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Something nobody's mentioned yet - since you and your wife file separately, you need to be careful about how the rental loss is allocated. Since the mortgage is paid from YOUR account not a joint account, you might be able to claim more of the expenses, but the IRS could still view it as 50/50 ownership since you're married. Also, filing separately means the passive activity loss threshold is only $12,500 instead of $25,000, and it starts phasing out at $50,000 of modified AGI instead of $100,000. This could significantly limit how much of the mortgage interest you can actually deduct.
This is an excellent point. MFS status really complicates things with rental properties. I wonder if they should consider changing their filing status if the student loan situation allows for it?
One thing to watch out for - if you don't get a tenant until March, make sure you can prove you were ACTIVELY trying to rent it starting much earlier. The IRS looks for evidence that you were making reasonable efforts to rent it at market rates. My sister got audited because she claimed rental expenses for 6 months before getting a tenant, but couldn't prove she was actually trying to rent it out during that time. Keep screenshots of rental listings, emails with potential tenants, and a rental journal showing all your activities related to renting it out.
That's a great tip, thank you! The flood damage definitely set us back, but we've been working on renovations specifically to get it ready to rent. Does documenting the renovation process count as proof of intent to rent?
Yes, documenting the renovation process is helpful, but it's not sufficient on its own. The IRS wants to see that you were actively trying to find tenants as soon as the property was habitable. Take pictures of the renovation with dates, keep all receipts and contractor communications that mention preparing for rental, but also start some rental-specific activities even before the property is 100% ready. For example, draft your rental listing, research comparable rents in your area and save those findings, contact insurance companies about landlord policies, and maybe even pre-screen a few potential tenants. Creating this paper trail of rental intent alongside your renovation documentation will give you much stronger proof if questioned.
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One thing I learned the hard way - if your PayPal account is registered as a personal account rather than a business account, switch it NOW. PayPal has been cracking down on people using personal accounts for business transactions and can freeze your funds. Also, you might want to look into getting a separate bank account for your business income. It makes tracking expenses WAY easier come tax time, and it's what my accountant recommended when my side hustle started making regular money.
Does having a separate business bank account mean you need to register as an LLC or something first? Or can you just open another personal account and use it for business?
Make sure you're putting aside enough for taxes as you go! When I started my side hustle, I didn't save anything and got DESTROYED at tax time. Now I automatically move 30% of all my side income into a separate savings account the moment I get paid. The self-employment tax (15.3% for Social Security and Medicare) on top of regular income tax is what catches most people off guard. Plus, your side hustle income might push you into a higher tax bracket for your overall income. Also worth noting - you might qualify for the Qualified Business Income deduction which can give you a deduction of up to 20% of your net business income. Definitely look into that!
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Just to add - I had the exact same issue between TurboTax and FreeTaxUSA last year. Turns out TurboTax was handling it correctly. The excess scholarship money (box 5 minus box 1) is considered used for living expenses like room and board, which makes it taxable income. It's super common for FreeTaxUSA to miss this calculation. I even called their customer service and they admitted there was an issue with how their system was handling 1098-T forms in some situations. They might have fixed it by now, but based on your experience, it sounds like they haven't.
Thanks for sharing this! Did you end up filing with TurboTax then? I'm leaning toward using them since they seem to be handling the 1098-T correctly even though it means owing more in taxes. Just wondering if there are any other differences I should be aware of between the two services?
Yes, I ended up filing with TurboTax since they were calculating it correctly. It sucked paying more taxes, but better than dealing with an IRS notice later. One other difference I noticed was how they handled education credits. TurboTax was more thorough in determining if I qualified for the American Opportunity Credit vs. the Lifetime Learning Credit. They asked more detailed questions that helped maximize my education credits, which offset some of the extra tax from the scholarship income.
Friendly reminder that the difference in calculations shows why it's so important to understand the basic tax rules rather than just trusting software! For education expenses: 1. Box 1 on 1098-T = qualified education expenses paid 2. Box 5 on 1098-T = scholarships/grants received 3. If Box 5 > Box 1, that excess is TAXABLE income 4. This excess goes on Line 8s of Form 1040 as "Taxable scholarships not reported on W-2" This is covered in IRS Publication 970. Many tax software programs miss this or don't explain it clearly!
But what if my school reported amounts in Box 2 (amounts billed) instead of Box 1? My form has Box 2 filled but Box 1 is empty. How do I calculate if I have excess scholarship then?
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I've been using freetaxusa's calculator for years. Not the most elegant but it's free and has handled my dividends and capital gains just fine. The only thing is you need to input a lot of information to get to the final calculation page, almost like you're actually preparing a return, but you don't have to pay anything unless you actually file.
Do you have to create an account with them to use the calculator? I'm trying to avoid giving out my email to every tax site.
Yes, you do need to create an account, but you can use a throwaway email if you want. They don't verify it for just using the calculator features. The benefit though is that once you create an account, it saves your scenarios so you can come back and tweak them later without starting over. I've found that super helpful when playing with different investment decisions throughout the year.
Has anyone tried the IRS's own tax calculator? They have one called the Tax Withholding Estimator on the irs.gov site. I've used it for basic income but not sure if it handles investments well.
The IRS Tax Withholding Estimator is mostly for W-2 employees to figure out the right withholding amount. It does a terrible job with investment income in my experience. It doesn't distinguish between qualified and non-qualified dividends or long-term vs short-term capital gains. Basically useless for what the OP is asking about.
Harper Hill
16 Small business banker here. For a tax preparation business, I strongly recommend looking at credit unions. They often have business checking accounts with lower fees and better customer service than big banks. Also, make sure whatever account you choose offers: 1) Check scanning/mobile deposits 2) Integrations with popular accounting software 3) Free or low-cost ACH transfers (for direct deposits) 4) Online banking with transaction categorization Since your volume is relatively low, fee structure should be your primary concern rather than transaction limits.
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Harper Hill
•4 Do you think it's important to choose a bank with multiple branch locations? I do most banking online but wonder if having physical locations nearby matters for a business account.
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Harper Hill
•16 For most small business owners today, having multiple physical branches is much less important than it used to be. With robust online banking, mobile check deposits, and widespread ATM networks, you rarely need to visit a branch. However, there are occasional situations where having at least one nearby branch can be helpful - like depositing cash payments (though as a tax preparer you'll likely have few of these), getting cashier's checks, or resolving complex account issues that are difficult to handle online. I generally recommend having at least one branch within reasonable driving distance, but don't make multiple locations your priority when other features like fees and integration capabilities are more relevant to daily operations.
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Harper Hill
6 What about payment processing? I'm starting a similar business and trying to decide between Square, PayPal, and traditional merchant services through my bank. Any recommendations for handling client payments for tax prep services?
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Harper Hill
•10 I use Square for my accounting practice and it's been great. The fees are reasonable (2.6% + 10¢ per transaction) and clients can pay via credit card, Apple Pay, etc. You can even send professional invoices through it. Much better than my bank's merchant services which had monthly minimums and higher rates.
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Harper Hill
•6 Thanks for the suggestion! I was leaning toward Square already but wasn't sure if it was the best option for professional services. Glad to hear it's working well for a similar business. The invoice feature sounds especially useful.
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