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If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
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One thing to consider - even though you probably won't owe capital gains tax, you may still have to FILE a tax return to properly document the home sale. The IRS likes to see that paperwork even if no tax is due. You'll need to report the sale on Form 8949 and Schedule D. Make sure you have good records of: - Original purchase price - Substantial improvements you made (can increase your basis) - Selling costs like realtor fees (these reduce your gain
Sergio Neal
ā¢What if the sale price is less than the $250k exclusion amount? Do you still need to file all those forms?
Yes, you still need to file and report the sale even if the gain is well under the exclusion amount. The IRS requires you to report the transaction on Form 8949 and Schedule D regardless of whether you'll ultimately owe any tax on it. This is important because it creates a record of you using the exclusion, and documents that you properly handled the transaction. If you don't report it, the IRS might send you a notice later asking about the sale since they receive information about real estate transactions.
Does anyone know if selling now with no income might actually be BETTER than waiting until you have a job? I'm wondering if the lower income bracket could help somehow, even with the exclusion.
Juan Moreno
ā¢If your gain is under the $250k exclusion, your income level doesn't matter at all - you won't pay tax either way. But if your gain is OVER $250k, then yes, selling during a low-income year could be strategic since any amount above $250k would be taxed at lower capital gains rates.
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Grace Durand
Former TurboTax employee here. This was a known issue with the 2018 version. The easiest workaround is to claim the affordability exemption (Code G) instead of the hardship exemption if your income was low enough that insurance would have cost more than 8.05% of your household income for 2018. If you navigate to the Health Insurance section, select "Claim exemptions" and then choose "Coverage was unaffordable" instead of "Hardship," you'll be able to proceed without an ECN. Based on your self-employment income of around $8,100, you should qualify for this exemption anyway.
That's super helpful! Would I need to calculate that 8.05% threshold manually first to make sure I qualify? My total income was only around $8,100 for the year as you mentioned.
Grace Durand
ā¢With an income of $8,100, you would definitely qualify for the affordability exemption. The calculation is pretty straightforward - 8.05% of $8,100 is about $652. If the annual premium for the lowest-cost plan in your area minus any premium tax credits you'd be eligible for exceeds $652, then coverage would be considered unaffordable. Given your income level, the lowest-cost Bronze plan in almost any region would have cost more than $652 annually after tax credits, so you should easily qualify. TurboTax should actually perform this calculation for you once you select the affordability exemption path and enter your income details.
Steven Adams
Has anyone else noticed that TurboTax seems to have more and more issues with each passing year? I had a similar problem with claiming education credits in 2018.
I switched to FreeTaxUSA after years of TurboTax frustration. FreeTaxUSA handled my 2018 hardship exemption correctly right out of the gate. Federal filing is free and state is only $15. Way better than paying $60+ for TurboTax that can't even keep up with tax law changes.
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Sophia Long
I was in almost the exact same situation last year! One thing to consider that nobody's mentioned yet - check your withholding status on your W-4. When the tax laws changed a few years back, a lot of people with dual incomes had issues with underwithholding. If both you and your spouse have jobs, you might need to use the "Two Jobs" worksheet on the W-4 or check the box in Step 2, and possibly add additional withholding in Step 4(c). Since you mentioned you're both at "0" allowances, that makes me think you might be using an older W-4 form - the new form doesn't use allowances anymore. My wife and I were getting killed with a big tax bill every year until we fixed this!
Thank you for bringing this up! We haven't updated our W-4s in years, and I didn't realize the form had changed. Do you know if it's too late to adjust withholding for this year to make any difference for the upcoming April tax bill? Or would this only help for next year?
Sophia Long
ā¢It's probably too late to make much difference for this year's April tax bill since there are only a few pay periods left in December. However, I strongly recommend updating your W-4s now so you don't face the same issue next year. The new W-4 form is completely different from the old one. Instead of claiming allowances, you now need to account for multiple jobs either by checking a box in Step 2 or using the online IRS Tax Withholding Estimator. Given your income level, you might also need to add an additional dollar amount to be withheld from each paycheck in Step 4(c). Focus on your 401k contributions for this year's tax bill, and get your withholding right for next year.
One quick thing to check - did your income jump significantly around the time you started owing $7k? Or did either of you switch jobs? Sometimes when your income increases, it pushes you into a higher tax bracket or phases out deductions you were previously eligible for. Also, have either of you started taking withdrawals from retirement accounts? At 65+, Required Minimum Distributions can really throw off your tax situation if you're not prepared for them.
Great point about RMDs! My parents got hit hard with those once they turned 72 (now it's 73). Their tax bill went up by thousands even though their actual spending didn't change at all. And the penalties for not taking them are brutal - 25% of the amount you should have withdrawn!
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Vince Eh
5 One thing nobody mentioned yet - make sure your wife keeps really good records of all business expenses and income! My husband started a side business last year and our tax filing got delayed because we had to go back and organize all his expenses and receipts at the last minute. Also, don't forget about estimated quarterly tax payments. Since taxes aren't automatically withheld from business income like they are from a regular paycheck, you might need to make quarterly payments to avoid a penalty when you file.
Vince Eh
ā¢10 What's the threshold for when you need to start making those quarterly payments? My wife's photography business is just getting started and probably won't make much profit the first year.
Vince Eh
ā¢5 Generally, you need to make estimated tax payments if you expect to owe $1,000 or more in taxes when you file your return. For a new business, it can be tricky to estimate, but it's based on the profit (income minus expenses), not just the total income. Since your wife is just starting out, you might not need to worry about this the first year if she's investing in equipment and has more startup expenses than income. But it's definitely something to keep in mind as the business grows. The IRS website has a worksheet to help figure out if you need to make these payments.
Vince Eh
22 Quick tip from someone who's been filing taxes with my husband's small business for years - you might want to open a separate bank account and credit card just for the business. Makes tracking expenses SO much easier at tax time. Also look into what business deductions you can take - my husband's photography business was able to deduct equipment, a portion of our home for his office space, mileage to photoshoots, etc. Those deductions really added up on our joint return!
Vince Eh
ā¢16 Do you need a business license before you can start deducting business expenses? My wife has been taking photography jobs but hasn't formally registered anything yet.
Freya Thomsen
Just to add another perspective - I've been doing my own taxes for 15 years using various software options. Last year I finally hired an EA because I started a small business and was terrified of making mistakes. Cost me $375 for both federal and state, which seemed high until I realized all the deductions she found that I would have missed. She literally saved me over $2,100 in taxes! What surprised me most was how much I learned during the process. She explained everything and gave me tips for better record-keeping this year. Software can ask questions, but it can't look at your specific situation and proactively suggest strategies like a human can.
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Omar Fawaz
ā¢Did your EA charge a flat fee or hourly? And how did you find them? I'm in a similar situation and worried about getting overcharged.
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Freya Thomsen
ā¢Mine charged a flat fee based on the forms needed. She quoted the price upfront after our initial consultation once she understood my situation. Some do charge hourly, especially for more complex situations or ongoing advice throughout the year. I found her through the National Association of Enrolled Agents website (NAEA.org) which has a directory. I interviewed two before choosing. Definitely ask potential tax pros about their experience with your specific situation, their fee structure, and their availability throughout the year if you have questions. A good tax professional should be willing to explain their pricing clearly.
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Chloe Martin
Does anyone know if most CPAs or EAs offer some kind of free initial consultation? I'm not sure if I need help or not and don't want to pay just to find out.
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Diego Rojas
ā¢Most of the ones I've contacted do offer free 15-30 minute consultations. Just be prepared with specific questions about your situation so you can make the most of that time. And don't expect detailed tax advice during that free session - it's really more for them to assess your needs and for you to assess if they're a good fit.
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