One thing I wish I'd done from the beginning: develop clear client acceptance criteria. When you're starting out, it's tempting to take anyone who's willing to pay you, but some clients will drain your time and energy in ways that aren't worth the fee. I now have a checklist of red flags that help me decide whether to take on a new client: - Do they have multiple years unfiled? - Are they bringing you their taxes on April 14th expecting same-day service? - Do they argue about your fees before you've even started? - Are they unwilling to provide complete information? - Do they tell you what their refund "should be"? Being selective about clients from the start will save you major headaches down the road.

This is a really comprehensive checklist! As someone who made the transition from working at a firm to solo practice about 3 years ago, I'd add a couple more items: - Client onboarding process/intake forms (beyond just engagement letters) - having a standardized process helps you look professional from day one - Backup plan for technology failures - what happens if Drake goes down during busy season or your internet cuts out? - Malpractice/liability insurance separate from E&O (depending on your state requirements) - Document retention policy - how long you'll keep client files and in what format Also, since you mentioned potentially buying your current employer's book of business eventually, start thinking about how you'll handle that transition with clients. Having your systems and processes dialed in early will make that much smoother when the time comes. One last tip: consider starting with a smaller subset of services initially rather than trying to do everything from day one. I focused just on individual returns and simple business returns my first year, then expanded into more complex work as I got comfortable with my workflow. Good luck with the venture!

I went through this exact situation last year and it was incredibly frustrating! My employer took almost 8 weeks to finally send out the W2C forms. Here's what I learned from that experience: First, definitely wait for the corrected form before filing. I know it's tempting to file early, especially if you're expecting a refund, but trust me - dealing with an amended return later is much more of a headache than just waiting. The W2C will clearly show what was wrong on your original W2 and what the correct information should be. When you do get it, you'll enter information from both forms when filing - most tax software handles this pretty smoothly. One thing that helped me was being the "squeaky wheel" with HR. I started emailing them weekly for updates after the third week of waiting. Turns out they had been getting the runaround from their payroll company too, but my persistent check-ins helped keep the issue visible and prioritized. If your company continues to drag their feet past mid-March, that's when I'd consider reaching out to the IRS about your options. But hopefully they'll get their act together before then!

I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation right now! My employer sent out a similar "oops we messed up everyone's W2s" email about a month ago, and we're still waiting. It's so frustrating when you just want to get your taxes filed and move on. From what I've researched, it sounds like waiting for the W2C is definitely the right call, even though it's painful. I've been checking with our HR department every Friday for updates, and they keep saying "any day now" but nothing materializes. One thing I found helpful was asking HR for a written timeline or at least acknowledgment of when they discovered the error and what steps they're taking to fix it. Having that documentation might be useful if this drags on much longer and we need to explore other options like Form 4852. Has your company given you any indication of what specific information was incorrect on the original W2s? I'm curious if it's something major like federal withholding amounts or just smaller details like state information.

I completely understand the confusion and stress you're both feeling! As someone who went through this exact same situation during college, I can confirm that your dad is mixing up different tax rules, which happens to SO many families. The bottom line is this: as a full-time student under 24, there is absolutely NO income limit that would prevent your parents from claiming you as a dependent. You could make $20K, $30K, or even more - it doesn't matter at all for dependency purposes. Your dad is likely thinking of either the $4,300 limit that applies to "qualifying relative" dependents (like elderly parents) or the standard deduction threshold where you'd start owing income tax yourself. Neither of these affects whether your parents can claim you as a qualifying child dependent. The only test that matters is whether your parents provide more than 50% of your total support. With them paying $18,000 for tuition alone, plus presumably covering things like your health insurance, phone bill, car insurance, and housing when you're home, they're almost certainly providing way more than half your support even with your $13,200 in earnings. I'd recommend checking out the IRS Interactive Tax Assistant tool (search "ITA dependency" on irs.gov) - it's free and will give you an official answer in about 5 minutes that you can show your dad. Also look up IRS Publication 501, Table 5, which clearly shows "No limit" for the income test for qualifying child dependents. Go ahead and pick up those holiday shifts without worry! Your parents will still be able to claim you, and you won't mess up anyone's tax situation. In fact, earning more money helps reduce the financial burden on your family while building your work experience. Win-win!

I just went through this exact same situation with my parents last month! Your dad is definitely mixing up the tax rules - as a full-time student under 24, there's absolutely NO income limit that would disqualify you from being claimed as a dependent. The confusion usually comes from people seeing the $4,300 limit that applies to "qualifying relative" dependents (like elderly parents or non-student relatives), but that doesn't apply to you as a student. You're classified as a "qualifying child" dependent, which has completely different rules. What actually matters for your parents to claim you: 1. You're under 24 and a full-time student ✓ 2. You live with them more than half the year (dorms count as temporary absence) ✓ 3. They provide more than half your total support With your parents paying $18,000 for tuition alone, they're almost certainly providing more than 50% of your total support even with your $13,200 in earnings. When you add up tuition, housing, food, medical expenses, insurance, etc., that tuition payment probably covers the majority right there. The $14,500 figure your dad mentioned is just the standard deduction threshold - that's when YOU would start owing federal income tax on your earnings, but it has zero impact on whether your parents can claim you as a dependent. I'd recommend showing your dad IRS Publication 501, specifically Table 5, which clearly shows "No limit" for the gross income test for qualifying child dependents. That official documentation from the IRS should put his mind at ease immediately. Go ahead and pick up those holiday shifts guilt-free! Your earning more money won't affect your dependency status at all, and it'll actually help reduce the financial burden on your family while giving you valuable work experience.

Just a heads up from someone who works in software retail - the reason H&R Block limits downloads to one platform is purely a licensing/revenue issue. They want people with multiple computers on different platforms to pay twice. It's the same reason Adobe used to charge separately for Mac/Windows before they went subscription-based. You might want to consider TurboTax instead if cross-platform is important. I believe they allow you to download both Mac and Windows versions with a single purchase, though their software is generally more expensive than H&R Block. Another option is TaxSlayer which lets you install on multiple computers regardless of OS.

I actually ran into this same issue a few years ago and found a pretty simple solution that might work for you. Since you mentioned you're comfortable with dual-booting and using different operating systems, you could purchase the H&R Block software for whichever platform you use most frequently, then use a virtual machine to run the other version if needed. For example, if you buy the Windows version, you can run it natively when you boot into Windows on your main machine, and also run it in a Windows VM on your girlfriend's MacBook using something like Parallels or VMware Fusion. The performance is totally fine for tax software since it's not resource-intensive. This approach gives you the flexibility you want without having to deal with H&R Block's customer service or pay for multiple licenses. Plus, you'll have the exact same version and data files across both setups, which makes things consistent. I've been doing this for three years now and it works great - just make sure to keep your tax files synced between the systems using a cloud service or USB drive.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet - make sure you're handling the security deposit correctly if you decide to require one. Even though it's between related entities, you still need to follow state landlord-tenant laws for how security deposits are held and returned. In my state, security deposits have to be kept in a separate escrow account and there are specific timeframes for returning them after the lease ends. I made the mistake of just keeping the deposit in our general business account initially, which could have created legal issues if there had been a dispute. Also consider whether you want to include annual rent increases tied to inflation or market rates in your lease agreement. This helps maintain the arm's length nature of the transaction over time and prevents the rent from becoming artificially low compared to market rates as years go by.

Another important consideration that often gets overlooked is maintaining separate bank accounts and financial records for each entity throughout the entire arrangement. Even though you're dealing with related LLCs, the IRS wants to see that each entity is truly operating independently. Make sure the Property LLC has its own business checking account where rent payments are deposited, and all property-related expenses (mortgage, insurance, maintenance, etc.) are paid from that account. Your marketing agency LLC should pay rent from its own business account with proper documentation like invoices or payment memos. I'd also recommend having the Property LLC issue proper invoices to your marketing agency each month, just like any other landlord would. This creates a clear paper trail and reinforces the business relationship between the entities. Keep copies of all rent payments, invoices, and any correspondence about the lease arrangement. One more tip - consider having an annual review where you reassess the rental rate against current market conditions. Document this review process to show you're actively maintaining arm's length pricing. This ongoing diligence can be valuable if the IRS ever questions the arrangement years down the road.