Thanks for bringing this up! Do you know what the income limits are for Roth IRA contributions? Also, for the SEP IRA, can I contribute to that even if I have a 401k through my main employer?

For 2025, you can fully contribute to a Roth IRA if your modified adjusted gross income is less than $146,000 (single) or $230,000 (married filing jointly). The contribution limit phases out above those amounts until it reaches zero. Yes, you absolutely can contribute to a SEP IRA even if you have a 401k through your employer. The SEP IRA contribution is based only on your self-employment income. The limit is 25% of your net self-employment earnings, up to $69,000 for 2025. It's a great way to reduce taxes on your freelance income while saving for retirement.

HSAs are awesome! Triple tax advantage is right - money goes in tax-free, grows tax-free, and comes out tax-free for medical expenses. For 2025, you can contribute up to $4,150 for individual coverage or $8,300 for family coverage. But you need a qualifying high-deductible health plan to be eligible. Check if your plan is HSA-eligible - the deductible needs to be at least $1,500 for individuals or $3,000 for families.

I hadn't thought of that! I'll call our bank today to check. That would be such a relief if it's just their standard procedure. Did your bank give you any trouble when you called about it?

No trouble at all when I called. The customer service rep explained it was standard procedure for deposits over a certain amount. They actually have an automated system that flags larger deposits for a brief review period. In my case, they said it was because the deposit was significantly larger than my usual direct deposits. The rep confirmed that the full amount would be available within 48 hours, and it was. Just be sure to speak with someone in their deposit operations department rather than a general customer service rep, as they'll have more specific information about how deposits are processed.

This! The processing fees for refund transfers are ridiculous. I got hit with this last year - H&R Block charged me $35 for the basic prep fee plus a $40 "refund transfer fee" for the privilege of having the fee taken from my refund. It's basically a very expensive short-term loan when you think about it.

Should OP also mention that they paid the 10% early withdrawal penalty on the earnings? Seems like that might be another point in their favor showing they were following the rules correctly.

Yes, absolutely mention the 10% penalty payment! That's a great point. The fact that you correctly calculated and paid the 10% penalty on just the earnings portion demonstrates you understood and followed the rules. Actually, this detail is very important because it shows you were aware of the tax treatment difference between the returned contributions (not taxable) and the earnings (taxable with penalty). It helps establish that your reporting wasn't an oversight but a deliberate application of the correct tax rules.

Yes! My tax preparer told me the IRS is relying more heavily on automated systems due to staffing shortages. Apparently their computers just match documents like 1099s to what's on your return, and if there's any discrepancy, they automatically generate a CP2000 without anyone checking if there might be a valid explanation. It's frustrating because then the burden is on us to explain situations like OP's that are actually completely legitimate.

That's really helpful, thanks! Do you still get any tax benefits in the years when your ex claims the kids? And did you have to update your W-4 at work to account for this arrangement?

You still get the benefit of filing as Head of Household even in years when your ex claims the kids as dependents. This gives you better tax rates and a higher standard deduction than filing as single. You can also still claim certain credits that are based on your expenses for the children, like the child care credit if you paid for daycare or after-school care. I did adjust my W-4 to account for this arrangement. On years when I don't claim the kids, I have a bit more tax withheld to avoid a surprise bill at tax time. It's definitely worth sitting down with the IRS withholding calculator each year to make sure your withholding aligns with your actual tax situation.

I used TurboTax last year after my divorce. It asks you a series of questions about custody arrangements and living situations to determine if you qualify for HOH. It was pretty thorough, but I still ended up talking to a tax pro to double-check since the penalties for filing incorrectly can be steep.

He did have a part-time job for those first few months making about $4,800. So it sounds like he'll definitely need to file his own return then? And yes, we're looking into the adoption tax credit - he does have the special needs determination from the state.

Yes, with that income he'll need to file his own return. Since you're claiming him as a dependent, he'll check the box on his return indicating "Someone can claim you as a dependent." This will limit some deductions/credits he can claim, but he'll still reconcile his own premium tax credit for the months he was covered under the ACA plan. For the adoption tax credit, that's excellent news about the special needs determination. With that classification, you should qualify for the full credit amount (over $15,000 for 2025) without having to document your actual expenses. This is a non-refundable credit but it can carry forward for up to 5 years if you can't use it all in one year.

Yes! This is super important. Once your family situation changes (like through adoption), you need to update your marketplace application right away. If you don't, and subsidies continue to be paid based on old information, you might have to repay them at tax time. For the original poster - if your son didn't update his marketplace coverage after being adopted, there might be an issue with subsidies paid after May. Those would potentially be subject to repayment since his household income calculation would include yours after the adoption.

Thanks for this info. We'll make sure to update our application ASAP. Didn't realize it could cause issues later if we don't keep it current.