As someone who's been through this exact situation, I can share what worked for me! I lived with my parents rent-free when I started travel nursing too, and here's what I did to establish a legitimate tax home: 1. Created a simple written rental agreement with my parents for $200/month (way below market rate but shows financial responsibility) 2. Set up automatic bank transfers with clear descriptions like "rent payment" 3. Took over paying one utility bill (I chose the internet bill - around $80/month) 4. Made sure ALL my official documents used their address (license, voter registration, bank accounts, etc.) 5. Kept detailed records of every payment and contribution The most important thing is consistency and documentation. The IRS doesn't require you to pay market-rate rent, but you DO need to show genuine financial ties to the location. Even small, regular contributions count as long as you can prove them. Also, make sure you understand the "temporary vs indefinite" rule - your assignments need to be expected to last less than one year to qualify for tax-free stipends. Since you mentioned 3-6 months, you should be fine there. Good luck with your first assignment! Maryland is a great place to work as a travel nurse.

Great question about the temporary vs indefinite rule! Each individual assignment needs to be expected to last less than one year - so your plan of doing back-to-back 3-6 month assignments is perfectly fine from a tax perspective. The IRS looks at each contract separately, not your total time away from home. However, there is one thing to watch out for: if you stay in the same general area for more than 12 months total (even with multiple contracts), the IRS might start to consider that your new tax home. So as long as you're moving between different cities/regions for your assignments, you should be good. Also wanted to add to the great advice already given - consider getting a small storage unit or keeping some personal belongings at your parents' house. This helps demonstrate that you truly consider it your permanent residence and plan to return there. The IRS likes to see that you haven't "abandoned" your tax home. One more tip: keep a simple calendar or log of days spent at your tax home vs. assignment locations. While there's no specific requirement, spending some time at your tax home between assignments (even just a few days) helps reinforce that it's truly your permanent base.

As a newcomer to this community, I've been following this discussion with great interest since I'm in almost the exact same situation! I have a single-member LLC with S Corp election and am dealing with MBA student loans from a few years back. The depth of practical knowledge shared here has been incredible. I'm particularly grateful for the real-world experiences from @McKenzie Shade, @Charlee Coleman, and others who have actually implemented Section 127 Education Assistance Programs. The documentation requirements initially seemed daunting, but seeing the step-by-step approaches and templates mentioned makes it feel much more manageable. A few questions as I prepare to move forward: **Loan servicer coordination**: Has anyone had experience with FedLoan Servicing specifically? I want to make sure there won't be any issues with them accepting business payments before I establish the program. **Implementation timeline**: Given that we're already partway through 2025, would it make more sense to establish the program now for partial-year benefits, or wait until 2026 to get the full $5,250 annual limit? I'm trying to balance the administrative setup time against the potential tax savings. **CPA coordination**: For those whose accountants weren't initially familiar with Section 127, did you find any specific resources or publications that helped bring them up to speed quickly? The business connection aspect resonates strongly with me - my MBA in strategic management directly applies to my consulting work, and I love the idea of maintaining a project log showing specific applications of coursework concepts. Thank you all for creating such a valuable discussion! This has given me the confidence to pursue this approach with proper documentation and professional guidance.

As someone new to this community, this discussion has been absolutely invaluable! I'm in a remarkably similar situation - single-member LLC with S Corp election and MBA student loans that I've been wondering about for months. The real-world experiences shared here, especially the detailed implementation steps from folks like @McKenzie Shade and @Charlee Coleman, have transformed what seemed like an intimidating tax strategy into something very manageable. The emphasis on proper documentation and legitimate business purpose really resonates with me. I'm particularly interested in the point about maintaining detailed records of how MBA coursework applies to actual business operations. My MBA focused on organizational leadership and change management, which directly supports my HR consulting practice. Creating that project log connecting specific coursework to client engagements seems like a smart way to strengthen the business nexus. One aspect I'm curious about - has anyone dealt with multiple loan servicers through a Section 127 program? I have loans split between two different servicers from consolidating at different times. I assume I'd need to coordinate with both, but wondering if there are any complications with splitting the annual $5,250 benefit across multiple servicers. The timing discussion has been really helpful too. Given that this is now a permanent provision, the long-term value becomes much more compelling even if the annual amount seems modest compared to total loan balances. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed experiences. This thread should definitely be bookmarked as a resource for other small business owners facing this situation!

That salary range sounds about right for a mid-sized firm, though those hours are definitely brutal. I've been doing tax work for about 6 years and can tell you that while the long busy season hours are unfortunately standard, there's a lot of variation in how firms handle compensation and work-life balance. A few red flags to watch for: If they're being vague about bonuses or comp time, that usually means there isn't much. Good firms are transparent about their busy season compensation structure upfront. Also, pay attention to their turnover rate - if they're constantly hiring, it might mean people burn out quickly. One thing that's helped me survive busy seasons is being really strategic about efficiency. The firms that invest in good technology and processes make those long hours much more bearable than places where you're fighting outdated software all day. Before you decide, I'd definitely ask to speak with someone who went through last tax season there. Not a manager - an actual staff member who can tell you what February and March really looked like day-to-day. Their response (and whether the firm is willing to connect you) will tell you a lot about what you're signing up for. The experience can be valuable for your career, but make sure you're getting fair compensation for those sacrifice months!

I went through almost the exact same situation about 2 years ago when transitioning from industry accounting to tax! That $62,500 offer is pretty standard for mid-sized firms, and unfortunately the 50-60 hour weeks during busy season are just the reality of tax work. What really helped me evaluate my offer was breaking down the effective hourly rate. During those 4 busy months, you're looking at roughly 240-260 extra hours beyond a normal 40-hour week. That means your "busy season premium" needs to make those hours worthwhile. Here's what I'd definitely ask before accepting: **Compensation clarity:** Get specific numbers on busy season bonuses - not just "performance-based" but actual percentages or dollar amounts from previous years. **Summer schedule:** "Flexible hours" can mean anything from half-day Fridays to actual 32-hour weeks. Get the details in writing. **Career timeline:** Tax firms often promote faster than corporate, so understand when you'd be eligible for senior roles and the salary jumps that come with them. **Exit strategy:** Even if you plan to stay, knowing they support people transitioning back to industry shows they're not trying to trap you. The experience can be incredibly valuable - I learned more in my first tax season than in 2 years of corporate accounting. Just make sure the total compensation package (salary + bonus + perks + career growth) makes those brutal months worth it. And definitely talk to current staff if possible - they'll give you the real picture of what those hours actually look like day-to-day.

Don't forget about the annual price increases!! I started with ProSeries 7 years ago and my cost has doubled since then. They get you with the low initial price but then jack it up every year knowing it's too much of a pain to switch.

For growing a practice with complex multi-state and partnership returns, I'd strongly recommend considering CCH Axcess Tax or Thomson Reuters UltraTax CS as your primary options. Both handle complex business structures exceptionally well and won't limit your growth potential. From my experience, Drake is great for straightforward returns but becomes cumbersome with multi-state allocations and complex K-1 flow-throughs. ProSeries falls into a similar category - fine for basic practice but you'll outgrow it quickly if you're targeting complex business clients. One thing to really consider is the total cost of ownership beyond just the software license. Factor in training time, support quality (as others mentioned), and the efficiency gains on complex returns. A more expensive platform that saves you 30 minutes per complex return will pay for itself quickly. Also, whatever you choose, negotiate a multi-year price lock if possible. The annual price increases can really add up over time, and having predictable costs helps with business planning. Some vendors are willing to work with you on this, especially if you're switching from a competitor.

As someone who's been through this exact confusion with my small construction business, I completely understand that "circular" feeling you're describing! I made the same mistake for two years before finally getting it straightened out. The key insight that helped me was realizing that you're not creating two deductions - you're properly allocating one expense between business and personal tax treatment. Your S-Corp spent real money on vehicle expenses, so it gets to deduct those actual expenditures. The personal use portion being added to your W-2 isn't a "wage expense" that gets deducted again - it's just ensuring you pay personal income tax on the benefit you received. Think of it this way: if your S-Corp spent $12,000 on vehicle expenses and 25% was personal use, the company deducts the full $12,000 as a legitimate business expense. You then pay personal income tax on $3,000 as a fringe benefit. The S-Corp doesn't get an additional $3,000 wage deduction because it already deducted the money when it was actually spent on the vehicle. I'd recommend keeping detailed mileage logs throughout the year to support your business vs. personal percentages. The IRS is pretty strict about contemporaneous records for vehicle deductions. Once you get the hang of this concept, it becomes much clearer - you're just making sure the tax treatment properly reflects the economic reality of how the vehicle was used. Good luck with your new accountant meeting! This is definitely one of those S-Corp issues worth getting clarity on early.

As a new S-Corp owner with a small accounting practice, I was struggling with this exact same issue! This thread has been incredibly helpful in clarifying the PUCC treatment. The breakthrough for me was understanding that there's no "double dipping" or circular accounting happening. My S-Corp legitimately spent money on vehicle expenses - gas, insurance, maintenance, etc. - and those are real business expenses that deserve the full deduction. The personal use portion being added to my W-2 isn't creating another business deduction; it's just ensuring I pay personal income tax on the benefit I received from the company's spending. I was making the same mistake as many others here - thinking that if the personal use goes on my W-2 as wages, then somehow the business should also deduct it as a wage expense. But now I see it's simply: the company deducts what it actually spent, and I separately report the taxable benefit I received. One thing I'm curious about - for those tracking mileage throughout the year, do you find it better to use actual expenses method for the business deduction and then use the standard mileage rate to value the personal use portion for the W-2? Or do you stick with the same method for both calculations? I want to make sure I'm being consistent but also optimizing the tax treatment properly. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences - this community is such a valuable resource for navigating these S-Corp complexities!