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For what it's worth, I've been using FreeTaxUSA for the past 3 years after getting fed up with TurboTax's rising prices and constant upselling. The federal filing is free regardless of complexity, and state returns are like $15. The interface isn't as polished as TurboTax, but it asks all the same questions and finds the same deductions in my experience. I'd recommend filling out your return there too as a comparison - it won't cost anything to prepare the federal return, only to file. But like others said, the software isn't usually the issue - it's likely something with your withholding or a missed deduction. Different software won't magically make you owe less unless there's a specific deduction or credit that TurboTax is missing (which is rare).
Thank you for this suggestion! We'll definitely try FreeTaxUSA as a comparison. When we put our info into TurboTax, we only got to the W-2 part before seeing the amount we owe. We haven't added any deductions yet, but I'm worried TurboTax will make us pay for upgrades to add things like student loan interest. Do you know if FreeTaxUSA lets you enter student loan interest and charitable donations without upgrading to a paid version?
FreeTaxUSA includes ALL federal tax forms and deductions in their free version, including student loan interest, charitable donations, investment income, self-employment, etc. The only thing you pay for is state filing ($15) or audit assistance if you want it. That's actually one of the biggest differences - TurboTax's "free" version is only free for very simple returns, then they charge for adding forms like student loan interest deductions. FreeTaxUSA doesn't do that bait-and-switch thing. I usually run my taxes through both just to double-check my results, and they've always matched within a few dollars.
NebulaNova
Something to consider - did you receive any unemployment benefits? Those are taxable and if you didn't elect to have taxes withheld, that could explain the surprise bill. Also, check if you got any advanced Child Tax Credit payments if you have kids. That can make a big difference in what you owe vs. what you expected.
Or stimulus payments! Some people think those were tax-free but they actually impact your return if you got them.
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Noah Lee
Something nobody's mentioned yet - if you're going to allocate profits differently than ownership percentages, make sure ALL partners agree to this in writing. I made the mistake of verbally agreeing to a different split with my partners, but when tax time came, one partner changed their mind and insisted on the original percentage. Caused a huge fight and nearly broke up the business. Make sure your operating agreement specifically addresses profit allocations and have it reviewed by an attorney. Also consider including language about how and when allocations can be changed in the future.
Did you have to completely redo your operating agreement or was there some kind of amendment you could add? We're already 2 years into our business and wondering if we need to start from scratch with a new agreement.
Noah Lee
ā¢We didn't have to completely redo the operating agreement. Our attorney drafted an amendment specifically addressing profit allocations that referenced the original agreement. All partners had to sign it, and we made sure to include clear language about the business purpose for the special allocation. We also addressed your exact situation by including provisions for how to handle changes in future years, requiring unanimous consent for any allocation changes and setting deadlines before year-end for making such decisions. This prevented last-minute surprises at tax time when someone might change their mind.
One practical consideration: if your LLC is taxed as a partnership, remember that partners pay taxes on their allocated profits whether or not those profits are distributed. So if you allocate more profit to the two working partners but everyone takes equal draws, make sure those partners can cover their higher tax bills from other sources. I've seen this cause major cash flow problems for partners who didn't realize they'd be taxed on profits they didn't actually receive in cash. The partner getting a smaller allocation might be happy with the tax savings, but the partners with larger allocations need to be prepared for the higher tax burden.
This happened to me! Got allocated 45% of profits due to "sweat equity" but actual distributions were split evenly. Ended up owing way more in taxes than I expected and didn't have the cash. Now we adjust distributions quarterly to account for estimated tax payments.
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Mei Lin
Everyone's talking about refunds like they're free money from the government. A $21 refund is PERFECT - it means you loaned the government almost nothing during the year. If you're getting a $3000 refund, that means you gave the government an interest-free loan of your own money!! I always aim for owing a small amount (but not enough to trigger penalties). That way I keep my money throughout the year and can invest it or use it how I want.
I understand your point theoretically, but most regular people aren't investing that extra $50-100 per paycheck. It's just getting spent. For many people, tax refunds function as a forced savings plan. I personally prefer getting a chunk back because otherwise that money would just disappear into my daily spending.
Mei Lin
ā¢You're making a fair point about the psychological benefit. The math doesn't lie though - if you're getting $3000 back, that's $250 per month you could have had in your pocket. Even if you just put that in a high-yield savings account at 4%, you'd earn an extra $70+ over the year. Not life-changing but still better than giving it to the government for free. The real solution is to improve financial discipline rather than using the tax system as a savings account.
GalacticGuru
Has anyone else noticed TurboTax is pushing their paid audit defense add-on really hard this year? I wonder if they're showing artificially low refunds to scare people into thinking they're at higher audit risk so they'll upgrade.
I noticed this too! I was getting a really low refund and right after showing me that number, they immediately tried to sell me audit defense for an extra $49.99. Seems predatory to me.
GalacticGuru
ā¢That's exactly what happened to me! It honestly feels like they're using scare tactics. When I went through the same info with FreeTaxUSA instead, I got a much higher refund estimate without all the upsell attempts. I'm never using TurboTax again.
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Have you considered looking into why your withholding changed so dramatically? Before paying for a tax pro, you might want to check if there was a mistake in how your W-4 was filled out or processed by your employer. I had a similar situation last year and discovered my employer had accidentally classified me as "exempt" from withholding for several months. If it's not a mistake, then something significant changed in your tax situation that you need to address going forward too - not just for filing this year's return. Otherwise, you'll be in the same boat next year.
Natalie Khan
ā¢That's actually a really good point I hadn't thought about. I did fill out a new W-4 when our company changed payroll providers last March. I should check my recent paystubs to see if the withholding amounts look right. Do you know if there's an easy way to calculate what my proper withholding should be?
The IRS has a Tax Withholding Estimator tool on their website that's pretty helpful. You enter your income, filing status, dependents, and some other basic info, and it tells you how to fill out your W-4 for the right amount of withholding. If you find that your employer made an error in processing your W-4, definitely talk to your payroll department right away to fix it for this year. Unfortunately, that won't help with what you owe for 2024, but at least you won't have the same problem next year.
I'm an enrolled agent (tax professional), and I'd add that owing money isn't necessarily a bad thing or means your taxes were done incorrectly. Many people view refunds as free money when it's actually just your own money you overpaid throughout the year. That said, with freelance income, you should look into making quarterly estimated tax payments to avoid a big bill (and potential penalties) at tax time. This is especially important if you plan to continue freelancing. While a tax pro might find some additional deductions TurboTax missed, be wary of anyone who promises to dramatically reduce your tax liability without seeing your actual documents. Legitimate tax professionals help you claim everything you're entitled to, but won't suggest aggressive positions that could land you in trouble.
Natalie Khan
ā¢That makes sense about refunds just being your own money. I guess I've always used tax refunds as a forced savings plan, so it was a shock to owe instead. How do you figure out how much to pay for quarterly estimated taxes? Is there a simple formula or percentage I should follow for freelance work?
For quarterly estimated taxes, a safe harbor approach is to pay either 100% of last year's tax liability (110% if your income is over $150,000) or 90% of your current year's anticipated liability, whichever is less. This helps you avoid underpayment penalties even if your income fluctuates. For freelance work specifically, a rough calculation is to set aside about 30% of your net profit for taxes - this covers both income tax and self-employment tax. The actual amount varies based on your total income, filing status, deductions, etc. The IRS Form 1040-ES includes worksheets to help calculate the exact amount, or you can use tax planning software to get more precise figures.
Maya Diaz
You might want to consider De Minimis Safe Harbor election instead of depreciation. If your laptop's value at conversion was under $2,500, you could potentially deduct the business portion immediately rather than depreciating it over several years. You'd still multiply by your business use percentage, but you get the full deduction in year one.
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Tami Morgan
ā¢Can you really use de minimis for a converted personal asset though? I thought that only applied to new purchases specifically for the business.
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Maya Diaz
ā¢You're right to question this - there's some nuance here. The de minimis safe harbor typically works best for new business purchases. For converted personal assets, the IRS generally wants you to use depreciation based on the fair market value at the time of conversion. That said, there are some tax professionals who believe you could potentially apply de minimis in the year of conversion if you properly document the fair market value and business use percentage. It's definitely a gray area though, and depreciation is the more conservative and clearly acceptable approach.
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Rami Samuels
This whole situation is why I just buy separate devices for business and personal use. Trying to calculate percentages and conversion values is way too complicated and can raise red flags with the IRS. Just spend the money on a dedicated business computer and save yourself the headache come tax time.
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Haley Bennett
ā¢Not everyone has the money to buy multiple devices though. When you're just starting out self-employed, you've gotta work with what you have. The tax savings from properly deducting a converted laptop could help fund that dedicated device later.
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