My wife and I went through this exact situation! In case it helps, we found the best solution was for both of us to check the "Married but withhold at higher Single rate" box (if using the old W-4) or checking box 2(c) on the new form. We make almost identical incomes, so this worked perfectly. If your incomes are very different though, you might want to use the IRS withholding calculator or the Multiple Jobs Worksheet (Step 2(b) on the W-4) for more precise withholding.

I went through this exact same situation when I got married! The key thing to understand is that when you select "married filing jointly" without any other adjustments, the tax tables assume you're the only income earner in the household, which dramatically reduces withholding. Here's what worked for me and my spouse (we have similar incomes): 1. **Use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator** - It's free and way more accurate than guessing. You'll need both of your most recent pay stubs and last year's tax return. 2. **Only ONE of you should check box 2(c)** - If both spouses check this box, you'll likely overwithhold significantly. 3. **Consider using Step 4(c) for additional withholding** - Based on the estimator results, you might want to have an extra $50-100 withheld per paycheck to catch up on the underwithholding from earlier in the year. Since you mentioned you're only having $35 withheld on $1,300 biweekly pay, that's definitely too low for most tax situations. The estimator will give you specific guidance based on both your incomes combined. Don't wait until next year to fix this - you can submit a new W-4 anytime!

Great question! I went through this exact same situation last year. Here's what I learned: You're right to be confused - it's not intuitive at first. For income tax purposes, yes, you calculate based on your TOTAL income (W2 + freelance) to determine your tax bracket. But here's the key part everyone gets mixed up on: The 15.3% self-employment tax is ONLY applied to your freelance income, not your total income. And you're not double-paying Social Security/Medicare - at your W2 job, you and your employer each pay 7.65%, which adds up to the same 15.3%. When freelancing, you're essentially both employer and employee. One important detail: there's a Social Security wage cap ($160,200 for 2023). Once your combined W2 + freelance income hits that cap, you stop owing the Social Security portion (12.4%) but still owe Medicare (2.9%) on all earnings. For quarterly payments, I calculate: (Expected freelance profit × 15.3%) + (freelance profit × my marginal tax rate). Then I subtract what my W2 job already withholds to avoid overpaying. Start simple with tracking everything and setting aside about 25-30% of freelance income. You can always adjust once you see how your first year plays out!

One thing that really helped me when I was figuring this out was understanding that you can actually adjust your W2 withholding to cover some of your self-employment taxes! If you don't want to deal with quarterly payments, you can fill out a new W-4 at your day job and have them withhold extra federal tax from each paycheck. Just calculate your expected self-employment tax liability for the year, divide by the number of pay periods remaining, and add that amount to your withholding. This approach is especially nice because W2 withholding is treated as if it was paid evenly throughout the year, even if you increase it later in the year. Quarterly payments have to be made on time or you could face penalties. Just make sure you're still tracking your business expenses properly since those reduce your self-employment tax base. And remember you can deduct half of your self-employment tax as an "above the line" deduction on your 1040 - it's like getting back some of the "employer" portion you paid!

Based on what I've seen in this thread, it sounds like you have several good options to explore for maximizing your vehicle deduction. One thing to keep in mind is timing - if you can purchase before December 31st, 2024, you'd get the 80% bonus depreciation rate instead of the 60% rate for 2025. That could mean an extra $2,600 in first-year deductions on a $13k vehicle with 80% business use. Also consider the vehicle weight factor that Ethan brought up. If you can find a used SUV or truck over 6,000 lbs GVWR in your price range, you might qualify for full Section 179 expensing instead of bonus depreciation, which could be even better than the bonus depreciation route. For documentation, definitely start that mileage log from day one - apps like MileIQ make it pretty painless. The IRS really scrutinizes vehicle deductions, so having solid records is crucial. Have you considered whether you'd actually drive enough business miles to make the standard mileage rate (67 cents/mile for 2024) more beneficial than the actual expense method? At 80% business use, you'd need to drive about 15,500 business miles annually for standard mileage to beat the depreciation approach on a $13k vehicle.

For checking GVWR specs before shopping, I'd recommend using the manufacturer's official spec sheets or the NHTSA vehicle database at nhtsa.gov/vehicle-identification-number. You can also check Edmunds.com or KBB.com which usually list GVWR in their detailed specs section. Some popular used vehicles that typically exceed 6,000 lbs GVWR in your price range include: - Chevy Tahoe/Suburban (like Ethan mentioned) - Ford Expedition - GMC Yukon - Nissan Armada - Most full-size pickup trucks (F-150, Silverado, Ram 1500) Just double-check the specific year and trim level, as base models sometimes fall just under 6,000 lbs while higher trims exceed it. One more timing consideration - if you do find a qualifying vehicle and purchase before year-end, make sure to actually place it in service for business use before December 31st to claim the deduction. Simply buying it isn't enough; you need to start using it for business purposes. Given your high business mileage (18k-20k annually), you're definitely on the right track with actual expenses + depreciation. That's going to save you thousands compared to standard mileage rate.

I just went through this exact situation with H&R Block three months ago, and I want to share what finally worked for me after weeks of frustration. The combination approach mentioned by others here is definitely the way to go. What made the biggest difference in my case was getting that technical analysis from taxr.ai first - it gave me specific ammunition to point to rather than just general complaints. The report clearly showed they had missed my home office deduction and incorrectly calculated my self-employment tax, which gave me concrete evidence of professional negligence. Here's my recommended timeline based on what worked: - Day 1: Get your tax analysis done and document all their specific errors - Day 2-3: Call H&R Block (use Claimyr to skip the hold nightmare) and get a case number - Day 4: Send certified letters to corporate headquarters AND file BBB complaint - Week 2: File complaint with state AG if no meaningful response - Week 3: Contact local news if they're still stonewalling The key phrase that got their attention was when I said "I have documentation of multiple preparation errors that constitute professional negligence, and I'm seeking full compensation for consequential damages." Suddenly they were taking me very seriously. They ended up covering my $340 in IRS penalties, refunding my prep fees, and having a CPA redo my entire return at no charge. Don't let them off the hook with just an apology - demand full compensation for the mess they created!

This thread has been incredibly valuable! As someone currently dealing with H&R Block errors (they somehow managed to file me as "married filing separately" when I'm single), I'm taking notes on everyone's strategies. One additional tip I'd add: if you paid by credit card, consider disputing the charge with your credit card company while you're pursuing other complaint channels. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, you can dispute charges for services that weren't performed satisfactorily. I filed a dispute with my Visa card explaining that H&R Block's preparation was defective, and having that additional pressure point really got their attention. The credit card company temporarily credited my account while they investigated, which gave H&R Block extra incentive to resolve the issue quickly rather than risk losing the chargeback dispute. They ended up settling with me directly within 10 days to avoid the chargeback going through. Just make sure to dispute within 60 days of your statement date, and document everything for the credit card company just like you would for the other complaint channels. It's another tool in your arsenal that costs nothing to use!

Don't forget about appreciation! If you're still relatively young, consider that the assets you're planning to leave might grow significantly. $60M could become $100M+ over 10-20 years. Since the exemption amounts are likely to grow much more slowly (if at all), you might want to do some lifetime gifting to lock in today's exemptions. Even if you don't transfer the full amount now, moving appreciating assets out of your estate earlier can save a fortune in taxes. My parents did this with some startup stock that ended up growing 15x. By putting it in trusts for the grandkids early, they avoided millions in estate and GST taxes that would have been due if they'd waited.

This is such a helpful discussion! I'm dealing with similar estate planning questions and the interaction between these exemptions has been keeping me up at night. One thing I'd add is the importance of timing with the current exemption amounts. The current high exemptions ($12.92M per person in 2023) are set to sunset after 2025, potentially dropping back to around $6-7M per person. For estates like yours, this creates a real urgency to lock in planning strategies now. If you wait until after 2025, you might lose half of your combined exemption capacity. Even if Congress extends the higher exemptions, there's no guarantee. This is why so many high-net-worth families are accelerating their estate planning right now. Have you considered doing some lifetime gifting to your granddaughter now to use up your current exemptions while they're still available? You could potentially save millions in future taxes by acting before the exemptions potentially decrease. Just something to discuss with your estate attorney - the time value of using these exemptions now versus waiting could be enormous.