Something nobody's mentioned - check if you received an UPDATED 1095-A! The marketplace often sends corrected forms in February or even March. The updated forms usually have a small checkbox marked in the top right corner indicating it's a corrected form. I spent weeks fighting with TurboTax over my 1095-A until I realized I had a corrected form sitting in my mail pile that I hadn't opened. The original form had incorrect premium amounts which is why TurboTax kept giving me errors.

I had the exact same issue with my 1095-A in TurboTax this year! After trying multiple fixes, I discovered the problem was with how TurboTax handles forms that have gaps in coverage. My marketplace coverage wasn't continuous - I had coverage January through May, then a gap, then picked it back up in September through December. TurboTax's interface doesn't handle partial year coverage very well, especially when the months aren't consecutive. The fix that worked for me was to manually override the "full year coverage" assumption in TurboTax. When you get to the 1095-A section, look for an option that says something like "I had coverage for only part of the year" or "My coverage wasn't for all 12 months." Once I selected that option and entered only the months I actually had coverage, everything processed smoothly. Also double-check that your SLCSP amounts match exactly - even a $1 difference can cause the software to crash. The marketplace sometimes rounds differently than what TurboTax expects. Hope this helps!

I went through this exact same situation last year and it was so frustrating! My Box 10 was completely blank too, and like you, I thought it meant I had zero property taxes to claim. What I ended up doing was calling my county tax assessor's office directly - they were actually super helpful and could tell me exactly when property taxes were paid on my address and by whom. Turns out my mortgage company had paid taxes twice during the year from my escrow account, but for some reason didn't report it in Box 10. I also found out that since I bought mid-year like you did, I needed to look at my HUD settlement statement from closing. There should be a line item for "real estate taxes" that shows what you paid upfront. In my case, I had paid about $900 at closing that I would have completely missed if I just relied on the 1098. Don't stress too much about it - you're definitely not alone in dealing with incomplete 1098 forms. The key is to track down what you actually paid rather than what the mortgage company reported. Your closing documents and mortgage statements should have all the info you need!

I can relate to the anxiety around tax season! The empty Box 10 situation is actually pretty common and definitely doesn't mean you paid zero in property taxes. Since you bought in June and have been making escrow payments, you almost certainly have deductible property taxes. Here's what I'd recommend checking: Look at your year-end mortgage statement (many lenders send these in January) - it should show a breakdown of what was paid from your escrow account for taxes. Also, dig out your closing disclosure from when you purchased - there should be property tax adjustments showing what you paid at closing. The reason Box 10 is empty could be that your lender handles escrow payments to multiple tax jurisdictions, or they simply don't complete that section reliably. Some mortgage companies are notorious for leaving it blank even when they've paid thousands in taxes on your behalf. If you're still confused after checking those documents, consider calling your local tax collector's office with your property address - they can tell you exactly what was paid and when. Don't let the empty box cause you to miss out on legitimate deductions you're entitled to!

I just want to say how helpful this entire thread has been! I'm also a first-time filer and was completely panicking about my W-2 having multiple entries in boxes 18-20. Reading through everyone's explanations has been incredibly reassuring. The "mini-governments" analogy really clicked for me - it makes so much sense that different localities would have different rules about what they consider taxable income. I was making this way more complicated in my head than it actually is. For anyone else who might be reading this with the same confusion: the key takeaway seems to be to enter each locality exactly as it appears on your W-2, don't try to combine or "fix" the numbers, and look for the "Add another locality" option in your tax software. The software will handle all the calculations once you enter the information correctly. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and expertise - this community is amazing for helping newcomers navigate these confusing situations!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! As someone who's been lurking in this community for a while but never posted, I felt compelled to jump in because I went through this exact same confusion last year. I work for a city government that serves multiple school districts, and my W-2 had THREE different localities in boxes 18-20. I was absolutely lost and ended up paying a tax preparer $200 just to figure it out, when it turned out to be much simpler than I thought. What everyone has explained here about the "mini-governments" concept is spot on. Each locality has its own rules about pre-tax deductions. In my case, the city excluded health insurance and parking from taxable wages, one school district included health insurance but excluded parking, and another school district included both. That's why all my Box 18 amounts were different. The key lesson I learned: don't overthink it! Enter each locality exactly as shown, and trust your tax software to do the calculations. I spent hours trying to "figure out" why the numbers were different when I should have just entered them as-is. For anyone still feeling overwhelmed - you've got this! The fact that you're asking questions and being careful shows you're on the right track.

One thing to consider that hasn't been fully addressed - make sure you're tracking the mortgage principal payments correctly in addition to the interest. While mortgage interest is deductible as a rental expense on the 1065, the principal payments are not deductible but should still be recorded as capital contributions to maintain accurate capital accounts. I learned this the hard way when my tax preparer caught that I was only tracking interest payments as contributions. The principal portion increases your basis in the LLC and affects future distributions or sale proceeds. Keep detailed records separating principal vs interest on each payment - your mortgage statements should break this down monthly. Also, if either partner ever stops making their portion of mortgage payments, you'll need to adjust capital accounts accordingly to reflect who's actually contributing what to the LLC.

This is exactly the kind of situation where having proper documentation from the beginning makes all the difference. I went through something similar with my business partner last year, and we ended up having to reconstruct our entire paper trail mid-tax season. A few additional considerations that might help: 1) **Depreciation tracking** - Since the LLC owns the property, depreciation should be claimed on the partnership return (Form 1065), not on your personal returns. Make sure you're calculating this correctly based on the property's basis in the LLC's books. 2) **State tax implications** - Don't forget that your state might have different rules for how partnership rental income is treated. Some states require separate partnership returns even if you don't need to file federally. 3) **Future planning** - Consider whether you want to eventually transfer the mortgage to the LLC's name. Some lenders will allow this after a certain period, which would simplify your tax situation going forward. The key is maintaining clear separation between personal and business transactions while properly documenting the capital contributions. I'd recommend setting up a monthly process where you record these transactions immediately after making mortgage payments rather than trying to reconstruct everything at year-end. Good luck with your filing!

Just want to add a small tip from my experience last year. When paper filing with Form 8839, make absolutely sure you sign and date the physical return! The #1 reason paper returns get delayed (according to the IRS agent I spoke with) is missing signatures. Sounds obvious but apparently happens all the time. Also, send it certified mail with tracking. The peace of mind is worth the extra few dollars, especially when you're counting on a big refund.

Update: Thanks everyone for the helpful advice! We ended up paper filing our return with Form 8839 and all the supporting documentation. We sent it certified mail as suggested and included a detailed cover letter explaining our situation. I'm still disappointed we couldn't e-File, but at least now I understand why. The IRS really should update their systems to handle these special forms electronically. Seems crazy that in 2025 we're still dealing with paper returns for something as common as adoption!