For anyone dissolving a C-corp soon - remember that timing can be crucial for tax purposes! We intentionally delayed our liquidation to January so the tax impact hit in the following year. This gave shareholders more time to plan for the capital gains taxes. Also, if your corporation has accumulated E&P (earnings and profits), distributions will be taxed as dividends until E&P is exhausted, before being treated as return of capital. This sequencing can significantly impact the tax treatment of your liquidation. You must exhaust your E&P through dividend distributions before you can distribute amounts that are treated as return of capital or liquidation proceeds.

One important detail that hasn't been mentioned yet - when completing Form 5452 for liquidation distributions, make sure you're consistent with how you report the distributions across all shareholders AND on the corporation's final Form 1120. The IRS will cross-reference these forms, so if you report $X as liquidation distributions on Form 5452, that same amount should appear on the corporation's final return. Also, remember that the corporation must provide each shareholder with their Form 1099-DIV by January 31st following the year of liquidation - these forms will show the liquidation distribution amounts in box 8 or 9. A common mistake is forgetting to file Form 966 within 30 days of adopting the plan of liquidation. This is separate from Form 5452 and is required even for small family corporations. The IRS can impose penalties if Form 966 is filed late, so don't overlook this step in your dissolution timeline.

This is really helpful information from everyone. I'm dealing with a similar situation but with an added complication - my mother's trust has both traditional investments and a small business (sole proprietorship) that she was running before she passed. The business is still generating some income while I'm trying to wind it down. Does anyone know how the Sec 645 election affects business income taxation? I'm wondering if treating the trust as part of the estate would give me more flexibility in handling the business dissolution and any potential losses from closing it down. The business assets are probably worth about $75k but the timing of selling everything could really impact the tax consequences.

I went through this exact situation with my grandmother's trust earlier this year. With $450k in assets like yours, I'd strongly recommend making the Sec 645 election. Here's why it worked out well for us: The biggest benefit was the extended administration period - you get up to 2.5 years (until the second anniversary of death) versus the typical trust timeline. With investments and real estate, this extra time was crucial for making strategic decisions about when to sell assets for the best tax outcomes. For the vacation property specifically, the election gave us flexibility to time the sale in a way that minimized capital gains impact on beneficiaries. We were able to coordinate the timing with beneficiaries' other income to keep them in lower tax brackets. One thing to consider: make sure you understand the filing requirements. You'll need to file Form 8855 to make the election, and it must be filed by the due date (including extensions) of the estate's first Form 1041. Don't miss this deadline - it's irrevocable once the time passes. Given your asset level and mix of investments plus real property, the administrative flexibility alone probably makes the election worthwhile. The potential tax planning benefits are just a bonus.

I'm really glad I found this thread - I'm actually in a very similar situation! I discovered a forgotten Coverdell ESA from my aunt when I turned 31 last year, and like you, had absolutely no idea it existed until I was going through some old documents. From my experience dealing with this, changing the beneficiary to your daughter is definitely the way to go. I changed mine to my nephew and it was surprisingly straightforward - took about 3 weeks total. The financial institution (Fidelity in my case) was actually really helpful and walked me through the whole process. One thing I'd add that I haven't seen mentioned yet: make sure to ask about any account maintenance fees that might have been eating into the balance over the years. My account had been charging $25 annually for "dormant account fees" that I was able to get refunded once I reactivated it. With $12,500, you might have lost some value to fees too. Also, don't beat yourself up about not knowing about it earlier. Apparently this is more common than you'd think - the customer service rep told me they handle several "rediscovered" education accounts every month. Your grandparents probably thought someone else in the family would mention it to you, or maybe they intended to tell you when you got older but unfortunately passed away before that happened. The good news is your daughter is going to have an amazing head start on her education savings thanks to your grandparents' foresight!

I'm so sorry for your loss, and what an incredible discovery! Your grandparents clearly loved you and wanted to help with your future - even if the timing got complicated. I've been following this thread closely because I work in financial planning, and I want to emphasize something important: you're NOT in immediate crisis mode here. Many people think the IRS is going to come knocking the day after you turn 30 with a Coverdell, but that's not how it works. The age 30 rule creates a requirement for action, but discovery of a forgotten account doesn't automatically trigger penalties. Everyone's advice about changing the beneficiary to your daughter is absolutely spot-on. This is a clean, legitimate solution that honors your grandparents' original intent of helping with education. Here's what I'd recommend for your next steps: 1. Call the institution tomorrow and ask for their "beneficiary change specialist" - most have dedicated people for exactly this situation 2. Request that complete breakdown of contributions vs. earnings that others mentioned 3. Ask about any fees that have been charged and whether they can be refunded 4. Get everything in writing once the change is processed The beautiful thing is that your 4-year-old daughter will have this money available for K-12 expenses AND college, giving you incredible flexibility. At her age, this $12,500 has the potential to grow significantly by the time she needs it for education. Your grandparents' gift is going to keep giving - just to the next generation they would have loved to meet.

The way I understand tax brackets is to think of them like buckets that need to be filled in order: First bucket (10%): Fill this with your first ~$11k Second bucket (12%): Fill this with your next ~$34k Third bucket (22%): Fill this with any income over ~$45k So with $45k income, you're basically just filling the first two buckets completely. Your tax would be: - 10% of $11k = $1,100 - 12% of $34k = $4,080 Total federal income tax: $5,180, which is about 11.5% of your total income Then add 7.65% for FICA, plus whatever your state charges. Makes sense that you'd end up around 22% total withholding.

The confusion between marginal tax rates and effective tax rates is super common for first-time filers! Here's a simple way to think about it that helped me when I was starting out: Your 12% tax bracket is just the *highest* rate you pay on the *last* portion of your income. But you're not paying 12% on everything - you pay 10% on the first chunk, then 12% on the middle chunk. When you average it all out, your actual federal income tax rate is probably closer to 10-11%. Then you've got to add all the other stuff that comes out of your paycheck: - Social Security: 6.2% - Medicare: 1.45% - State income tax: varies by state but probably 3-5% - Any other deductions (health insurance, 401k, etc.) So yeah, seeing around 22% total coming out makes perfect sense! You're not being overtaxed - that's just how the system works with all the different pieces. For your education expenses, definitely look into the American Opportunity Tax Credit when you file. You might be able to get up to $2,500 back per year if you qualify, which could explain why your refund seems smaller than expected if you're not claiming it properly.

4 Don't forget about state taxes! The IRS payment deadline applies to federal taxes, but your state might have different rules and deadlines for payment. Make sure you check your state's tax website too.

Hey Marcus! I just went through this exact situation last month and wanted to share what I learned. You're absolutely right to stress about this, but there are good options available. First, you do have until April 15, 2025 to pay without the failure-to-pay penalty, even though you filed early. But here's what I wish someone had told me - even if you can't pay the full amount by April 15, you should still file your return on time (which you already did!) because the failure-to-file penalty is way worse than the failure-to-pay penalty. If you can't pay by April 15, definitely set up an installment agreement ASAP. The IRS is actually pretty reasonable about payment plans. For amounts under $50k, you can usually get approved online instantly. The setup fee is only $31 if you do it online with direct debit, and you can choose a payment plan that works with your budget. One thing that really helped me was calculating exactly what each option would cost. Interest starts April 15 at about 8% annually, plus there's a 0.5% monthly penalty on unpaid balances. So if you owe $3,000 and set up a 12-month payment plan, you're looking at maybe $150-200 total in interest and fees, which isn't terrible spread over a year. Don't let the stress eat at you - the IRS deals with this situation constantly and they have systems in place to help. You've got options!