Could you clarify if there's a specific income limit for dependents? My daughter made about $14k last year from her part-time job while in college, but I still pay for her tuition, housing and most expenses. Can I still claim her?

For a qualifying child (which includes full-time students under 24), there is no income limit. Your daughter can earn any amount and you can still claim her as long as you provide more than half her total support and she lives with you for more than half the year (with exceptions for temporary absences like college). The income limit ($4,700 for 2023) only applies to qualifying relatives who aren't your children. This is a common misunderstanding that causes a lot of problems. So yes, you can absolutely claim your daughter as a dependent even with her earning $14k, as long as that money isn't covering more than half of her total expenses.

I used TurboTax for a similar situation. Since it was a rejected return that was never officially filed, I was able to just go back into my TurboTax account, access the return, fix the issue with my dependents, and resubmit. But since it had been more than 45 days since the rejection, their system wouldn't let me e-file again, so I had to print and mail it.

Thanks for the info! I'll check if I can still access my old return in TurboTax. 45 days have definitely passed for me too, so I'm guessing I'll have to mail it in as well. Did you need to include any special notes or forms explaining that it was a resubmission of a rejected return?

Thanks for the organization tips! Did you include explanations directly on the cover sheet or separate explanation pages for each question? And did you use any particular format that seemed to work well? I want to make this as painless as possible for both me and whoever reviews my case.

I created a master cover sheet listing all questions and what was included for each, then for complex items I added separate explanation pages with more detail. For example, "Question 12: Home Office Deduction - See floor plan on page 5, utility bills on pages 6-8, and explanation of business use on page 9." The format that worked best was using a clear numbering system matching their questions exactly. I used dividers between sections and paper-clipped related documents together. I also highlighted relevant information on bank statements or lengthy documents. The agent who handled my last audit specifically mentioned that my organization made their job easier, which I think contributed to a favorable outcome!

Yes! I appealed an audit decision and won about 70% of what they initially disallowed. The key was providing additional context that showed why those expenses were actually ordinary and necessary in MY specific industry. I included articles about standard practices in my field and letters from colleagues confirming these were normal business expenses for our type of work.

Did you claim any credits like EIC or child tax credit? I heard those always get delayed until at least mid-February no matter when you file.

16 Wait seriously? I did some small jobs last year for like $200 each and never got 1099s so I didn't report them. Should I be worried?

12 You shouldn't receive a 1099 until after the tax year ends. Companies are required to send them out by January 31st of the following year. So if you did work in 2024, you won't get your 1099 until January 2025. If you did work in the previous tax year and still haven't received a 1099 by mid-February, you should contact your client. Remember though, even without a 1099, you're still required to report all income you earned.

1 That's actually what I'm planning to do come January when I start my new full-time job, but my concern is about the remaining months of this year where I'm only self-employed. Do you know if there's a minimum threshold of income where quarterly payments become required?

22 The general rule is that you need to make estimated tax payments if you expect to owe $1,000 or more in taxes when you file your return. So if your self-employment income between now and December will result in less than $1,000 in additional tax, you might not need to make quarterly payments. Another consideration is that penalties are calculated based on each quarterly period separately. Since you started self-employment recently, you may only need to worry about the remaining quarters of this year rather than all four periods.

4 I used it last year and found it overestimated what I needed to pay each quarter. I think it doesn't factor in all deductions until you complete your final return. I switched to QuickBooks Self-Employed which gives me more real-time estimates based on my actual expenses and income.