs specific questions about your situation before hiring them. Ask how many multi-state returns they handle annually and specifically about rental property scenarios similar to yours. An experienced CPA should be able to immediately discuss specific forms (Schedule E, part-year resident forms) and potential pitfalls without hesitation. Also, don't just go with someone who says "yes, I can do that" - ask them to explain HOW they would approach your specific situation. A truly experienced multi-state CPA will mention things like sourcing rules, reciprocity between states, and credit for taxes paid to another state. If they can't speak to these specifics, that's a red flag.

Did your CPA handle everything remotely or did you have to go into their office? I'm in a similar situation but travel a lot for work so in-person meetings are tough.

I hadn't thought about coworking spaces! That's a really smart alternative. Do you know if there are any specific documentation requirements for using coworking spaces as a business expense? And would that still work if I keep the hotel for personal comfort but also use a coworking space?

For coworking spaces, keep the receipts/invoices from the space and note the business activities performed there each day. Take photos of your workspace and save any digital check-ins. If you're producing deliverables while there, note that in your records. You could absolutely still keep the hotel for personal reasons while using a coworking space for business. This actually creates a much cleaner deduction situation because the coworking space has no personal use component - it's 100% business. The hotel would then be clearly personal and non-deductible, but your dedicated workspace would be fully deductible. This arrangement also makes it much harder for the IRS to question the business purpose since there's no mixing of personal and business use in the same space.

Going through an audit sounds terrifying. Did you end up owing a lot more in taxes after they disallowed your deductions?

That's a good point I hadn't considered. I think each employer is definitely calculating as if that's our only income. How would I figure out what the right additional withholding amount should be for each job? Is there a calculator for that?

The IRS has a Tax Withholding Estimator tool on their website that's designed exactly for situations like yours with multiple jobs. It will walk you through entering info from all four W-2s and then recommend specific withholding amounts for each job. For a quick rule of thumb, take your total expected annual tax bill (probably around $44-45k based on your income) and subtract what you're currently having withheld. Then divide that shortage by the number of pay periods remaining in the year to determine how much additional withholding you need across all jobs. You can split that amount across all four jobs however makes sense for your cash flow.

At their income level ($270k), they're probably phased out of most credits. The Saver's Credit phases out at $73k for married filing jointly, and the Child Tax Credit starts phasing out at $200k. Education credits have similar income limitations.