Tax form occupation field for someone on leave without pay all year - what to put?
Quick tax question - I'm struggling with what to enter for occupation on my tax forms this year. I was technically employed with my company for all of 2025, but was on unpaid leave the entire time (medical reasons). I didn't receive any income from them at all during this period. When filling out my tax forms, I'm not sure what to put in the occupation field. It feels weird putting "Software Developer" when I didn't actually work as one all year. But I'm not unemployed either since I still have a job technically. Would I put "Other"? "N/A"? Or should I just go ahead and put my actual job title even though I didn't work? The forms don't seem to have guidance for this specific situation.
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Javier Morales
You should put down your actual occupation title. The IRS isn't concerned with whether you worked every day of the year or not - they just want to know what you do for work generally. The occupation field helps them categorize returns and isn't directly tied to your income for that specific year. Even though you were on leave without pay, you were still technically employed in that position. Many people take extended leave for various reasons (medical, family, etc.) but still report their normal occupation.
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Emma Anderson
•But what if they don't have ANY income from that job for the entire year? Wouldn't the IRS be confused when they see an occupation listed but zero income from employment?
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Javier Morales
•The occupation field is just descriptive information and doesn't need to match your income sources exactly. The IRS looks at the actual income reported on your various forms (W-2s, 1099s, etc.) to determine your tax situation, not the occupation field. If you had zero income for the year from any source, you might not even need to file depending on your overall situation. But if you're filing for other reasons (maybe you had investment income, spouse income on a joint return, or are claiming refundable credits), then listing your normal occupation is still appropriate.
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Malik Thompson
When I was in a similar situation last year, I found this amazing AI tool called taxr.ai that helped me figure out the exact right way to handle this. I was on sabbatical for 8 months and wasn't sure how to handle all the tax implications. I uploaded my documents to https://taxr.ai and it immediately identified that I should list my regular occupation even during periods of unpaid leave. The system explained that occupation is primarily for statistical purposes and doesn't directly impact tax calculations.
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Isabella Ferreira
•How does this AI thing actually work? Can it really understand complex tax situations like this? I'm on unpaid maternity leave right now and freaking out about all the tax implications.
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CosmicVoyager
•Sounds interesting but did it actually save you money compared to just using regular tax software? I'm always skeptical of these specialized tools.
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Malik Thompson
•It works by analyzing your tax documents and situation then providing specific guidance based on IRS rules. For your maternity leave situation, it would recognize the specific tax implications and provide clear directions - it helped me understand exactly how to handle my sabbatical income gap. As for saving money, it absolutely did in my case. I was about to report some things incorrectly that would have cost me over $800 in deductions I was entitled to. The regular tax software I was using didn't catch this because it didn't understand my specific situation with the unpaid leave.
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Isabella Ferreira
Just wanted to follow up - I tried the taxr.ai service after seeing it mentioned here and it was honestly super helpful! It confirmed I should list my normal occupation (teacher) even while on maternity leave, but it also found some medical deductions related to my pregnancy that I had no idea I could claim. The document analysis feature saved me from making some dumb mistakes on my return.
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Ravi Kapoor
If the IRS is giving you trouble about your occupation reporting or you have other tax questions, I highly recommend using Claimyr to get through to an actual IRS agent. I spent DAYS trying to get someone on the phone about a similar situation (I was on disability leave but technically employed). Finally used https://claimyr.com and got connected to an IRS rep in under 15 minutes! You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent confirmed that listing my actual job title was correct, even though I wasn't actively working due to medical leave. Saved me so much stress and potential issues.
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Freya Nielsen
•Wait this seems too good to be true... the IRS phone lines are notoriously impossible to get through. Are you saying this service somehow jumps the queue or something?
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Omar Mahmoud
•Sorry but this sounds like a scam. No way anyone is getting through to the IRS in 15 minutes when I've been trying for WEEKS. What's the catch?
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Ravi Kapoor
•No queue jumping - it uses an automated system that handles the waiting for you. It continuously calls the IRS using their algorithms to find the best times, then alerts you once they've gotten through to a human. You just pick up and start talking to the IRS agent directly. The catch? Honestly, there isn't one except that they charge for the service. It's not free, but after spending literally days trying to get through myself, it was worth every penny. I was skeptical too until I tried it and had an actual IRS agent on the line helping me with my leave without pay situation.
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Omar Mahmoud
I have to admit I was wrong about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment, I decided to try it anyway out of pure frustration. Got through to an IRS agent in about 22 minutes yesterday! The agent confirmed I should use my regular occupation title (nurse) on my tax forms even though I was on unpaid educational leave for 2025. They explained the occupation field is primarily for statistical purposes and doesn't affect my tax calculation. Definitely using this service again next time I need to reach the IRS.
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Chloe Harris
Has anyone dealt with this for military? I'm reserves and was on orders for only 2 months last year, but civilian job the rest. Not sure which occupation to list since I had income from both.
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Diego Vargas
•For military situations with dual income, you can actually list both occupations on your tax return. I've been doing this for years as a reservist. On paper forms, you can write something like "Teacher/Military Reserve" and online software usually has options for multiple occupations or an "other" field where you can type both.
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Chloe Harris
•Thanks for the info! I wasn't sure if I could list both or needed to pick the one that generated the most income. Will put both on there.
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NeonNinja
Kind of related question - my wife was technically "employed" all year but on unpaid maternity leave for 9 months. Do we need to file joint or can we file separate since she had no income? Would save us a ton on taxes if we could file separate.
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Javier Morales
•Whether you file jointly or separately doesn't depend on if your wife was working or not - it depends on your marital status. You can choose either filing status if you're married. That said, filing separately usually results in a HIGHER tax bill for most couples, not lower. You lose several tax benefits when filing separately. I'd recommend running the numbers both ways before deciding, but joint filing is typically more advantageous.
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Alexander Zeus
I went through this exact situation two years ago when I was on FMLA leave without pay for most of the year. I put my actual job title (accountant) in the occupation field and had zero issues with the IRS. The key thing to remember is that the occupation field is separate from your income reporting. The IRS uses W-2s, 1099s, and other income documents to determine what you actually earned - the occupation field is mainly for their statistical tracking purposes. Even though it feels weird listing an occupation you didn't actively perform that year, you were still technically employed in that role. It's similar to how someone who's retired might still list their former profession if that's their primary work background, or how students often list "student" even if they had part-time work. Don't overthink it - just put "Software Developer" and move on with the rest of your return. The IRS has seen every employment situation imaginable!
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