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I made the same mistake a few years ago. One important thing to remember is that you'll need to account for the earnings on your excess contribution separately from the contribution itself. The earnings are considered taxable income in the year the distribution is made (which seems to be 2023 for you). When you get your 1099-R for 2023, it should break down how much was the excess contribution (not taxable) and how much was earnings (taxable). Make sure this matches what you expect!
Thanks for this info! Do you know if the 10% early withdrawal penalty applies to the earnings portion? I'm 35, so definitely not at retirement age yet. The earnings were pretty minimal (around $75) but I want to make sure I don't miss anything when filing for 2023.
Yes, the 10% early withdrawal penalty does typically apply to the earnings portion if you're under 59½. So in your case, with approximately $75 in earnings, you'd owe regular income tax on that $75 plus an additional $7.50 as the 10% penalty. When you file your 2023 taxes, your tax software should walk you through this if you indicate that the distribution includes earnings from an excess contribution. Just make sure you enter the 1099-R information correctly and specify that it was a return of excess contributions from a prior year.
Quick tip - if you use tax software like TurboTax or H&R Block, they usually have a specific section for handling returned excess contributions. Don't just enter the 1099-R as a normal distribution or you might end up paying taxes and penalties you don't owe!
From what I understand, there were actual tax law changes from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that are hitting people now. The standard deduction went up, but personal exemptions were eliminated. For families with multiple dependents, this can actually result in owing more. Also many tax credits that people relied on were modified or eliminated. So depending on your specific situation and what deductions or credits you used to claim, you might be seeing a totally different result even with the same income.
But wasn't that tax law passed in 2017? Why would people just now be feeling the effects in the 2025 filing season?
Some provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act were designed to phase in gradually over several years. While the law passed in 2017, certain aspects are only now taking full effect or interacting with other tax changes in ways that are becoming noticeable. Also, during the pandemic years, there were temporary tax relief measures and credits that masked some of these effects. Now that those pandemic-era benefits have expired, people are experiencing the full impact of the 2017 changes without those offsetting benefits.
Anybody else notice their employer started doing withholding differently? I'm in food service and my company switched payroll systems last summer. My checks got like $30-40 bigger each pay period which was nice at the time, but now I owe $950 when I usually get about $1400 back. Never had this happen before in 12 years of working.
Don't forget to check if your state has any specific rental property tax requirements! Here in Oregon, we have additional forms for rental income. My accountant missed this my first year as a landlord and I had to file an amended return.
Do vacation rentals get taxed differently than long-term rentals? I'm thinking about putting my beach condo on Airbnb but heard the tax situation is way more complicated.
Vacation rentals absolutely have different tax implications! Short-term rentals (typically less than 30 days) are often subject to lodging taxes that long-term rentals aren't. You may need to collect and remit occupancy taxes similar to hotels. The bigger difference comes with how you report income and expenses. With significant personal use, you might need to allocate expenses between personal and rental use based on days. Also, if you actively manage a short-term rental with average stays under 7 days, it might be considered "active" rather than "passive" income, which affects how losses can be deducted. Some short-term rental owners even qualify as "real estate professionals" which opens up additional tax benefits.
I made a mistake on my rental property taxes last year and the IRS sent me a scary letter. Turns out I was depreciating my property over 39 years (commercial property schedule) instead of 27.5 years for residential. Double check everything!
Don't forget that you might be eligible for some tax credits that could boost your refund! Depending on your income level, you might qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit. Also, if you've paid for any education expenses, look into the American Opportunity Credit or Lifetime Learning Credit. I've found that credits make a much bigger difference in the final refund amount than most deductions do. Last year, I discovered I qualified for a credit I'd been missing and it added over $1,000 to my refund!
Is the Earned Income Tax Credit only for people with kids? I'm single with no dependents but I've heard mixed things about whether I'd qualify.
You can definitely qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit without children, but the income limits are lower and the credit amount is smaller. For 2023, a single filer with no kids could qualify with income below about $17,640, with a maximum credit around $600. The income limit increases significantly if you have qualifying children. With the income amounts you mentioned ($32,000 + $18,500), you'd likely be over the limit for the childless EITC, but it's always worth checking your specific situation when you file.
Anyone else find that those online refund calculators are basically useless for self-employment income? I tried three different ones last year and got wildly different results... one said I'd owe $3k, another said I'd get $1500 back, and the third was somewhere in between.
Katherine Shultz
Another option worth considering: if you're over the income limits for both traditional IRA deductions AND direct Roth contributions, you might want to look into the "backdoor Roth IRA" strategy. Basically, you: 1. Make a non-deductible contribution to your traditional IRA (which you've already done) 2. Convert the traditional IRA to a Roth IRA The catch is that this works best if you don't have other traditional IRA assets because of the "pro-rata rule" - which means you can't just convert the non-deductible portion tax-free if you have other pre-tax IRA money. For your specific situation with the $6,800 currently in the account, you'd owe taxes on the $300 in earnings but not on the original $6,500 contribution (assuming you properly report it as non-deductible on Form 8606).
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Marcus Marsh
ā¢How long do you need to wait between making the non-deductible traditional IRA contribution and converting it to Roth? I've heard differing opinions on this, with some saying you need to wait a certain period of time.
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Katherine Shultz
ā¢There's actually no required waiting period between making a non-deductible traditional IRA contribution and converting it to a Roth IRA. Some people do the conversion almost immediately after the contribution clears in their traditional IRA. The confusion about waiting periods likely comes from concerns about the "step transaction doctrine," which is a tax concept where the IRS could potentially view related transactions as a single transaction if they're clearly pre-planned steps. However, the IRS has not been challenging backdoor Roth conversions on this basis, and many tax professionals now consider it a standard, accepted practice regardless of timing.
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Hailey O'Leary
Don't forget about Form 8606! This is super important if you're doing non-deductible traditional IRA contributions or conversions. You need to file this form to report non-deductible contributions to traditional IRAs and to track your basis. If you don't file this form, you could end up paying taxes twice on the same money later when you withdraw or convert. The IRS won't track your non-deductible contributions for you!
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Cedric Chung
ā¢I learned this the hard way! Missed filing 8606 for two years and had to submit amended returns. Such a headache. TurboTax didn't even prompt me about it when I entered my IRA info.
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