Thanks for mentioning this! I didn't even consider that the forms might be different since I'm filing late. Do you know if there's a penalty for filing 2022 taxes this late if I'm owed a refund?

There's generally no penalty for filing late if you're owed a refund! The IRS is actually happy to hold onto your money longer. However, there is a time limit - you must file your return within 3 years of the original due date to claim any refund. For 2022 taxes, that means you have until April 2026 to file and still get any refund you're entitled to. Just be sure to clearly mark which tax year you're filing for on your forms, and I'd recommend filing the 2022 and 2023 returns separately rather than at the same time to avoid any confusion. And definitely use tax software or forms specific to the 2022 tax year rather than current forms.

I used TurboTax last month to file my late 2022 return with a December baby. It works fine - they keep the old tax year versions available. Just make sure you specifically select "2022" when you start, not the current year. It'll ask when your child was born and automatically figure out that they count for the full year even though they were born in December.

Does the app separate business vs personal miles automatically? That's the part I always mess up. Also, does it integrate with any tax software?

The app lets you swipe right for business trips and left for personal ones after each drive, so it's not fully automatic - you still need to classify them. But it does track all the other details automatically (date, time, route, mileage). And yes, it can export to Excel or CSV formats that work with most tax software. I use TurboTax and it imports the data pretty seamlessly. The peace of mind knowing I have audit-proof records is totally worth the small effort of swiping each day.

This is super helpful perspective! My truck definitely falls into the "gas guzzler with high maintenance" category - it's a 2018 F-150 and I spent almost $4,300 on repairs last year plus all the gas. Sounds like I should really run the numbers on actual expenses based on your experience.

Definitely run the numbers with your specific situation. One other tip - if you go with actual expenses, don't forget to include less obvious costs like depreciation, property taxes on the vehicle, and even insurance. Those can really add up! A vehicle like yours with high repair costs often does better with actual expenses, especially if you're keeping all your receipts. Just remember that with either method, you need to track your business vs. personal miles to determine the business use percentage.

Do you know if this exclusion was automatic or something you had to claim specifically? I'm wondering if I missed out on this when I filed.

At the federal level, if you filed after the exclusion was enacted (March 2021), most tax software automatically applied it. If you filed before that, the IRS was supposed to automatically recalculate and issue refunds to eligible taxpayers. For state taxes, it varied significantly by state. Some states automatically conformed to the federal exclusion, some explicitly didn't follow it, and others required you to file an amended return to claim it. You'd need to check your specific state's department of revenue website to see their policy. If your state did conform and you were eligible but didn't claim it, filing that amended return now could potentially save you a significant amount on this bill.

You can request tax transcripts from both the IRS (for federal) and your state tax department to see your filing and payment history. That would show if you already reported and paid tax on the unemployment income. Some states didn't follow the federal $10,200 exclusion like the previous commenter mentioned, so you might still owe state tax even if you were exempt from federal tax.

Harsh but true. Plus by the time you're making attending physician salary, you'll also have around $300k in student loans to pay off. Your concern shouldn't be the tax bracket but how to manage that debt efficiently.

Thank you so much for this info! Do you know if there's any way to get the penalties reduced if it really was due to an employer error with the withholding? My husband asked HR to withhold additional money from each check and they apparently never set it up correctly.

You might be able to request penalty abatement, especially if this is your first time having an issue with taxes. The IRS has what's called "First Time Penalty Abatement" which can waive penalties if you haven't had any significant penalties in the past three tax years and have filed all required returns and paid (or arranged to pay) any tax due. For the employer error specifically, that's unfortunately common and usually doesn't qualify for special treatment on its own since ultimately it's the taxpayer's responsibility to verify proper withholding. However, you could request a letter from HR acknowledging their mistake, which might help support your case for penalty abatement. I'd recommend filing on time, setting up a payment plan, and then separately requesting the penalty abatement afterward.

An extension gives you more time to file your tax return (until October 15th), but it doesn't give you more time to pay what you owe. The payment is still due by the original tax deadline (usually April 15th). If you file an extension but don't pay by the original deadline, you'll still face failure-to-pay penalties and interest on the unpaid amount. However, you'll avoid the much larger failure-to-file penalties, so it's still better than not filing at all.

Oh that makes sense! I thought it gave you extra time for both. Thanks for explaining that - definitely good to know!