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Just to add something about your third question on passive activity losses - I went through this exact situation with my rental property. You're correct that depreciation that was suspended due to passive activity limitations doesn't reduce your basis. But keep in mind those suspended losses carry forward indefinitely. When you eventually have passive income from the activity or dispose of the property in a fully taxable transaction, you'll get to use those suspended losses. So track them carefully! I use a spreadsheet that shows both what I've claimed and what's been suspended each year.
Anyone know if bonus depreciation rules are changing for 2024? I heard something about it dropping from 100% to 80% or something? Wondering if I should rush to place assets in service this year instead.
Yes, bonus depreciation is phasing down. It's 80% for property placed in service in 2023, and will drop to 60% for 2024, then 40% for 2025, 20% for 2026, and then zero after that (unless Congress extends it again). So if you're planning major purchases, there's definitely a tax advantage to doing it sooner rather than later.
Your employer is only required to withhold based on how you filled out your W-4 and the standard withholding tables. They don't actually "know" your entire tax situation. In your case, I'm guessing you haven't updated your W-4 since your promotion? A few things that commonly cause underwithholding: - Significant income increases mid-year - Multiple jobs or income sources - Bonus/commission income (often withheld at flat 22% rate) - Outdated W-4 information - Interest or investment income without withholding The easiest fix is updating your W-4 and adding an additional dollar amount to withhold from each check to make up for the shortfall.
You're right, I haven't updated my W-4 since getting promoted. I assumed the payroll system would automatically adjust everything. How do I figure out the right amount to add for additional withholding? Is there a calculation or formula I should use?
Take the amount you owed this year ($1,300) and divide it by the number of pay periods remaining in the year. For example, if you're paid twice a month and it's currently April, you have about 16 pay periods left, so you'd add about $81 of additional withholding per paycheck ($1,300 รท 16). You might want to add a bit more if you expect your income to continue rising. The IRS has a tax withholding estimator on their website that can help you calculate this more precisely based on your specific situation. Remember that this adjustment only affects future withholding, not what you currently owe.
The bonuses and variable pay are DEFINITELY why you're owing taxes! I'm also in sales and had this exact problem. Here's the issue - bonuses and commission are usually withheld at a flat 22% rate, but if your total income pushes you into the 24%, 32%, or higher bracket, that 22% withholding isn't enough. For example, if your last $20k of income is taxed at 24%, but only had 22% withheld, you're short by 2% on that portion. Plus, that interest income from your HYSA had zero withholding, so you owe the full tax rate on that.
Another option that nobody's mentioned: ACH transfers. Most banks offer free ACH transfers to external accounts. Takes 1-3 business days but doesn't cost anything. You just need to link the accounts once by verifying small deposits. I use this for moving larger amounts between my accounts at different banks.
Does ACH have transfer limits too? That's my main issue with Zelle, I keep hitting the daily and monthly caps.
ACH transfers do have limits, but they're typically much higher than Zelle limits. Most banks allow anywhere from $25,000 to $100,000 per day for ACH transfers, and sometimes even more for monthly totals. The exact limits depend on your specific bank and sometimes your account history/standing with them. You can usually find these limits in your online banking settings or by calling customer service directly. ACH is designed for larger transfers, so it's usually better for moving significant amounts compared to person-to-person payment apps.
Just be careful with the timing if you go the friend route! I did this last year with about $8k, and my friend's account got temporarily frozen because Venmo thought it was suspicious activity. It took her 3 days to get it unfrozen, and she was PISSED at me. Maybe do smaller amounts spread out if you go this route.
I was in almost the exact same boat last year (F-1 student with a 1042-S and then a W-2 from my OPT job). I ended up having to use Sprintax instead of TurboTax because TurboTax really isn't designed well for international students, especially with tax treaty considerations. Sprintax is specifically designed for nonresident alien tax filing and handles 1042-S forms much more intuitively. It costs a bit more than basic TurboTax, but it's worth it to avoid the headache you're experiencing. It'll also help determine if you're a resident or nonresident for tax purposes since it sounds like you had a status change mid-year.
Thanks for the recommendation! Do you know if Sprintax can handle my current situation where I'm now working full-time in Indiana? I'm concerned about having to use two different tax preparation systems for different parts of my income.
Yes, Sprintax can handle your entire tax situation, including your current full-time job in Indiana. It's designed to manage exactly these transitional situations where you have income from both when you were a nonresident alien (on F-1) and after you potentially became a resident alien for tax purposes. It will walk you through the substantial presence test to determine your current tax status and then prepare the appropriate forms - either a 1040NR if you're still a nonresident, or a 1040 if you've transitioned to resident status. You won't need to use two different systems or file separate returns.
Just FYI - I faced this exact issue and found out you might actually need to file Form 8843 along with everything else if you were on F-1 status at any point during the tax year. This is separate from your income tax return but required for all F-1 visa holders even if you had no income.
Do you know if the filing deadline for Form 8843 is the same as the regular tax deadline? I completely forgot about this form from when I was a student.
Giovanni Gallo
A point many people miss about tax havens is the distinction between "zero tax" and "tax neutral." The Cayman Islands are designed to be tax neutral for international transactions - the idea isn't to avoid all taxation, but to avoid double taxation. For example, if a Canadian company invests in Brazil through a Cayman entity, the income will still be taxed in Brazil where it's earned and in Canada when it's eventually repatriated. The Cayman Islands just provides a neutral intermediary structure that doesn't add a third layer of taxation. This is particularly important for investment funds with investors from multiple countries. Without tax-neutral jurisdictions, international investment would be significantly hampered by complex overlapping tax systems.
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Fatima Al-Mazrouei
โขI don't think that's entirely accurate though. Many companies use Cayman structures specifically to avoid paying taxes in high-tax jurisdictions through various profit-shifting techniques. It's not just about avoiding double taxation - it's often about avoiding primary taxation altogether. Look at how many tech companies route their IP through tax havens to minimize taxes on their most valuable assets.
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Giovanni Gallo
โขYou're right that there are certainly companies that use these structures primarily for tax avoidance. I should have been more clear about distinguishing legitimate uses from aggressive tax planning. For investment funds, insurance companies, and certain types of international joint ventures, tax neutrality serves a legitimate purpose in preventing double or triple taxation on the same income. The OECD and other international bodies generally recognize this as a valid function. However, as you pointed out, there are definitely corporations that use these jurisdictions primarily to shift profits away from where economic activity actually occurs. The recent global minimum tax initiatives are specifically targeting those practices while still trying to preserve legitimate uses of intermediary jurisdictions.
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Dylan Wright
Does anyone know good resources for understanding how the actual economy of the Cayman Islands works? I'm doing a research project comparing different tax haven models (Cayman, Channel Islands, Singapore, etc) and struggling to find reliable data on how much of their economy is based on financial services vs tourism vs other industries.
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NebulaKnight
โขTry the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority annual reports - they break down the economic contribution by sector. Also check out reports from the International Monetary Fund which occasionally does economic assessments of the Cayman Islands. Last I checked financial services was about 40-45% of GDP, tourism around 25-30%, and the rest split between real estate, construction, and other services.
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