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Another option worth considering is looking into whether you might qualify as an independent student. You mentioned being engaged - if you get married before filing your FAFSA, you automatically qualify as independent and won't need parent information at all. Other qualifications for independent status: - Being 24 or older - Having children you support - Being a veteran - Being in graduate school - Being an orphan/ward of the court/in foster care after age 13 - Being legally emancipated - Being homeless or at risk of homelessness
Thanks for this info! My fiancée and I weren't planning to get married until after graduation, but maybe we should reconsider the timeline if it would help with financial aid. Would getting married now affect her financial aid situation too? She's currently classified as a dependent student on her parents' taxes.
Getting married would make both of you independent students for FAFSA purposes, regardless of whether your parents still claim either of you as dependents on their taxes (those are separate systems). This could be beneficial for both of you if your incomes are lower than your parents', as financial aid would be calculated based only on your finances, not your parents'. However, it could potentially reduce aid if one of you has significant income or assets that would now be counted toward both of your FAFSAs. Marriage also makes you eligible to file taxes jointly, which could have its own implications.
Have you considered community college? I was in a similar bind with FAFSA issues and started at community college where tuition was low enough that I could pay out of pocket while working part-time. Most community colleges have transfer agreements with state universities, so after two years, I transferred to finish my bachelor's degree. By then I was 22, closer to being considered independent for FAFSA purposes.
This is smart advice. I did the community college route too for similar reasons. Saved a ton of money and still got my teaching degree. Many community colleges also have special institutional scholarships that don't require FAFSA completion.
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3 Some additional advice from someone who went through this exact situation: make sure you get written confirmation from the reverse mortgage company about whether they're reporting any forgiven debt to the IRS. In my case, they initially said they wouldn't but then sent a 1099-C for the forgiven amount. The mortgage servicer and the actual lender sometimes don't communicate well with each other. Get EVERYTHING in writing, especially any agreements about debt forgiveness.
11 Did you end up having to pay taxes on the forgiven debt? My parents' reverse mortgage is underwater by about $65,000 and I'm terrified of getting hit with a massive tax bill if we do a short sale.
3 I didn't end up paying taxes on it, but only because I kept all the documentation and fought it. When I received the unexpected 1099-C (Cancellation of Debt) form, I had to file Form 982 with my tax return to claim an exclusion. In my case, I qualified for the exclusion because the debt was considered "qualified principal residence indebtedness" under a temporary extension of the tax relief provisions. But the rules change frequently, which is why consulting with a tax professional who specializes in real estate is so important. The documentation I had from the mortgage company proving it was a principal residence was critical to avoiding that tax bill.
21 One thing nobody's mentioned - don't forget about the stepped-up basis for capital gains purposes when you inherited the house. If you do end up selling for more than the loan amount (even if it's less than what your parent paid), you likely won't owe capital gains tax because your basis is the fair market value at the time of death, not what your parent paid for it.
8 How do you determine the fair market value at time of death? Do you need a formal appraisal or can you use comps from around that time?
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I've used TaxSlayer for the last three years and really like it. It's way cheaper than TurboTax but has a clean interface. Around $50 for federal and state with Schedule C included. Not the absolute cheapest but a good middle ground. Tax Hawk is another budget option if you're really trying to save. About $25 total but the interface feels a bit outdated. One tip: whatever service you pick, don't file in January if possible. Wait until at least mid-February when they've worked out any software bugs and updated for all the latest tax law changes.
Thanks for the TaxSlayer suggestion! I hadn't heard of that one. Is it pretty straightforward for first-time filers? And good tip about waiting until February - I was planning to file right away but it makes sense to let them work out the bugs first.
TaxSlayer is definitely straightforward for first-timers. They use a guided interview process similar to TurboTax but without all the upselling. The help content isn't quite as extensive, but still good enough for most situations. One other tip - whatever service you choose, create your account now and start entering basic info like personal details and W-2s as they come in. That way you're not trying to do everything at once when you're ready to file. Most services save your progress so you can work on it a little at a time.
Don't overlook Credit Karma Tax (now called Cash App Taxes). Completely free for federal AND state filing, including Schedule C. I switched from TurboTax two years ago and haven't looked back.
Just be careful with Cash App Taxes if you have anything complicated. They don't support multi-state filing, rental properties, or foreign income. But for W-2 and basic 1099 income it works great!
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One thing nobody's mentioned yet - make sure you're also factoring in mortgage insurance premiums if you have them. They can be deductible too if you itemize and your income is below certain thresholds. Also, don't forget that your state taxes might work differently! In my state, we have a much lower standard deduction, so I itemize on my state return even though I take the standard deduction federally. Weird but it saves me $$$!
Wait you can file differently on state vs federal? I had no idea! How complicated is that to do? I'm using TurboTax and wondering if it handles this automatically.
Yes, in many states you can absolutely file differently! Most tax software should handle this automatically by calculating which method is most beneficial for each return. TurboTax definitely does this - it will recommend the best filing method for both federal and state returns separately. It's actually not complicated at all from your perspective. The software does all the work of determining whether you should itemize or take the standard deduction at each level. You just need to input all your potential deductions (mortgage interest, property tax, charitable donations, etc.) and let the program determine the optimal approach for each return.
Something else to consider - the mortgage interest deduction benefits tend to decrease over time as you pay down your loan. In the early years, more of your payment goes to interest, but that gradually shifts to more principal. For example, on my $400k mortgage at 6.5%, I paid about $25k in interest the first year. By year 10, it'll only be around $20k annually. By year 20, it drops to around $12k. So the tax benefit diminishes over time. This is why some people find it beneficial to itemize in the early years of their mortgage and then switch to the standard deduction later.
Good point about the interest decreasing over time. Do mortgage refinances reset this pattern? Like if I refinance after 10 years, will I go back to paying mostly interest again?
Natasha Petrov
For anyone prepping for tax interviews, don't forget about the soft skills aspect! Technical knowledge is important, but I've been on hiring committees for senior tax roles, and we often choose candidates who can demonstrate: 1. How they've influenced business decisions through tax planning 2. Times they've managed difficult clients or stakeholders 3. Experience building/mentoring teams 4. Examples of cross-functional collaboration 5. Crisis management (like when a major tax law changes mid-project) Be ready with specific stories for each of these areas, using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). The candidates who stand out combine technical knowledge with these leadership qualities.
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Connor O'Brien
•How do you recommend balancing technical preparation vs soft skills prep? I have a final round interview next week and I'm not sure where to focus my limited time.
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Natasha Petrov
•I suggest allocating about 60% of your prep time to technical aspects and 40% to soft skills if you're interviewing for a senior manager or director level position. For your technical prep, focus on the most relevant areas for the specific role rather than trying to cover everything. Review the job description for clues about what technical areas matter most to them. If it's a final round, they already believe you have the baseline technical skills, so now it's about demonstrating judgment and leadership. Prepare 4-5 strong STAR stories that showcase different aspects of your leadership style and decision-making process.
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Amina Diallo
What about negotiating the offer once you get it? I'm in final rounds for two different tax manager positions and I'm worried about messing up the compensation discussion. Any advice?
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GamerGirl99
•Never accept the first offer! I doubled my salary in 4 years by negotiating well. Research typical compensation on Glassdoor and LinkedIn salary insights before your interviews. When you get an offer, always express enthusiasm but ask for 24-48 hours to consider it, even if you love it. When countering, focus on the total package, not just base salary. Sometimes there's more flexibility with signing bonuses, extra PTO, or performance bonuses than with base. And having two offers puts you in an amazing position - just be transparent without playing them against each other in an adversarial way.
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