Does this still apply if the old house was vacant for the last month of 2022? We moved out completely but it didn't sell until 2023, so it was just sitting empty for December 2022.

Yes, it absolutely still applies even if the house was vacant. The mortgage interest deduction is based on ownership of a qualified residence, not occupancy. As long as you owned the home and it was either your primary residence or second home for some portion of the year, you can deduct the interest you paid. The IRS actually allows for temporary absences (even if you're not physically living there) as long as the home is not rented out during that period. So your vacant house in December still qualifies for the mortgage interest deduction on your 2022 taxes.

I used TurboTax last year for a similar situation and it had a specific section where you could enter multiple mortgage interest statements. Look for something like "I have more than one mortgage" or "Add another 1098 form" option. It should be somewhere after you enter the first 1098. For the $750k limit, the software should automatically calculate this if you enter all your mortgage information correctly, including the date each mortgage originated and the original loan amounts.

Thanks for the suggestion! I looked again and found a tiny "Add another property" button I completely missed before. Now I see where to enter both properties. Still confused about the $750k limit though - I guess I'll just trust the software to calculate it correctly.

Thank you for mentioning this! Do you know if they help with tip income situations specifically? That's the part my cousin is most worried about.

Yes, they absolutely help with tip income situations! In fact, that's one of the most common issues they deal with for restaurant workers. They can help your cousin figure out how to reconstruct reasonable tip records if they didn't keep detailed logs, and they understand the specific challenges facing tipped employees. The LITC volunteers typically include tax professionals who donate their time and have experience with these exact scenarios. They won't judge your cousin for not filing - their goal is just to help people get into compliance with the least financial pain possible.

How far back can you claim refunds? My boyfriend hasn't filed in like 6 years but he's pretty sure he'd get refunds.

You can only claim refunds going back 3 years. So for the 2025 filing season, you can claim refunds for 2022, 2023, and 2024. Any potential refunds from years before that are unfortunately lost forever - that's why it's important to file ASAP if your boyfriend thinks he's due refunds! For the older years (beyond the 3-year window), he should still file the returns to get into compliance, but he won't be able to get any refunds from those years even if the calculations show he would have been entitled to them.

I think you're right. I got a big promotion last year and our withholding never got adjusted. Is there a specific amount I should put for additional withholding on the W-4? And will I get penalized for having paid so little throughout the year?

You should use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator on their website to calculate the exact amount for additional withholding. With your income level, you might consider putting an additional $500-700 per paycheck depending on your pay frequency. You might face an underpayment penalty if you didn't pay at least 90% of your tax liability during the year or 100% of last year's tax (110% if your income was over $150,000). The penalty isn't usually huge, but it's better to avoid it by making an estimated tax payment now if you can. You can make an estimated payment for 2025 using Form 1040-ES to help reduce any potential penalties.

I used H&R Block online and it was pretty straightforward. There's a specific section for unemployment compensation where you enter the 1099-G info. Make sure you're looking at box 1 on the form for the total unemployment amount and box 4 for any federal withholding.

How exactly does this work? Do you just transfer shares directly to the charity somehow? And do all charities accept stock donations or just the bigger ones?

You transfer the shares directly to the charity's brokerage account - most medium and large charities have a process for this. You'll need to contact their donation department for their specific instructions. They'll usually provide their broker info and account number. Many smaller charities can accept stock donations too, but some might not have the infrastructure. In those cases, there are donor-advised funds like at Fidelity or Schwab where you can donate the stock to the fund (getting the tax deduction immediately), then grant the money to any charity from there. The best part is you completely avoid the capital gains tax you would've paid if you sold the stock yourself, plus you still get the full market value as a deduction.

Technically those are deductible but practically not worth the hassle. You'd need receipts for everything, and most stores don't automatically provide them for these small donations. Plus, if you're taking the standard deduction anyway, they won't help your tax situation at all.

I've heard about these but always wondered - if you're young (like under 40), doesn't this approach lock up a TON of your money until retirement age? What if you want to access some of that cash before 59.5 years old?

You're right to consider the access limitations. With a defined benefit plan, you're committing to regular contributions that you can't easily access before retirement without penalties. However, there are some strategies to work around this. One approach is to combine it with a "cash balance plan" variation, which can provide more flexibility. Additionally, you can look into Substantially Equal Periodic Payments (SEPP) under IRS Rule 72(t) which allows penalty-free early withdrawals if structured correctly. Some business owners also balance their retirement contributions - putting enough in the defined benefit plan to get significant tax savings while keeping other funds more accessible.

Be really careful with this advice. The IRS has been cracking down HARD on offshore structures for domestic businesses. If you don't have legitimate international operations and clients, this could get you in serious trouble. I knew someone who tried something similar and ended up with massive penalties and an audit that lasted 2+ years.