Has anyone dealt with partial reimbursement? My company only reimburses 80% of meals while traveling, meaning I'm covering the other 20%. Can I deduct that 20% portion?

This is a common misconception that trips up a lot of business travelers! The key principle here is that you can only deduct expenses that you actually bear the cost of. Since you were fully reimbursed by the client, you have no net out-of-pocket expense to deduct. Think of it this way - if you could deduct the $3,700 AND keep the $3,700 reimbursement, you'd essentially be getting paid to take a business trip, which isn't how the tax code works. The timing of when you fronted the money versus when you got reimbursed doesn't matter for tax purposes. What matters is that by the end of the tax year, you were made whole. Make sure to keep all your receipts and documentation of the reimbursement though - the IRS likes to see the paper trail showing these were legitimate business expenses that were properly reimbursed, especially when the amounts are significant like yours.

Has anyone used the primary residence exclusion in this type of situation? If he lived there 2 out of 5 years before the "buyout," could he exclude his portion of gain under the $250k exclusion?

This is a tricky situation but definitely manageable with proper documentation. Since your brother's name remained on the deed, he'll need to report this on his return even though he didn't receive proceeds from the 2024 sale. The key is treating the buyout as his actual "sale date" rather than the 2024 transaction. On Schedule D, report his cost basis as his original investment in the property, and his proceeds as the $15,000 he received during the buyout. Include a statement explaining that he disposed of his interest in [year of buyout] and received full compensation at that time. Make sure to keep all documentation from the original buyout agreement - this will be crucial if the IRS has questions. You'll also want to get the sale details from his ex (sale price, date, etc.) to properly complete the forms, even though his "sale" technically happened years earlier. The good news is that if he lived in the home as his primary residence for 2+ years before the buyout, he may qualify for the primary residence exclusion on any gain (though it sounds like he likely has a loss anyway). Consider consulting with a tax professional if the numbers are significant, as this type of split ownership situation can have nuances that are worth getting right the first time.

Don't forget to look at the CPA exam pass rates for the schools you're considering! Some MST programs are fantastic at preparing you for the REG section specifically. My school (Bentley) has a REG pass rate well above the national average for their MST grads. Also check what kind of tax research tools they teach. Some programs still focus heavily on CCH while others use Bloomberg or Checkpoint. Firms sometimes prefer candidates who already know their preferred research platform.

As someone who went through a similar decision process a few years ago, I'd strongly recommend looking at the University of Alabama's MST program. It's often overlooked but has an excellent reputation in the Southeast and very reasonable admission standards - they focus more on your statement of purpose and career goals than just GPA. What really sold me on their program was the flexibility to tailor coursework to your interests. They have strong concentrations in both individual and business taxation, plus some unique offerings like state and local tax policy that many programs don't have. The faculty includes several former Big 4 partners and IRS attorneys, so you get real-world perspective alongside the academic foundation. Their career services team also has solid connections with regional and national firms - I had three internship offers before graduating. One practical tip: reach out directly to admissions counselors at schools you're interested in. Many MST programs are looking for motivated students and will work with you even if your GPA isn't perfect, especially if you can demonstrate genuine interest in tax through relevant work experience or coursework.

Anyone know if TaxAct has a way to see if it was actually transmitted to the IRS beyond just the email? I'm in the same boat, filed 2 weeks ago and still pending!

I went through this exact same worry last month! Filed with TaxAct and it stayed "pending" for almost 2 weeks. What really helped calm my nerves was understanding that "pending" doesn't mean there's a problem - it just means the IRS hasn't finished processing yet. The key thing to remember is that your filing date is locked in when you hit submit in TaxAct, not when the IRS finishes processing. So even if it's still pending after May 17th, you're not late as long as you submitted before the deadline. I'd suggest checking the IRS "Where's My Refund" tool - it often shows acceptance before the tax software updates. And definitely don't file a paper copy unless you get an actual rejection notice. Duplicate filings can create way more headaches than just waiting for the electronic processing to finish. Hang in there - the waiting is the worst part, but TaxAct is reliable and your return is almost certainly fine!

One thing to consider that I haven't seen mentioned - Public Law 86-272 provides some protection from state income taxes for certain businesses, but it typically doesn't apply to service businesses like digital agencies. It only protects sellers of tangible personal property. This caught me by surprise last year when my accountant explained why my SaaS business couldn't use this protection despite having no physical presence in many states where we had customers.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! As someone who just started expanding my freelance digital consulting business beyond my home state, I had no idea the complexity I was walking into. I've been putting off addressing this because it seemed so overwhelming, but reading everyone's experiences makes it clear I need to tackle this sooner rather than later. The voluntary disclosure programs mentioned sound like a lifeline for those of us who may have inadvertently created nexus already. One question I haven't seen addressed - for those of you who went through the multi-state compliance process, how did you handle ongoing compliance? Are you now filing quarterly estimates in multiple states, or do most states allow annual filings for smaller service businesses? The administrative burden of maintaining compliance in multiple jurisdictions seems almost as daunting as figuring out the initial requirements.