Thanks for mentioning this! I'm using the regular method since my actual expenses are higher than what I'd get with the simplified option. My office is about 120 sq ft in a 950 sq ft apartment, so I'm tracking that percentage for shared expenses like utilities too. Do I need to take photos of the space to document that it's exclusively used for work?

Yes, taking dated photos of your office space is actually a great idea. Document that it's clearly set up as a workspace with no personal/non-business items visible. Having a floor plan showing measurements is also helpful documentation. With your measurements, you're looking at about 12.6% of your home being used for business, which seems reasonable and less likely to trigger extra scrutiny than higher percentages.

Bad advice. Yes the audit risk might be low but it's still important to have proper documentation. A friend of mine got audited specifically on home office deductions and they absolutely asked for receipts and proof of payment.

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.

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?

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.