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One thing nobody's mentioned yet - you need to be careful about state taxes too! Depending on what state you live in, the rules for self-employment income can be really different. Some states have additional registration requirements for certain dollar amounts. Also, don't forget to keep a percentage of all your earnings set aside for taxes. I learned this the hard way and got hit with a huge bill. I now automatically transfer 30% of all payments to a separate savings account just for taxes.
How do you figure out the state requirements? Is there a website where you can check what the rules are for each state? I'm in California and I've heard they're extra strict about reporting income.
Most states have a department of revenue or taxation website where you can find the specific requirements. For California specifically, you should check the California Tax Service Center website. They're indeed more stringent about reporting requirements. I'd also recommend looking into whether you need a business license in your city or county, as some local jurisdictions require this even for small online businesses. California does have some additional forms and possibly registration requirements depending on your exact income level.
Just wanted to share that you might consider setting up an LLC for additional privacy protection. It creates a separate legal entity for your business activities. I did this for my online crafting business and it helps keep my personal identity a bit more separate from my business activities. It costs money to set up (varies by state, usually $50-200) and there might be annual fees, but it could be worth it for the peace of mind if privacy is a big concern.
But doesn't setting up an LLC require public registration with your state? I thought your name would be publicly searchable as the owner, which seems counterproductive if privacy is the goal.
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I had a similar issue happen to me but with a different number - it was showing $76,892 for my business vehicle when I only drove like 12,000 miles. Turns out I had entered the vehicle purchase price in a field meant for annual expenses. Check if you maybe entered the value of the van somewhere??
That's a really good point - I did buy this van new for around $67,000 last year. Maybe I entered the purchase price somewhere I shouldn't have and then the software added depreciation or something on top of it? I'm going to go back and look for that. Maybe it's also accounting for future depreciation in some weird way? Thanks for the suggestion!
You're welcome! Yeah, that's almost certainly what happened. The purchase price should only be entered in the asset/depreciation section, not as a direct expense. The software will then calculate the correct amount you can deduct each year based on depreciation rules. If you bought a $67k van, the software is probably trying to depreciate it plus adding your maintenance costs plus calculating mileage. Triple counting! Once you fix where you entered the purchase price, everything should look more normal.
Def double dipping! U can't take standard mileage AND actual expenses. Pick one! I do taxes and see this all the time. W standard mileage at 65.5 cents per mile, 4000 miles = $2,620 deduction. If actual expenses (gas, maintenance, insurance, etc) + depreciation is more than $2,620, do that instead. But NOT BOTH!!!!!
Is that 65.5 cents still accurate for 2024 taxes? I thought I saw somewhere that the IRS changed the rate again.
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Don't forget to check if your state has any additional deductions for home purchases! Federal and state taxes treat some closing costs differently. In my state, we get an additional deduction for certain recording fees that aren't deductible federally. Also, keep your closing documents forever! You'll need them when you eventually sell the house to calculate your basis and potential capital gains.
Do mortgage points get deducted all at once in the year you buy, or do they have to be spread out over the life of the loan? I've heard conflicting info.
Points can be tricky. For your main home, if the points meet certain IRS criteria, you can deduct them fully in the year you paid them. Otherwise, you have to spread the deduction over the life of the loan. To deduct them all at once, the points need to be for your primary residence, be a standard practice in your area, not be excessive, and a few other requirements. If it's a refinance rather than a purchase, you typically have to amortize the points over the loan term.
freetaxusa actually has a pretty decent help section if you search for "home purchase." That's how I found where to enter my stuff. It's definitely not as obvious as it should be! The standard deduction is so high now that unless you have a really expensive home with high property taxes and mortgage interest, or lots of other itemizable deductions, you might end up taking the standard deduction anyway.
I always get confused about whether I should itemize or take the standard deduction. Is there an easy way to know which is better without doing all the work to itemize first?
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I'd like to add one more important piece to this HSA discussion - even though you can't contribute to an HSA while on a PPO, you might want to look into a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) if your wife's employer offers one. FSAs also allow pre-tax contributions for medical expenses, though they typically have a use-it-or-lose-it policy at year end. Then when you do switch to the HDHP in 2025, you can start funding the HSA. Just remember you generally can't have both an FSA and HSA simultaneously unless the FSA is a "limited purpose" one that only covers dental and vision expenses.
I actually hadn't thought about the FSA option! Does it provide the same tax advantages as an HSA? And what happens to any FSA funds when we transition to the HDHP with an HSA in 2025?
FSAs do provide a similar tax advantage by allowing pre-tax contributions that reduce your AGI, similar to an HSA. However, they typically have much lower contribution limits (usually around $3,050 for 2023) compared to HSA limits ($7,750 for family coverage). Regarding your second question, FSA funds generally need to be used by the end of your plan year, though some employers offer either a grace period (usually 2.5 months) or a carryover option (usually $610 maximum). If you don't use the funds within these timeframes, you forfeit them - that's the big downside compared to HSAs. When you transition to an HDHP with HSA in 2025, you'll need to either spend down your FSA funds before the new plan year or see if your employer offers that limited purpose FSA I mentioned that can coexist with an HSA.
One thing to consider that nobody's mentioned - if your wife's employer offers an HSA-eligible plan NOW, you might be able to switch to it mid-year if you have a qualifying life event (like marriage, birth, loss of other coverage). You don't always have to wait for open enrollment. If you can switch to an HDHP sooner, you could start making prorated HSA contributions for the months you're eligible this year.
This is great advice! When I had my second child last year it counted as a qualifying life event and I was able to switch from a PPO to an HDHP mid-year. Started contributing to my HSA right away for the remaining months.
Jake Sinclair
Don't forget to look into penalty abatement options! If this was your first time missing filing deadlines or if you had reasonable cause (major illness, natural disaster, etc.), you might qualify to have some penalties removed. This won't help with the base tax amount or interest, but penalties can be a significant portion of what you owe after all this time. You'll need to request First-Time Penalty Abatement or file for Reasonable Cause abatement. Either way, getting those penalties reduced could potentially save you thousands. Just make sure you file that 2021 return ASAP before requesting any abatement.
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Beatrice Marshall
•I had no idea about penalty abatement! Would that work even though it's been so long since the original due date? And do I need to have the return filed first before I can request this?
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Jake Sinclair
•Yes, you can still request penalty abatement even after a significant delay. The IRS doesn't have a strict deadline for requesting abatement, though they're generally more receptive when you're actively trying to resolve the situation by filing your return and making payment arrangements. You absolutely need to file the return first before requesting any kind of penalty abatement. The IRS won't consider penalty relief on unfiled returns. Once your return is filed, you can request First-Time Penalty Abatement if you had a clean compliance history for the three years prior to 2021. If you had legitimate reasons for not filing (serious illness, natural disaster, etc.), you could alternatively request Reasonable Cause abatement with supporting documentation.
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Brielle Johnson
Just so you know how the numbers might work out - on $78k of tax debt from 2021, you're looking at: - 25% failure-to-file penalty: about $19,500 - Failure-to-pay penalty: roughly 0.5% per month, so about 15% by now: $11,700 - Interest on the unpaid amount AND on the penalties: probably another $15-20k So your $78k tax bill could now be around $125k total. Not trying to scare you more, just giving you a realistic picture. This is why everyone's saying to file ASAP and get on a payment plan or look into an Offer in Compromise!
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Honorah King
•Those calculations seem high. Doesn't the failure-to-pay penalty cap at 25% just like the failure-to-file penalty? I thought the combined penalties couldn't exceed 47.5% of the original tax.
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