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$600 is definitely on the higher side. I'd recommend shopping around a bit. H&R Block quoted me $350 for a similar situation (multi-state, 3 W-2s, and some investment stuff). Just make sure whoever you go with is experienced with multi-state returns and early withdrawals from retirement accounts.
Thanks for the suggestion! Did H&R Block handle your multi-state situation well? I've heard mixed things about them for more complicated situations.
They did okay with my multi-state stuff, but I had to be really proactive and double-check their work. The person I got was relatively new and missed allocating some of my income correctly between states at first. After I pointed it out, they fixed it, but it made me wonder what else might have been missed if I hadn't been paying attention. If you go with H&R Block or similar, try to get their more experienced preparers and ask specifically about their experience with multi-state returns and early retirement withdrawals. The quality really varies depending on which preparer you get assigned to.
Former tax preparer here! To give you a different perspective - yes, $600 is within the normal range for your situation. The multi-state issue alone typically adds $150-200 to the base price at many firms, and early IRA withdrawals add complexity because we have to determine if any exceptions apply to reduce the penalty. Four W-2s isn't a big deal by itself, but combined with everything else, your return requires significantly more time than an average one.
Is there anything the OP could do to reduce the cost? Maybe organizing documents in a specific way or doing some of the prep work themselves?
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Word of advice from someone who's been claiming EIC/CTC for years - DO NOT count on that refund money until it's actually in your account. The IRS timeline estimates are just that - estimates. I've had refunds come in 2 weeks after Feb 15 and I've had some take 2+ months. The absolute worst thing you can do is take out loans expecting your refund to arrive by a certain date. The interest on those loans will eat up a chunk of your refund if there's any delay. If you're in a tight spot, look into other options like: - Payment plans with your current bills - Local emergency assistance programs - Community action agencies - Food banks to reduce grocery expenses temporarily Most utilities and even landlords will work with you if you communicate before you're late with payment.
Thanks for the reality check. The loan I was thinking about has pretty high interest, so maybe I should just call my landlord instead. Do utility companies really give extensions? I've never tried asking before.
Most utility companies absolutely have hardship programs or payment arrangements - you just need to call before your bill is late. Explain your situation (expecting a tax refund but delayed) and ask what options they offer. Many will let you delay payment by 2-4 weeks without penalties, especially if you have a good payment history. For landlords, it really depends on the individual, but many will accept a partial payment now with the remainder plus a small fee when your refund arrives. The key is to approach them before rent is due, be honest about your situation, and offer a concrete plan for when you'll pay the full amount. Coming to them with a solution rather than just a problem makes a huge difference in how they respond.
Have you checked if your return might be caught in PATH Act verification? The IRS has to verify income for all EIC/CTC claims, and sometimes employers are slow reporting wage info to the Social Security Administration, which can cause delays. One thing that helped me last year was creating an account on the IRS website to view my tax transcript. It shows detailed codes that tell you exactly what's happening with your return. The "Where's My Refund" tool is worthless compared to what you can see in your actual transcript. Look for transaction codes like 570 (refund hold), 971 (notice issued), or 846 (refund issued). If you see a 570 without a 846, that means they're still reviewing something.
This is really good advice! I just checked my transcript and saw code 570 followed by 971. Any idea what that specific combo means? Now I'm worried.
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One thing nobody's mentioning - make sure you check your state's requirements separately! I'm in California and answered "no" to full-year coverage (had a 3-month gap). Had to pay a $450 state penalty even though there's no federal penalty anymore. Each state has different rules.
Do you know which states currently have their own health insurance mandates with penalties? I moved from Texas to Rhode Island mid-year and I'm not sure which rules apply to me.
As of 2025, the states with their own health insurance mandates and penalties are California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the District of Columbia (DC). Since you moved from Texas (no state mandate) to Rhode Island (has state mandate), you'll need to follow Rhode Island's rules for the portion of the year you lived there. For Rhode Island, you'll need to prorate the penalty based on the months you were a resident without coverage. Their system is similar to the old federal penalty - either a percentage of income or a flat fee per person, whichever is higher. The tax software should help calculate this if you indicate your residency change properly. Make sure you enter the exact date you established residency in Rhode Island!
Has anyone used the IRS2Go app to check on their refund after filing with health insurance gaps? I marked "no" for full year coverage since I had a 2-month gap, but my refund status has been stuck on "processing" for 3 weeks now. Worried they're reviewing my health insurance info.
I don't think the health insurance question is causing your delay. I had a 4-month gap last year, answered "no" to full coverage, and got my refund in 8 days. The processing delays are usually related to claiming certain credits like EITC or child tax credit, not the health insurance section, especially since there's no federal penalty anymore.
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I work in the financial aid office at a university, and I see this confusion all the time. Just to clarify something important: the reason you still had to pay $1,300 out of pocket despite the scholarship exceeding tuition is likely because some of that scholarship money was applied to room and board, meal plans, or other non-qualified expenses. Many large scholarships/grants cover more than just tuition - they often include housing, meals, etc. For tax purposes, only the portion covering qualified education expenses is tax-free.
Thanks for this insight! Quick question - do student loans factor into this calculation at all? My daughter has both scholarships and loans.
Student loans don't impact the taxability of scholarships. Loans are simply money you have to pay back, so they're not considered income. The calculation only looks at: 1) How much in qualified education expenses did you have? and 2) How much in scholarships/grants (money you don't have to repay) did you receive? If #2 is larger than #1, the difference is taxable income. Loans are completely separate from this calculation. However, you may be eligible for the student loan interest deduction for interest paid on those loans, which is a different tax benefit entirely.
Intentionally leaving off forms the IRS already has copies of is literally the definition of tax fraud. As someone who got audited over education credits, let me tell you - it's NOT worth it. I "forgot" to include a 1098-T from a community college class (was only $600) and ended up paying the back taxes PLUS a 20% accuracy penalty PLUS interest. And that was considered an "honest mistake" - if they determine it was intentional, the penalties are way worse.
How did they even catch such a small amount? Was it just random bad luck that you got audited or do they actually check everyone's forms that carefully?
Finnegan Gunn
I dealt with this exact situation recently. Make sure you file Form 8606 for BOTH tax years - one for 2020 (to report the nondeductible contribution) and one for 2021 (to report the Roth conversion). The 2020 form establishes your basis of $6,000, and the 2021 form reports the conversion and calculates the taxable amount. Since your rollover IRA existed when you did the conversion, you'll need to use the pro-rata formula to determine how much is taxable. Pro-rata formula: (Nondeductible contributions ÷ Total IRA balance) × Amount converted = Nontaxable portion For example, if your total IRA balance (including the rollover IRA) was $46,000 when you converted $6,000, then: $6,000 ÷ $46,000 × $6,000 = $782.61 would be the nontaxable portion, and the rest would be taxable.
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Miguel Harvey
•But wait, wouldn't the timing matter here? If they did the conversion before rolling over the 401k, then the pro-rata rule might not apply since there was only after-tax money in the IRA system at conversion time, right?
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Finnegan Gunn
•You're absolutely right, the timing is crucial. I missed that detail. If the Roth conversion happened before the 401k rollover, then there would only be the $6,000 nondeductible contribution in the IRA system at that time. In that case, the entire conversion would likely be nontaxable. The pro-rata rule looks at all IRA balances as of December 31 of the year of conversion, but there's an exception for funds that weren't in the IRA system at the time of conversion. If the 401k rollover happened after the conversion, the rollover wouldn't affect the taxability of the conversion.
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Ashley Simian
Has anyone else had problems with FreeTaxUSA calculating Form 8606 correctly? Last year it kept showing my conversion as fully taxable even though I had basis in my traditional IRA.
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Oliver Cheng
•I had issues with it too. You need to make sure you enter your "basis" from prior years correctly. There's a specific screen where you enter the total nondeductible contributions you've made in previous years. If you skip that or enter zero, it assumes everything is taxable.
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