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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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An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls ā which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
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One option nobody's mentioned yet - you can pay by credit card if you're really in a bind. There's a processing fee (around 2%) but if you have a card with rewards or a 0% intro period, it might be worth it. Just make sure you can pay it off before any high interest kicks in.
Are there any downsides to paying taxes with a credit card? I've always been told to avoid it but never understood why.
The main downside is the processing fee - it's about 2% of your total payment. So on a $2700 tax bill, you'd pay around $54 extra just for using a card. The IRS doesn't charge this fee directly, but they use payment processors who do. The other potential issue is falling into credit card debt. If you put taxes on a card and can't pay it off fairly quickly, you could end up paying way more in credit card interest than you would with an IRS payment plan (which typically has a lower interest rate). However, if you have a card with a 0% intro period and you're confident you can pay it off during that time, it can be a reasonable strategy.
Has anyone tried filing Form 9465 (Installment Agreement Request) with their return? I heard you can mail it in with your tax forms and avoid the whole online account setup hassle.
Yes! I did this last year and it worked great. Just attached Form 9465 to my return, proposed a monthly payment I could afford, and got approval in about 3 weeks. Much easier than dealing with their website or phone system.
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Just a heads up for first time filers - make sure you check if you can be claimed as a dependent by your parents before filing independently. This is especially important if you're a student or just graduated. My daughter filed her taxes without checking with us first last year, and it created a huge headache because we had already claimed her as a dependent (we were helping with her tuition and housing). Both returns got flagged, and we had to file amended returns which delayed everyone's refunds by months. The IRS has specific tests to determine if someone can be claimed as a dependent - it's not just about whether you live at home or not.
Mei Zhang
ā¢What are the actual rules for being claimed as a dependent? I moved out halfway through last year (July 2024) but my parents paid for my health insurance all year. Can they still claim me even though I'm financially independent now?
For your situation, it depends on several factors. The main tests for a qualifying child dependent are relationship, age, residency, support, and whether you file a joint return. For the age test, if you're under 19, or under 24 and a full-time student for at least 5 months of the year, you could qualify. The residency test requires living with your parents for more than half the year, but temporary absences for education count as time lived with them. The most important factor is usually the support test - if you provided more than half of your own support (rent, food, clothing, medical, etc.), then your parents cannot claim you, regardless of health insurance.
Liam McGuire
Does anyone have opinions on Credit Karma Tax vs FreeTaxUSA? I've heard good things about both for free filing but not sure which is better for someone with just W-2 income and student loan interest.
Amara Eze
ā¢I've used both and prefer FreeTaxUSA. Credit Karma (now called Cash App Taxes) is completely free for federal AND state, while FreeTaxUSA charges for state filing. But I found FreeTaxUSA's interface more intuitive and their explanations clearer. Also had better luck with their customer service when I had a question. If you only have W-2 and student loan interest, either will work fine honestly. Just pick one and go with it!
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Aisha Khan
Has anyone considered the possible relationship implications here? My ex used to deposit money in my account when I was between jobs and it created this weird power dynamic where I felt like I couldn't make independent decisions. Just something to think about - maybe set up a system where there's more transparency about the arrangement?
That's actually a really good point that I hadn't considered. We've been together for three years and have talked openly about finances, but I don't want her to feel like she's losing her independence. Maybe we should establish a more formal agreement about expectations during this period. Do you have any specific suggestions for how to structure this kind of temporary support without creating weird dynamics?
Aisha Khan
ā¢In my experience, having a specific timeframe and budget helps a lot. Maybe sit down together and create a temporary "support plan" with an end date or specific milestone (like when she finds a new job). For the actual mechanics, consider a joint account specifically for shared expenses that you both have access to, rather than just depositing into her personal account. That way it feels more like a shared resource than "your money." And definitely have regular check-ins about how you both feel about the arrangement - these things can create resentment if not discussed openly.
Ethan Taylor
One thing nobody's mentioned - if you're self-employed, are you properly documenting these cash withdrawals in your business accounting? The IRS might question large regular cash withdrawals from a business account if they don't align with your reported business expenses. Make sure you're clearly separating personal draws from business expenses!
Yuki Ito
ā¢This is a really important point. I'm a bookkeeper and I've seen self-employed clients get in trouble for poor cash withdrawal documentation. Make sure you're recording these as owner's draws or distributions, not as business expenses!
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One thing no one's mentioned yet - if you're worried about owing again next year, you can also make estimated quarterly tax payments for your freelance work. That's what I do to avoid a big bill at tax time. The due dates are April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15 (for the previous year's last quarter).
Do you just calculate 25% of what you think you'll owe for the year and pay that each quarter? Or is there some special form you need to fill out? This might be a good solution for me.
It's a bit more nuanced than just 25% each quarter. You can use Form 1040-ES which has a worksheet to help you estimate what you'll owe. Alternatively, you can base it on what you owed last year (which is the "safe harbor" approach to avoid underpayment penalties). The payments aren't perfectly even either - they're based on income during specific periods. The IRS website has a direct pay option that makes it pretty easy once you know your amount. Just select "estimated tax" as the payment reason. It's definitely worth doing if you have significant untaxed income!
What tax software are ppl using these days? I've been using TurboTax but I swear they jack up their prices every year, and I'm wondering if there are better options for handling freelance + regular w2 income.
I switched to FreeTaxUSA last year and it was WAY cheaper than TurboTax. Handled my W-2 and 1099 income just fine. Federal filing is free and state was like $15. The interface isn't as pretty but it gets the job done.
Daniel White
Just to add to the capital gains discussion - don't forget about state taxes too! The federal capital gains rate might be 15%, but depending on what state your in-laws live in, they could owe state taxes on top of that. Some states tax capital gains at the same rate as ordinary income. For example, I sold a vacation property in California last year and had to pay an additional 9.3% to the state on top of the federal capital gains tax. Made a big difference in my final numbers.
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Gianna Scott
ā¢Oh man, I didn't even think about state taxes! They're in Pennsylvania - any idea what the rate would be there?
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Daniel White
ā¢Pennsylvania has a flat income tax rate of 3.07% that applies to capital gains too. So your in-laws would pay that on top of the federal 15%. It's lower than many states, but still adds up. Make sure they account for both state and federal taxes in their calculations. There's no special capital gains rate in PA - it's just treated as ordinary income at the state level. They'll need to report it on both their federal and state tax returns next year.
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Nolan Carter
I'm seeing some confusion about cost basis here. Remember that in addition to the purchase price and documented improvements, your in-laws can also add certain closing costs from when they purchased the property to their basis. This includes: - Title insurance - Legal fees - Recording fees - Survey costs - Transfer or stamp taxes Also, when they sell, they can deduct selling expenses like real estate commissions, legal fees, and other closing costs directly from the sales price before calculating gain.
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Natalia Stone
ā¢Wait that's super helpful! I sold my cabin last year and my accountant never mentioned adding the original closing costs to my basis. Can I still amend my return from last year to include those?
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