One thing nobody has mentioned yet is the property tax implications after the gift. Depending on your state, a transfer of property might trigger a reassessment of property taxes. In my state, parent-to-child transfers have certain exclusions, but you need to file the right forms. Also, if your parents are older, you might want to consider the Medicaid look-back period (5 years in most states). If they might need nursing home care within 5 years and want to qualify for Medicaid, this large gift could make them ineligible.

I'm wondering if anyone can explain more about the capital gains implications? If OP's parents gifted the house now with their $650k basis, vs if OP inherited it later at the $1.3 mil stepped-up basis... how would the tax math work out if OP eventually sold it at say $1.5 mil?

has anyone else had issues with their employer not actually reporting the RSU income correctly on W2? my company put it in box 14 with code RSU but the amounts don't match what vested last year? trying to figure out if its me or them making the mistake...

I went through this exact same situation last year and it was definitely confusing at first! The key thing to remember is that you've already paid taxes on the RSU value when they vested in 2024 - that income was included in your W-2 wages. When you sell in 2025, you only owe taxes on any gain or loss from the vesting date value. So if your RSUs were worth $10,000 when they vested (already taxed), and you sold them for $12,000, you only owe capital gains tax on the $2,000 difference. The tricky part is making sure your cost basis is correct. Your broker might show $0 cost basis on the 1099-B, but your actual cost basis should be the fair market value on the vesting date (which was already included in your 2024 taxable income). You'll need to adjust this on Form 8949 when filing. Most good tax software like TurboTax Premier can walk you through this, but you'll need to have your 2024 pay stubs or W-2 handy to find the correct vesting values. Don't worry - this is a common situation and you definitely won't get flagged for an audit if you report it correctly!

Quick question - has anyone had this issue with TurboTax or other tax software? I'm trying to file both my federal and local returns through TurboTax but it keeps flagging the missing boxes and won't let me proceed.

Don't panic - this is actually more common than you think! The blank boxes 18-20 on your W-2s simply mean your employers didn't withhold local municipality taxes from your paychecks during the year. This doesn't mean you don't owe them - it just means you'll need to pay them now when you file. For your municipality filing, here's what you should do: - Use the wage amount from Box 1 (your federal wages) as your local taxable wages - Enter "0" for local tax withheld since nothing was taken out - For the locality name, use the municipality where you physically worked (or your employer's location) The reason your third W-2 has this information filled in is probably because that employer was located in your municipality and properly withheld local taxes throughout the year. You should also ask your employers (the ones with blank boxes) why they weren't withholding local taxes - they might need to correct this going forward so you don't face a big tax bill again next year. Some employers don't realize they need to withhold for the municipality where their employees live or work.

Has anyone tried the IRS Free File options? I heard they've improved, and they're actually free if your income is under a certain threshold.

I've been using TaxAct for the past few years and it's been a solid middle ground between free options and the expensive ones like TurboTax. Their federal filing starts around $25-30 depending on complexity, and state is usually another $37. What I appreciate about TaxAct is that they're upfront about their pricing - no surprise upgrades or constant pop-ups trying to sell you audit protection. They have all the forms you'd need for most situations including rental income, stock sales, and business expenses. The interface isn't as flashy as TurboTax but it's straightforward and gets the job done. They also offer good customer support if you get stuck, which has been helpful when I had questions about depreciation on my rental property. Much less frustrating than the TurboTax experience you described!

Hey guys, I actually found a way to skip the hold time. There's this service called claimyr.com that calls for you, waits on hold, and then connects you when an agent picks up. It costs $20, but it saved me hours of waiting. Here's the link: https://www.claimyr.com

Another option to consider is requesting your account transcript by mail or fax - it's free and gives you a complete breakdown of your tax account, including any balances owed, payments made, and penalties/interest. You can request it using Form 4506-T or by calling the automated transcript line at 1-800-908-9946. It takes about 5-10 business days to receive by mail, but you don't have to deal with hold times. Just have your SSN, date of birth, and filing status ready when you call the automated line.