Has anyone used H&R Block instead of TurboTax for rental property home offices? I've had similar problems and wondering if switching software would help.

I had this exact same issue with TurboTax last year! The key thing to understand is that rental property management expenses go on Schedule E as "other expenses," not through the traditional home office deduction process. Here's what worked for me: Calculate the percentage of your home used exclusively for rental management (office square footage ÷ total home square footage). Then take that percentage and apply it to eligible home expenses like utilities, insurance, mortgage interest, property taxes, repairs, and depreciation. In TurboTax, go to your rental property section, scroll down to "Other Expenses" and manually enter each allocated expense with clear descriptions like "Home office utilities - 15% of total" or "Home office insurance - 15% of total." Don't use the regular home office deduction wizard at all - it's designed for Schedule C self-employment income, not rental properties. This approach keeps everything properly allocated on Schedule E without double-reporting income. Make sure to keep detailed records showing the space is used exclusively for rental management activities, including photos and a log of business activities conducted there.

I worked at a collectible shop for years. Unless you've got some really valuable cards or rare comics, most people lose money on this stuff when you factor in inflation. Don't stress too much if most of what you sold was medium-value collectibles. The IRS is looking for major unreported income, not the $50 you made on your old X-Men comics.

The IRS generally expects you to report capital gains on collectibles, but the good news is that if you truly sold most items for less than you paid (which is common with older collectibles when you factor in inflation), you may not owe much tax at all. For items where you don't have records, the IRS allows you to make a "reasonable estimate" of your cost basis. Look up what similar items sold for when you originally bought them - there are price guides and historical data available for most collectibles from the 90s. Your garage sale items are likely personal-use property sold at a loss, which generally doesn't need to be reported as taxable income. The key distinction is whether you're selling personal items vs. operating a business. Given that eBay may issue you a 1099-K (especially for $3,800 in sales), I'd recommend being proactive about reporting. Document your reasonable basis estimates and be prepared to show you sold most items at a loss. It's much better to report accurately upfront than to have the IRS question unreported 1099-K income later. Consider consulting a tax professional if you're unsure - the peace of mind is often worth the cost, especially since collectibles gains are taxed at higher rates (up to 28%) if you did have significant profits.

Great question! I've been through similar situations with business transportation deductions. Just to add another perspective - make sure you consider the total cost of ownership when calculating your deduction. Beyond the initial purchase price, you can also deduct business-related maintenance, repairs, insurance (if applicable), and even electricity costs for charging if you can reasonably allocate the business portion. One thing I learned the hard way is to start your mileage/usage log immediately if you haven't already. The IRS loves contemporaneous records, so don't wait until tax time to start tracking. A simple smartphone app or even a basic notebook works fine. Just record the date, purpose of trip, and mileage for business uses. This documentation becomes invaluable if you ever face questions about your claimed business percentage. Also, since you mentioned client meetings - if you're billing clients for travel time or expenses, make sure your deduction approach aligns with how you're handling that income side of things.

One additional consideration that hasn't been mentioned yet - if you're planning to use Section 179 for immediate expensing of the scooter, be aware that there's a recapture provision if your business use drops below 50% in any subsequent year. So if you deduct 90% of the cost this year but next year you only use it 40% for business, you'd have to recapture some of that deduction. Also, I'd recommend taking photos of your scooter showing any business-related modifications or accessories (like that phone mount for navigation to client sites). Visual documentation can be helpful if you ever need to demonstrate the business nature of the equipment. And definitely keep your purchase receipt, warranty info, and any maintenance records organized - treat it like any other business asset for record-keeping purposes. Since you mentioned downtown parking costs, you might also want to calculate how much you're saving monthly on parking fees. While you can't deduct those avoided costs, having that data helps justify the business necessity of the scooter purchase if anyone ever questions the legitimacy of the expense.

Just wanted to add my perspective as someone who recently went through this exact process! Got my TAS advocate assigned in late February for UK tax credit issues and my case was resolved last Thursday - total timeline was about 6.5 weeks. **My experience breakdown:** - Week 1: Advocate contacted me within 2 days, very professional initial call - Week 2: Submitted comprehensive documentation package (learned from reading forums like this to be thorough upfront!) - Weeks 3-4: The infamous "silence period" - I was tempted to call daily but resisted after reading similar experiences here - Week 5: Advocate reached out with update that International Function was reviewing treaty calculations - Week 6-7: Quick final review and boom - resolved! **What really helped:** Reading all the detailed timelines in threads like this one! It helped me understand that the waiting periods are normal parts of the process, not signs that my case was forgotten. Also, having all my UK tax documents organized and ready to go from day one definitely streamlined things. **Reality check:** For international cases like yours with tax credit complications, 6-8 weeks seems to be the realistic expectation based on what I've seen here and experienced myself. The 30-45 day estimates are definitely optimistic for expat situations. You're in good hands now with an assigned advocate - it's so much better than being stuck in the general processing queue! The waiting is tough but you're making real progress now.

Based on all these detailed timelines everyone's shared, I wanted to add some perspective as someone who's currently in the middle of this process! I got my TAS advocate assigned about 3 weeks ago for German tax credit complications and FEIE issues, and I'm right in what everyone calls the "black hole" or "silence period" right now. **What I've learned from this thread:** - The 6-8 week timeline for international cases seems to be the realistic expectation (not the optimistic 30-45 days) - Weeks 3-5 of radio silence are completely normal and don't mean your case is forgotten - International Function coordination for treaty verification is what typically causes the longer delays - Having all documentation organized upfront really does help speed things along **My current status:** Had my initial intake call in week 1, submitted everything they requested in week 2, and now I'm in week 3 of complete silence. Reading all these experiences has been incredibly reassuring - before finding this thread I was convinced something had gone wrong! **Question for those who've completed the process:** Did any of you find it helpful to send a brief check-in email around week 4, or is it better to just wait for them to contact you? I don't want to be annoying, but I also want to stay engaged in the process. Thanks to everyone who's shared their detailed timelines - this thread is incredibly valuable for setting realistic expectations! It's so much better than the generic official estimates that don't account for the complexity of international tax issues.

Don't forget to consider whether you actually NEED to file a 1065 at all. If you're a foreign partnership with no US source income, no US partners, and no effectively connected income with a US trade or business, you might not even have a filing requirement. The business being registered in Delaware doesn't automatically create a filing requirement if the actual business activities don't have US connections.

Based on your situation with a Delaware LLC and foreign partners, I'd recommend a two-step approach to keep costs down while ensuring accuracy: 1. First, use one of the AI guidance tools like taxr.ai that others mentioned to understand exactly what information you need for the foreign partner K-1s and withholding requirements. This will help you prepare properly before using any filing software. 2. Then use FreeTaxUSA ($60) or TaxHawk ($55) for the actual filing. Both have decent interview processes for partnerships, but having clarity on the foreign partner aspects beforehand will make the process much smoother. Since you're operating at a loss with minimal activity, the return should be relatively straightforward once you understand the foreign partner reporting requirements. The key is making sure you properly identify your foreign partners and handle any required withholding correctly - mistakes here can be costly later. If you get stuck on specific foreign partnership questions during preparation, consider using Claimyr to speak directly with an IRS agent. At $60-70 total for software plus maybe $40-50 for Claimyr if needed, you're still well under what most accountants would charge while getting professional guidance where you need it most.