Thanks for mentioning this! Do you know if there's an income limit for claiming the American Opportunity Credit? And can I claim it if I'm also deducting business expenses related to my small business?

Yes, there are income limits for the American Opportunity Credit. It starts to phase out at $80,000 for single filers ($160,000 for married filing jointly) and is completely phased out at $90,000 for single filers ($180,000 for married filing jointly). You can absolutely claim both the education credit and your business deductions - they're completely separate. The education credit goes on your personal return while your business expenses go on Schedule C. They don't conflict with each other at all. Just make sure you're not double-dipping by trying to claim business education expenses as both a business deduction and an education credit.

Wait what?? I've been deducting mileage for my W-2 job for years! When did this change? Am I gonna get audited now? 😨

Don't you need to be married to open a joint account though? OP said they're engaged but not married yet.

You definitely don't need to be married to open a joint checking account! Many banks offer joint accounts for any two adults - roommates, partners, family members, etc. My now-wife and I opened ours about 2 years before we got married. Most banks just need both people to come in with IDs to set it up. Some online banks might have different requirements, but traditional banks and credit unions generally allow non-married people to open joint accounts without any issues.

Does Splitwise integrate directly with Venmo or do you still have to manually send the payment?

Thanks for the warning about the wait time! I just want to make sure - does filing an amendment increase my chances of getting audited? I've heard mixed things about this and it makes me nervous about filing one.

Filing an amendment doesn't inherently increase your audit risk. Amendments are actually quite common - millions are filed every year. What might increase scrutiny is the nature of what you're amending. Something simple like claiming a credit you qualified for but forgot is pretty straightforward. The IRS is more likely to look closely if there are dramatic changes to income or if you're suddenly claiming unusual deductions that weren't on your original return. For something like EITC that you legitimately qualify for, just make sure you have documentation of your income and meet all eligibility requirements.

I second FreeTaxUSA! It's what I've used for the past 3 years and it hasn't missed any credits I'm eligible for. It asks very specific questions about EITC. Plus it lets you go back and review every form before submitting so you can double-check everything.

I've checked everything - emails, Coinbase Workforce (their HR portal), spam folders, everything. Nothing there at all. The severance was definitely above the threshold for reporting too - around $18,000 total. I'm going to try contacting their HR department directly, but they haven't been responsive to previous emails.

That's definitely above the reporting threshold, so they should have sent documentation. Sometimes large companies have completely separate departments handling severance payments versus regular payroll, which can cause confusion. I'd suggest sending a formal letter via certified mail requesting the tax documents. Document all your attempts to contact them. When you file, you'll need to report this income regardless. Use your final pay stub or severance agreement to calculate the correct amount, and keep those documents as evidence of your good faith effort to report accurately.

Form 4852 saved me last year! My employer went bankrupt and never sent final W-2s. Just make sure you have some documentation of the payment amounts - bank statements showing deposits work too.

That's really helpful. We have 3 people on our tax team right now, but we're planning to grow. Would you recommend starting with something simpler and migrating later, or just jumping into OneSource to avoid multiple transitions?

With a team of 3, I'd probably recommend starting with something simpler unless your corporate structure is already quite complex. The licensing and implementation costs for OneSource are substantial, and you won't utilize many of the advanced features right away. If you're definitely planning to grow significantly in the next 1-2 years, it might make sense to start with OneSource to avoid multiple transitions. But if growth will be more gradual, you could save considerably by using a mid-tier solution for now and migrating when you have 5+ tax specialists.

I've used both extensively. Thomson OneSource is stronger for corporate tax work, especially complex multi-entity structures. CCH Axcess has better workflow management and is more intuitive for new users. If you're primarily focused on corporate income tax with multi-state filings, Thomson has the edge. For a balanced practice with both individual and corporate clients, CCH might be better. Thomson's document management isn't as seamless as CCH's, but their calculation engine is more robust for complex scenarios.