I'm dealing with a similar situation at my job - $120/month for parking that feels like highway robbery on a government salary. What really helped me was tracking every single parking expense in a spreadsheet with dates and amounts. Even though we can't deduct workplace parking anymore, I discovered that some of my work-related travel parking (when I had to visit other government facilities for meetings) actually WAS deductible as a business expense. Also, if you ever do any freelance work or side consulting related to your medical field, those parking expenses for client visits would be deductible as legitimate business expenses. Might be worth exploring if you have any opportunities to do part-time contract work - many medical facilities need temporary or per-diem staff, and as a contractor you'd have more deduction opportunities. One more thing - check if your area has any tax credits for healthcare workers. Some states and localities have been offering various tax benefits for essential workers, especially in healthcare. It's a long shot but worth researching since every bit helps when you're dealing with these kinds of mandatory expenses.

I'm a tax preparer and want to clarify something about work-related travel parking that was mentioned. The IRS distinguishes between your "tax home" (regular workplace) and temporary work locations. Parking at your regular job site isn't deductible, but parking when traveling to temporary work locations, client sites, or other business locations away from your main workplace can be deductible. For healthcare workers, this might include parking when attending required training at different facilities, professional conferences, or if you're temporarily assigned to work at a different location. The key is that it has to be away from your regular workplace and for business purposes. Also, regarding the contractor suggestion - be very careful here. The IRS has strict rules about worker classification. You can't just choose to be a contractor if you're doing the same work under the same conditions as employees. Misclassification can result in penalties and back taxes. If you're considering contract work, make sure it's genuinely independent contractor work with different clients, not just a way to reclassify your current employment. That said, legitimate contract work (like per-diem nursing at different facilities) would allow you to deduct business expenses including parking when visiting those client locations.

Just a heads up that if you set up your account for dividend reinvestment (DRIP), it slightly complicates your eventual capital gains calculations when you do sell in the future. Each reinvested dividend essentially creates a new lot of shares with its own cost basis and purchase date.

Great question! I went through the exact same confusion last year when I first started investing. Yes, you definitely need to report those dividends on your tax return even though you haven't sold anything. Here's the key thing to understand: dividends are taxable income the moment they're paid to you, regardless of whether you reinvest them or take them as cash. The IRS treats it as if you received the money and then chose to buy more shares with it. Make sure to bring your entire 1099 composite form to your tax prep appointment this weekend. Your preparer will need the dividend information from the 1099-DIV section. The empty 1099-B section is normal since you haven't sold anything yet. One tip: look at your 1099-DIV to see if any of your dividends are marked as "qualified dividends" - these get taxed at the lower capital gains rate instead of your regular income tax rate, which can save you money depending on your tax bracket. You're being smart by parking money for retirement and letting it grow long-term. Just remember that as long as you're receiving dividends, you'll need to report them each year even if you never sell the underlying investments.

Just a heads up that if you're looking for the 4-up vertical format, make sure you also get the right envelopes for them! The standard 4-up W2 forms need specific double-window envelopes (the W-2 Double Window Envelope 5-5/8" x 9"). Learned this the hard way last year and had to reorder everything.

For what it's worth, I've been dealing with this exact same issue for our small business. After trying several of the solutions mentioned here, I ended up going with a combination approach - I used the taxr.ai service that Jake mentioned to generate the proper 4-up template, then cross-referenced it with the IRS specifications I got through Claimyr to make sure everything was compliant. One thing I'd add is that if you're planning to do this annually, it might be worth investing in proper payroll software for next year. The one-time solutions work great when you're in a pinch, but having integrated W2 generation saves so much time and reduces errors. QuickBooks Desktop Pro includes the 4-up printing capability and often goes on sale around tax season. Also, definitely heed Lorenzo's advice about the envelopes if you're mailing - I made that same mistake and had to hand-fold everything into regular envelopes which was a nightmare!

Has anyone used HR Block or TurboTax to figure out the right withholding? The IRS calculator gives me anxiety with all those fields.

I've been dealing with a similar situation and found that the key is to be methodical about it. Here's what worked for me: First, gather your last year's tax return and recent pay stubs. Calculate your effective tax rate from last year (total tax ÷ total income) and apply that to your current year's expected income. This gives you a baseline for what you should owe. Then compare that to what's already being withheld from both paychecks combined. The difference is roughly what you need to add in extra withholding. For your $245K combined income, an effective tax rate around 18-20% is reasonable (depending on deductions). So you'd expect to owe about $44K-49K total. If your current withholding is only covering $38K-39K, then yes, you'd need that extra $5K-6K in withholding. Regarding who should have the extra withholding - it truly doesn't matter for tax purposes since you file jointly. However, I'd suggest having the higher earner do most of it simply because their payroll system is already handling larger withholding amounts, so adding more won't be as noticeable percentage-wise. Start with $250 extra per paycheck and monitor it quarterly. You can always adjust mid-year if needed.

Great to see you found what you were looking for! Just want to add a quick tip for anyone else in a similar situation - if you're printing the employee copies on perforated paper, make sure to test print one sheet first to check the alignment. Sometimes the margins can be slightly off depending on your printer settings, and you don't want to waste a whole pack of expensive perforated paper. Also, even though you're handling this yourself to save costs, consider keeping records of where you downloaded the templates and when, just in case you need to reference the source later for compliance purposes. The IRS likes documentation trails, especially for small businesses.

For anyone still looking for 4-up W2 templates, I'd also suggest checking your local office supply store's website. Places like OfficeMax and Staples often have free downloadable templates that are specifically designed to work with the perforated W2 paper they sell. The templates are usually tested to align perfectly with their paper products. One thing I learned from my CPA is that even though you can print employee copies yourself, it's worth investing in good quality paper and toner for W2s. Your employees will appreciate forms that look professional and are easy to read when they file their taxes. Plus, if they need to mail copies to state tax agencies, clear, crisp printing helps avoid processing delays. Also, don't forget that most states require you to file W2 information with them too, not just the federal SSA filing. Check your state's requirements - some accept electronic filing which can save you from printing additional copies.