Anyone else find it ridiculous that a $1.50 wash sale forces you to potentially list dozens of transactions individually? The tax code is so user-unfriendly sometimes.

I went through this exact same situation last year with TurboTax and a small wash sale from my E*TRADE account. The good news is you definitely don't need to enter all 40+ transactions individually! Here's what I learned: you can use a hybrid approach where you summarize all the "clean" transactions (the ones without wash sales) on one line of Form 8949, then separately list only the specific transactions that had wash sales with the "W" code. So if you have 40 transactions and only one or two involved wash sales, you'd have maybe 2-3 lines total on your Form 8949 instead of 40+. The summary line covers all the normal trades, and then you have individual lines for just the wash sale transactions. FreeTaxUSA should handle this - when you're entering your transactions, look for options to "summarize" or "aggregate" the regular ones, then add the wash sale transactions separately. Make sure the wash sale entries include the adjustment amount from your 1099-B in column (g). Don't let that tiny $1.50 wash sale force you into hours of data entry!

Based on your situation, you're absolutely right that you can file jointly for federal and separately for state taxes. Since you're still married and living apart for work reasons (not separation), married filing jointly federally will likely give you the best tax advantages. For state taxes, you'll each file as residents of your respective states - you in Michigan, your wife in Arizona. The key thing to remember is that Michigan will want to tax your Michigan income, and Arizona will want to tax your wife's Arizona income. One important consideration: since you mentioned owning a house together in Michigan, make sure to clarify your wife's residency status with Arizona. Some states have strict rules about what constitutes residency vs. temporary work assignments. If Arizona considers her a temporary worker rather than a resident, it could affect how she files there. Also double-check Michigan's rules about your wife's status - since she's still part-owner of your Michigan home, there might be implications for property tax exemptions or other benefits that require both spouses to be Michigan residents. I'd recommend keeping good records of when each of you lived in each state throughout 2024, as this will be important for determining the correct filing approach for both states.

I was in a very similar situation last year - my husband was working in Texas while I stayed in Colorado. One thing that really helped us was creating a detailed timeline of where each of us lived and worked throughout the year, including exact dates. This became crucial when filling out the state forms, especially for determining part-year residency status. For your situation, since you own property together in Michigan and you're still living there, you'll likely be considered a Michigan resident for the full year. Your wife's situation in Arizona might be more complex - she could be considered either a part-year resident or a non-resident depending on how long she's been there and whether she intends to make it permanent. One tip: keep all your lease agreements, utility bills, and work contracts as documentation. Arizona and Michigan may have different thresholds for what constitutes residency, and having clear documentation of your living situations will help if either state questions your filing status. Also, don't forget to check if either state has reciprocity agreements that might affect your filing requirements. Some states have agreements that can simplify the process for people working across state lines.

Just wanted to add that Box 14 stuff varies a lot by state and employer. I've had everything from union dues to company car values show up there. It's basically the "miscellaneous" box for employers to report anything that doesn't fit elsewhere on the W-2.

As someone who's dealt with Box 14 confusion for years, I'd recommend keeping a copy of your pay stubs alongside your W-2. The codes in Box 14 usually match up with deductions you see throughout the year on your paystubs, which can help you understand what each entry represents. For New Jersey specifically, those NJSUI/SDI and NJWFD codes are standard - every NJ employee will see these. The amounts should roughly match what you'd calculate using the percentages Ryan mentioned above. If there's a big discrepancy, that might be worth checking with your payroll department, but otherwise you're all set!

Has anyone tried faxing Form 8822 instead of mailing it? The instructions mention faxing as an option but don't give a fax number. I'd rather not deal with snail mail if possible.

Just wanted to add my experience for anyone else dealing with this - I was in the exact same situation last year when I moved from California to New York. I'd been e-filing for years and had no clue about processing centers either. What I ended up doing was using my old California address to determine where to send the form (which would be the Fresno address based on Hunter's breakdown above). The key thing I learned is that the IRS doesn't actually care where you e-filed - they just need to know your last known address in their system to update your records properly. One tip: if you're moving soon, definitely get this form in the mail ASAP. I waited until after my move and then had issues with mail forwarding timing. The 4-6 week processing time is pretty accurate, so plan accordingly if you're expecting any tax correspondence.

What futures broker are you using? I'm getting wrecked by the tax reporting from my current broker. Their 1099s are a nightmare and don't clearly separate section 1256 contracts.

Great question about futures taxation! I've been trading futures for a few years now and can confirm what others have said about the 60/40 rule. One thing I'd add is that you should also consider the wash sale rules, which work differently for futures compared to stocks. With futures contracts under Section 1256, wash sales don't apply the same way they do for securities. This means you can actually realize losses for tax purposes even if you immediately re-enter a similar position, which can be helpful for tax planning throughout the year. Also, since you're projecting such significant profits, you might want to look into making estimated quarterly tax payments to avoid underpayment penalties. The IRS generally wants you to pay as you go, especially with income this large. You can use Form 1040ES to calculate and make these payments. One last tip - keep detailed records of all your trading activity, including timestamps, contract specifications, and P&L for each trade. The IRS can be pretty strict about substantiating trading income, especially at higher amounts. Having clean records will save you headaches if you ever get audited.