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Something everyone's missing in this conversation - qualified retirement plans! While Roth IRAs have that marriage penalty with the lower limits, employer plans like 401ks don't have this issue. Also, don't forget about spousal IRAs - if one of you stops working when the baby comes, the working spouse can still contribute to the non-working spouse's IRA even with no income. This is ONLY available if you're legally married. And remember, with a kid, one of you gets head of household filing status if unmarried, which is better than single filing status but not as good as MFJ in many cases. The higher standard deduction for MFJ vs HOH+Single might offset some of what you're calculating.
Zainab Ahmed
•I hadn't thought about the spousal IRA angle - that's a good point if one of us takes time off work. For the head of household vs. MFJ comparison, do you know roughly what income levels the breakeven point would be? We're trying to plan for several scenarios.
The breakeven point between HOH+Single vs. MFJ varies widely based on income distribution, deductions, and credits. Generally, if you both make similar high incomes (like your situation), staying unmarried often provides tax advantages. The MFJ advantages typically shine when incomes are very disparate. For 2024/2025, the standard deduction for MFJ is $29,200 while HOH is $21,900 and Single is $14,600. So HOH+Single combined is $36,500 - already higher than MFJ. But when you factor in the different tax brackets, EITC, child tax credits, etc., it gets complicated. The child tax credit phase-out starts at different income levels for different filing statuses. If one of you might take extended time off work with the baby, that's when marriage often becomes more advantageous tax-wise due to the income splitting effect and spousal IRA.
NebulaNomad
Has anyone mentioned the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT)? At your income levels, especially if you're in a high tax state with high property taxes, AMT can kick in and eliminate some deductions when married. Also consider that many tax benefits phase out based on AGI - not just Roth contributions but also student loan interest deductions, rental loss deductions, etc. As a married couple your combined AGI could push you over these limits. Something else to consider - marriage gives you double the capital loss deduction ($6,000 vs $3,000) which matters if you have investment losses to harvest.
The capital loss thing is interesting, but only matters if both people have capital losses exceeding $3k individually, right? Otherwise it doesn't seem like an advantage.
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Libby Hassan
You should immediately pull your credit reports too! I had the same issue last year and discovered the tax return was just the beginning - the identity thief had also opened credit cards in my name. Go to annualcreditreport.com (the official site) and check all three bureaus. If you see anything suspicious, place a fraud alert or credit freeze right away. Also, check if your employer, accountant, or any financial services you use had data breaches recently. In my case, my information was leaked through my previous employer's payroll provider.
Nathan Dell
•That's actually really helpful - I hadn't thought about checking my credit reports. Did you end up placing a credit freeze? I'm wondering if that's overkill or a smart precaution at this point.
Libby Hassan
•I absolutely did place a credit freeze with all three bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion). It's free to do, and you can temporarily lift it whenever you need to apply for credit. In my opinion, it's not overkill at all - it's basic protection. After dealing with the nightmare of clearing up the fraudulent accounts that were already opened, I wished I had frozen my credit years ago. Just remember that each bureau requires a separate freeze request, and make sure to keep the PINs they give you for when you need to unfreeze.
Has anyone mentioned that your accountant might have accidentally filed your personal return? This happened to me last year - my CPA had my 2022 return ready for review, but somehow it got e-filed before I approved it. When I tried to file my actual return, I got the same error code. Might be worth checking with them if they prepared a draft that got submitted by mistake.
Sofia Peña
•This happened to me too! My accountant had a new assistant who thought she was supposed to e-file all the prepared returns in the system, including mine which was just a draft. Took months to sort out because I had to file an amended return even though I never approved the original. Definitely check with your accountant before assuming identity theft.
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Ruby Blake
Just to add another data point - I paid my taxes with a credit card last year to hit my Amex Platinum bonus. My accountant marked "will not submit payment with return" and then I went to IRS.gov and used their approved processor links. I used Pay1040.com which had the lowest fee at the time (1.87%). The whole process took maybe 5 minutes. Just had to enter my SSN, tax year, payment amount, and card info. Got an email confirmation right away. No issues at all and my tax transcript later showed the payment posted correctly. The bonus points were definitely worth the processing fee in my case.
Did you have to tell the IRS anything about using the credit card payment processor, or do they automatically match the payment to your tax account?
Ruby Blake
•They automatically match the payment to your tax account based on the SSN and tax year you enter when making the payment. You don't need to notify the IRS separately or reference anything specific from your return. The payment processor sends all the necessary details to the IRS with your payment. When I checked my tax transcript a few weeks later, it showed the payment properly applied to my account. The whole system is designed to work without any additional steps needed from you.
Ella Harper
Omg I almost made a huge mistake with this exact situation last year! My tax guy told me to write my credit card number ON THE TAX FORM!!! I was like hell no and did some research. Found out the IRS NEVER wants your actual card number on tax forms!! That would be a security nightmare. What you do is file your taxes normally, then go to IRS.gov, click the "Pay" button, and it gives you links to the official payment processors. I used ACI Payments Inc and it was super easy. Yes the fees kinda suck (I paid like $90 on a $4500 tax bill) but I got enough points for a free flight to Vegas so totally worth it lol
PrinceJoe
•This is helpful! How long did it take for the payment to show up in your IRS account after you paid through the processor?
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StarStrider
7 Has anyone tried using the IRS2Go mobile app instead of the website? I had similar timeout issues on their website last year but discovered their app sometimes works when the site doesn't. It has a transcript request feature that uses a different system. Worth a shot before paying for a service or making appointments!
StarStrider
•11 I tried the app last month and still had issues, but it did work eventually after a few attempts. The verification process seemed more streamlined than the website. Maybe because fewer people are trying to use the app compared to the main site? Definitely worth trying before paying for anything.
StarStrider
•7 The IRS2Go app does use a slightly different authentication system which sometimes avoids the timeout issues on the main website. In my experience, it works best early in the morning (before 8am) or late at night when traffic is lower. Also, make sure your app is updated to the latest version as they've made improvements to the transcript request feature recently.
StarStrider
15 If everything else fails, file Form 4506-T by mail AND submit an extension using Form 4868 to give yourself more time. The extension gives you 6 more months to file (though you still need to pay any estimated taxes by the original deadline). This buys you time to get your transcript without penalty. I had to do this last year because of similar IRS issues.
Henrietta Beasley
Another important thing to know: if you did a direct rollover (where the money went straight from one institution to another), you won't owe any taxes on that money. If you did an indirect rollover (where you received a check), make sure you deposited it within 60 days or you could face taxes and penalties. The 5498 form is basically just documentation of the rollover transaction - Box 2 shows your rollover contributions. You don't need to enter this info on your tax return if it was a direct rollover. If you get confused when using tax software, there's usually a section specifically about rollovers where you can indicate this was a rollover, not a contribution.
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Carmella Fromis
•Thank you - that's helpful! It was definitely a direct rollover, so I never actually touched the money. I was mainly confused because TurboTax kept asking me about IRA contributions and I wasn't sure if the rollover counted as one. Sounds like I don't need to enter anything about the rollover when filing?
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Henrietta Beasley
•You're welcome! Since it was a direct rollover, you generally don't need to report it on your tax return at all. Most tax software will ask if you made any "contributions" to an IRA, but a rollover isn't considered a contribution in the tax sense. The only exception would be if your 1099-R (which you should have received from Principal showing the distribution) has a distribution code that doesn't clearly indicate it was a rollover. In that case, you might need to clarify in your tax software that it was indeed a qualified rollover. But in most direct rollover cases, everything is properly coded and you don't need to take any action.
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Lincoln Ramiro
Quick note - make sure you're checking your 1099-R forms too, not just the 5498s. The 1099-R shows the distribution from your old 401k, while the 5498 shows the receipt into your new IRA. Both forms should have codes indicating this was a rollover (usually code G on the 1099-R). If everything was done correctly, the taxable amount on your 1099-R should be zero. Double check that to make sure you don't accidentally pay taxes on money that should remain tax-deferred!
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Faith Kingston
•This is so important! I messed this up last year and accidentally reported my rollover as income. Had to file an amended return after realizing the mistake. Check that code box on the 1099-R carefully!
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