Do they look at your assets too or just income? I have some money in savings that I really don't want to touch because it's for emergencies, but I'm worried they'll make me use that to pay down the tax debt instead of continuing on a payment plan.

They look at both income and assets. The IRS uses standard financial guidelines to determine what they consider necessary living expenses versus disposable income. They typically expect you to use liquid assets (like savings) that exceed their allowable emergency fund threshold to pay down your tax debt. That said, they generally allow you to keep some reasonable emergency savings - but their definition of "reasonable" might differ from yours. If your total debt exceeds $25,000, preparing a detailed financial statement using Form 433-F before calling can help you understand where you stand.

Adding a new tax year doesn't reset the collection statute for the original tax debt. Each tax year has its own 10-year collection statute expiration date (CSED). Your 2022 taxes will still expire 10 years from when they were assessed, and your 2023 taxes will have their own 10-year period. However, certain actions like submitting an Offer in Compromise or leaving the country for an extended period can pause the clock. Simply modifying an installment agreement to add a new tax year won't extend the original CSED.

I use H&R Block software and there's a specific section for home office/business property expenses. For tree removal that threatens the structure, I listed it under "repairs and maintenance" and then applied my business use percentage.

That's brilliant! What documentation did you need to provide to make that work? I'm guessing you'd need to show the wood was actually used in products?

Voting barely matters tho. Both parties spend crazy amounts on military and corporate subsidies no matter who wins. The choices we get are so limited and once they're in office they do whatever lobbyists want anyway.

Voting absolutely matters, but you need to look beyond just the presidential race. Congressional, state and local elections have huge impacts on how your tax dollars are spent. In fact, a much higher percentage of your state/local taxes go to things that directly affect your daily life. You're right that there's bipartisan agreement on some big spending categories, but there are still significant differences in budget priorities between parties and individual candidates. The key is getting involved in primaries and supporting candidates who align with your spending priorities. Democracy isn't a spectator sport - it requires active participation beyond just complaining.

I actually did this last year! I wrote to my representative about wanting more transparency in tax spending. Got a form letter back with general budget info. Not super helpful but at least they logged my concern.

Do you know if these state portals also show if you owe money still? I filed state taxes last year but got a letter recently saying I have an outstanding balance, which seems wrong.

Yes, most state tax portals will show any outstanding balances you might have. They typically display your filing history, payment history, and any current amounts due including penalties or interest that might have accrued. If you received a letter saying you have an outstanding balance that you believe is incorrect, definitely log into your state's portal to verify. Sometimes there can be processing errors or payments that weren't properly credited to your account. The portal should show the breakdown of what they think you owe and why, which can help you determine if there's a legitimate issue or a mistake.

Were the penalties really bad? I think I might be in the same boat now that I'm reading this thread. I remember filing federal but can't remember doing state last year.

Did you have to pay again to use TaxAct even though you'd already paid for the other service to create your PDFs? That seems like paying twice for basically the same thing?

Yes, unfortunately I did have to pay again for TaxAct. You're right that it feels like paying twice, which was frustrating. That's the downside of creating PDFs without e-filing capability built-in. Some services advertise "create tax documents" but don't clearly explain that those documents aren't suitable for e-filing. Next year, I'll just start with a service that includes e-filing from the beginning to avoid the double cost. The lesson I learned is to check if e-filing is included before starting the tax preparation process.

The problem with mailing is the processing time - my friend mailed hers in February and didn't get her refund until JUNE. E-file is typically processed in days not months. Plus there's always the risk of it getting lost in the mail.