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One thing nobody's mentioned yet - make sure you're aware that some credit card companies count tax payments as cash advances, not purchases! This happened to me last year and I got hit with cash advance fees AND didn't get points for the spending. Double-check with your specific credit card issuer before you do this. Most major cards like Chase, Amex, and Citi count tax payments as regular purchases, but store cards and some smaller banks might categorize them differently.
Oh wow, that's really good to know! I hadn't thought about that. I have a Chase Sapphire card - do you know if they treat tax payments as regular purchases? And is there any way to confirm this before I make the payment?
Chase Sapphire definitely treats tax payments as regular purchases! I've used my Chase cards for this exact purpose multiple times and always earned the points with no issues. You can confirm by either calling the number on the back of your card and asking directly, or check their terms and conditions. Most major card issuers also have this info in their FAQ sections online. Just search for "tax payments" or "government payments" in their help section.
Just wanted to drop a quick reminder that while using credit cards for tax payments can be great for bonuses, don't forget that the processing fee is NOT tax deductible for personal tax payments. It's only deductible if you're paying business taxes like self-employment tax.
Are you 100% sure about this? I thought I read somewhere that credit card convenience fees could be deducted as a miscellaneous expense?
Here's what's actually happening with your situation: When you have multiple jobs, each job doesn't know about the others when calculating withholding. So they're each withholding as if that's your only income. For the small jobs that didn't withhold anything, they probably calculated that you'd be below the standard deduction if that was your only income. But when you combine all incomes, you end up in a higher tax bracket. So you haven't had enough withheld throughout the year to cover your actual tax liability. As for the dependent question - when you claim a child on your W4, you get more money in each paycheck throughout the year instead of in your refund. So your refund looks smaller, but you actually got the benefit already spread out over your paychecks!
So should she adjust her W4 at her main job to have MORE tax taken out to compensate for the other jobs not taking enough? And is there a way to calculate exactly how much extra to withhold?
Yes, exactly! She should submit a new W4 to her main employer asking for additional withholding to cover the taxes from her other jobs. The easiest way to calculate this is to use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator on their website. It lets you input information from all your jobs and will tell you exactly how to fill out your W4. You'll want to complete Step 4(c) on your W4 form which allows you to specify an additional dollar amount to withhold from each paycheck. The estimator will tell you the precise amount needed based on your multiple income sources.
Wait I'm confused - so is she getting the child tax credit or not? If she claims her kid on her taxes isn't she supposed to get like $2000 for the child tax credit? Where is that money if her refund went down?
The child tax credit is still there, but it's being offset by her underwithholding from multiple jobs. She's getting the credit, but she also owes more tax than was withheld throughout the year. If she DIDN'T claim her kid, she'd owe even MORE money because she wouldn't get the child tax credit at all, plus she'd have potential penalties for inaccurate filing.
Just to add a bit more clarity on the Form 3903 situation - even before the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act suspended the deduction for non-military, there were strict time and distance tests. The distance test required your new workplace to be at least 50 miles farther from your old home than your old job was. The time test required working full-time for at least 39 weeks during the first 12 months after arriving in the new location. If this is a military-related move, definitely look into amending your 2022 return. If not, unfortunately the suspension applies through 2025, so you're out of luck at the federal level.
Does anyone know if this deduction is coming back after 2025? Or is it gone for good? I'm planning a move next year but maybe I should wait if this is coming back...
The current suspension of the moving expense deduction is set to expire after 2025, so technically it should return in 2026 unless Congress extends the suspension or makes the change permanent. However, tax laws are constantly changing, so I wouldn't base major life decisions like when to move solely on this potential tax benefit. Many provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act are scheduled to sunset after 2025, but it's impossible to predict which ones will be extended and which will revert. If the move makes sense for your career and life circumstances, I wouldn't delay it just for a potential tax deduction that may or may not be available later.
Has anyone successfully amended a tax return for a different reason? I'm wondering if it's worth the hassle. I think I messed up some deductions last year (not moving related) but I'm scared of triggering an audit.
If you're comfortable with a bit more hands-on approach and want to save money, Square Payroll is another decent option. I use it for my retail shop with 6 employees. It's pretty straightforward, handles tax filings, and integrates well if you're already using Square for payments. The biggest advantage is the price - it's one of the more affordable options out there. The downside is the customer service isn't great if you run into problems. But since you have accounting knowledge, you might not need as much support.
Thanks for the Square recommendation. Have you had any issues with their tax filing services? That's my biggest concern with bringing payroll in-house - making sure all the filings happen correctly and on time.
I've been using Square Payroll for about two years now and haven't had any issues with their tax filings. Everything has gone through correctly and on time. They send you email reminders when quarterly filings are approaching and confirmations when they've been submitted. The system automatically calculates federal and state withholding, Medicare, Social Security, and unemployment taxes based on your employees' information. They also generate and file W-2s at year-end. Just make sure you set up your state tax accounts correctly during the initial setup.
Don't forget to check if your bank offers payroll services! I use Chase Payroll for my landscaping business and it's been great. Since it's integrated with my business checking account, transfers for payroll are super easy.
Yara Abboud
One important thing to consider with the mark-to-market election is that it's irrevocable unless you get IRS permission to change it. Make sure you fully understand what you're getting into before making the election. For some traders it's amazing, for others it can actually increase your tax burden.
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PixelPioneer
ā¢Does the election apply to all securities you trade or can you designate only certain accounts? I do both long-term investing and active trading but keep them in separate accounts.
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Yara Abboud
ā¢The election applies to all your securities that are part of your trading business. The key is proper segregation. If you have legitimate investment accounts that are clearly separated from your trading accounts, you can keep those as capital assets subject to regular capital gains treatment. You'll need to clearly document this separation ahead of time and be consistent in how you treat those accounts. Many traders maintain separate accounts - one for long-term investments (capital asset treatment) and others for active trading (mark-to-market treatment).
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Keisha Williams
Don't forget you'll need to make quarterly estimated tax payments if you go the trader route! When I first started, I had a killer first quarter with huge profits, didn't make estimated payments, and got absolutely destroyed with penalties. The IRS doesn't play around with this.
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Paolo Rizzo
ā¢Is there a specific form for the estimated payments or just the regular 1040-ES? And how do you calculate if your trading income varies wildly month to month?
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Keisha Williams
ā¢You use the regular 1040-ES for the payments. For wildly varying income, you have two options: you can either pay based on your actual income for each quarter (which requires more calculation but can match your cash flow better), or use the "safe harbor" provision by paying 100% of last year's tax liability (110% if your income was over $150,000). I personally track my trading P&L monthly and adjust my quarterly payments accordingly. It's more work but prevents overpayment when I have down quarters. Just make sure you're keeping detailed records of your calculation method in case of questions later.
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