I did call them actually! They basically just confirmed what the 1098 shows - that the actual payment to the county hadn't been made yet in 2023. They said they could provide a statement showing my escrow contributions, but they were clear that doesn't change when the tax was technically "paid" for IRS purposes. Frustrating but at least consistent with what everyone here is saying.

In TurboTax, the property tax paid will typically import automatically if you have your 1098 imported electronically. If not, you'd enter it manually in the "Deductions & Credits" section under "Home Mortgage Interest and Real Estate Taxes." Look for the section about Form 1098 and it will ask for the amount in Box 11 (which is where property taxes paid by your mortgage company appear).

Thanks for the suggestion! I didn't even think about their guarantee. Do you know if their guarantee covers situations like this? And would you recommend going back now or waiting to see if the refund comes through first?

H&R Block's accuracy guarantee typically covers penalties and interest that result from preparer errors. In your case, since you caught the error before the return was finalized, it's a bit different, but they should still help you navigate the refund process. I'd recommend going back now rather than waiting. Explain what happened and ask them to contact the IRS on your behalf to confirm the overpayment will be refunded. They have a professional responsibility to help resolve this since it was their preparer's error. If the manager isn't helpful, you can escalate to their corporate customer service.

This is good advice! Also, check your mail regularly. Sometimes the IRS will send a paper check instead of direct deposit for refunds resulting from corrections or amendments, even if you originally paid electronically. I learned this the hard way when my refund check sat in a pile of mail for weeks.

File early!!! Especially if you're expecting a refund. The sooner you file, the sooner you get your money back. Also, identity theft is a real problem - if someone gets your SSN they can file a fake return in your name and steal your refund. Filing early prevents this. Filing early also gives you more time to correct any mistakes if something goes wrong. Last year I waited till the last minute and realized I was missing a form, had to file an extension and it was a whole mess.

This is what I did! Our business school had accounting students doing this as part of their practical experience. They were super thorough and even found a credit I didn't know about. Definitely worth checking if your school offers this!

This is a great suggestion! I'll check with our business school to see if they offer this. Having someone walk me through it the first time would be really helpful. Thanks for the tip!

That's really interesting - I had no idea some people had both qualifications. Would that be overkill for my situation though? I'm trying to be cost-conscious here.

For your situation with unreported business income and inheritance questions, a dual-qualified professional would likely be overkill. They typically charge $400-600 per hour because they bring both legal and accounting expertise to the table. I'd recommend starting with a regular CPA who has small business experience. They'll be more affordable (likely $200-300/hour) and can handle everything you've described. If they discover something that requires legal expertise, then they can refer you to a tax attorney for just that portion of the work. This approach gives you the right level of expertise while keeping costs manageable.

I second this! My EA charges about 30% less than CPAs in my area but knows the tax code inside and out. They focus exclusively on taxes while many CPAs do broader accounting work.

Thanks for mentioning the Form 8606! Would I need to file that for the tax year when I make the contribution to the Traditional IRA, or for the tax year when I do the conversion to Roth? If I contribute now but don't convert until next year, which tax year would it fall under?

You need to file Form 8606 for the tax year in which you make the non-deductible contribution to your Traditional IRA. This establishes your "basis" (after-tax money) in the IRA. If you contribute now (2023 tax year) but don't convert until next year (2024), you would still report the non-deductible contribution on Form 8606 with your 2023 tax return. Then when you do the conversion in 2024, you'd receive a 1099-R for that tax year, and you'd file another Form 8606 with your 2024 return to report the conversion. This is why keeping good records is so important - you need to track your basis over time, especially if you don't convert immediately after contributing.

I use Fidelity for my backdoor Roth and it's super easy. You can open both account types online in about 10 minutes, and their conversion process is just a few clicks. Never had to call customer service once. They also have good educational resources about the process right on their website.