19 How do you know how much to pay for those quarterly payments? Is there a minimum amount your business needs to make before you have to start doing that?

11 The general rule is you should make quarterly estimated payments if you expect to owe $1,000 or more in taxes for the year. The amount depends on your projected income, but there's a "safe harbor" provision - if you pay 100% of last year's tax liability (or 110% if your AGI was over $150,000), you won't face penalties even if you end up owing more. You can use Form 1040-ES to calculate your estimated payments. Alternatively, you can increase withholding from a W-2 job if either of you has one, which accomplishes the same goal. The IRS treats withholding as if it happened evenly throughout the year, even if it's all at the end.

23 Is it ok to just use a spreadsheet instead of paying for software? I'm trying to minimize costs while the business is still small.

I hadn't thought of the Taxpayer Advocate Service. Do you know how I would contact them or if there's a long wait time to get help? My CPA hasn't mentioned this as an option.

You can call them directly at 877-777-4778 or find your local office through the IRS website. Wait times vary depending on the time of year - right now during tax season they're busier than usual, but still worth contacting. Start by explaining that your CPA filed an amended return without your authorization before your original refund was processed. Be sure to mention the significant amount of money involved ($13,500) as they prioritize cases involving financial hardship. They may not be able to speed up processing dramatically, but they can often give you accurate information about what's happening with your return and make sure it doesn't fall through the cracks.

100% agree. A CPA should NEVER file anything without your signature/approval. That's a major red flag and possibly against professional ethics standards. I'd report them to your state's board of accountancy.

I've definitely considered waiting until I turn 24, but that's still about 11 months away. Starting school is pretty time-sensitive for me since there's a specific program I want to get into that only accepts students in the fall semester. If I wait until I'm 24, I'd basically be delaying my education (and future career) by a full year. As for the marriage thing - we were already planning to get married eventually, this would just change the timing. Definitely wouldn't make that decision ONLY for financial reasons, but it seems like it might be beneficial on multiple fronts.

That makes sense if the program only starts once a year. Just wanted to make sure you'd considered that option since so many people don't realize the age 24 cutoff can make such a big difference. If you were already planning to get married anyway, then the timing adjustment might be worthwhile. Just make sure you're both on the same page about doing it sooner than originally planned. Good luck with school and congrats on the home purchase!

Also worth mentioning that if you have unusual circumstances, financial aid offices can sometimes do a "dependency override." It's rare, but if you can document unusual family situations, it's worth asking. Parents refusing to provide info usually doesn't qualify though.

I looked through all those independence qualifiers already and unfortunately don't meet any of them. No kids, not a veteran, wasn't in foster care, not emancipated, and don't have dependent parents I'm supporting. I also asked about the dependency override at the financial aid office, but they said they only do those in extreme circumstances like documented abandonment or abuse. My situation with my parents is fine - we just don't have a financial relationship anymore since I support myself.

I didn't even consider filing separately! Did you still get to claim the mortgage interest and property tax deductions that way? And did you have to do anything special with the marketplace insurance forms?

When filing separately, only the spouse who actually paid the mortgage interest and property taxes can claim those deductions. In our case, we had set up our mortgage so both our names were on it, and we paid from a joint account, so we could document that my wife (the lower earner) paid those expenses. This helped maximize the benefit. For the marketplace insurance forms, it gets a bit complicated. You'll need to allocate the premium and subsidy amounts between spouses. Our tax preparer handled this for us, dividing it based on who was actually covered by the policy. The key benefit was that by filing separately, my wife's income alone (not our combined income) was used to calculate the subsidy repayment for the months before we were married.

The Saver's Credit phases out pretty quickly though. For 2025 filing, married couples filing jointly lose eligibility when their AGI exceeds $73,000. Given their combined income of about $103k, they probably won't qualify.

Would Form 843 work even though the mistake is from a few years ago? And should I hire a different CPA to handle this or try to do it myself?

Yes, Form 843 can still be filed for the tax year in question even though it's from a few years ago. The statute of limitations for filing a claim for refund or abatement is generally three years from the date the return was filed or two years from the date the tax was paid, whichever is later. Since you're just now discovering this issue, you should still be within that timeframe. I would strongly recommend hiring a different tax professional to handle this rather than trying to do it yourself. Look for an Enrolled Agent or CPA who specializes in tax resolution or IRS representation. They'll know exactly how to present your case for maximum chance of success and can handle all communications with the IRS on your behalf. Given the significant amount at stake ($32,000), professional assistance is definitely worth the investment.

This is the real answer. My dad's accountant made a similar mistake and ended up paying the entire bill including penalties because it was 100% their error. Don't just accept this as your problem to fix!