I was in almost the exact situation last year! We decided to get married in December and it saved us about $3,800 in taxes by filing jointly. The higher standard deduction and better tax brackets made a huge difference with one income. Plus with the house purchase, we were able to deduct mortgage interest which was another bonus. Just my real-world experience!

Brooklyn, based on your situation, getting married before the end of the year would almost certainly benefit you tax-wise! With your boyfriend earning $95k as the sole income and you staying home with 3 kids, you'd likely see significant savings by filing married jointly. Here's why: You'd get the higher married standard deduction ($27,700 vs $13,850 for single), better tax brackets that favor married couples with one income, and potentially maximize your child tax credits. The new home purchase adds another layer of potential benefits through mortgage interest deduction. The key thing everyone's mentioned is true - if you marry anytime in December, you're considered married for the entire 2024 tax year. So even a December 31st wedding counts! From what others have shared here, people in similar situations have saved $3,000-4,000 by making this switch. Since you mentioned waiting to hear back from a tax professional, you might want to try one of the tools others recommended to get a quick analysis of your specific numbers while you wait. Best of luck with whatever you decide!

As someone who works in tax compliance, I want to add a crucial point that hasn't been mentioned yet: if you're going to claim massage therapy as a business expense, make sure you're consistent with how you treat ALL your health-related expenses. The IRS looks for patterns during audits. If you're deducting massages as business expenses but claiming other work-related health costs (like ergonomic equipment, supportive shoes, etc.) as medical expenses, it could raise red flags. Pick one classification strategy and stick with it across all similar expenses. Also, since you mentioned you're a hairdresser - if you rent a booth or chair rather than being a direct employee, you're likely self-employed and would have much better luck with the business expense route on Schedule C. Employee hairdressers have very limited options for unreimbursed employee expenses after the 2017 tax changes. Keep receipts, document the connection to your work, and consider having your chiropractor write a brief letter explaining how regular massage prevents work-related injuries in your specific profession. That documentation could be invaluable if you're ever questioned about these deductions.

I'm a massage therapist who works with a lot of professionals in physically demanding jobs like hairdressers, and I wanted to add some perspective from the provider side. When clients ask me about tax deductions, I always recommend they get documentation before we start regular sessions. I can write a detailed treatment plan that specifically addresses work-related muscular issues and prevention of repetitive stress injuries. This creates a paper trail from day one rather than trying to justify it retroactively. For hairdressers specifically, I document how the treatment addresses cervical strain from looking down at clients, shoulder impingement from extended arm positioning, and lower back tension from prolonged standing. The more specific the documentation connects to your actual job duties, the stronger your case becomes. One thing I've noticed - clients who treat these sessions as preventive maintenance rather than just relaxation tend to have better success with deductions. Keep a brief log after each session noting which work-related issues were addressed and how it helps you maintain your productivity. The IRS seems to respond better to "this prevents injury that would stop me from working" rather than "this makes me feel better.

Has anyone considered the property tax implications here? In some states, when parents transfer property interest to children (even through contributions to purchase), there might be property tax reassessment implications or exclusions available. In California, for example, there's Prop 19 to consider.

Just wanted to add another perspective on the Medicaid lookback period concern you mentioned. My family went through something similar last year, and we learned that the 5-year lookback period starts from when you actually apply for Medicaid benefits, not from when the gift is made. So if your parents are currently healthy and not expecting to need long-term care immediately, they have some time to plan. However, the penalty period (if one applies) is calculated by dividing the gift amount by your state's average monthly cost of nursing home care. In our state that was about $8,000/month, so a $320,000 gift could theoretically create a 40-month penalty period. One strategy some families use is to structure the gift over multiple years to minimize the impact - though this might not work if you need the full amount for the home purchase right away. An elder law attorney in your state would be the best resource for navigating these specific rules, as they vary significantly by state. Also worth noting - if your parents ever do need Medicaid, having clear documentation that this was a gift (not a loan) will be crucial. Keep all paperwork showing the home sale proceeds, the gift documentation, and your new home purchase records together.

Does the 92.35% ever change? Like does Congress adjust this percentage sometimes or has it been the same forever? Just curious if I need to check this number every year.

Great explanation from everyone here! As someone who's been self-employed for about 5 years now, I can confirm that understanding Schedule SE gets much easier once you grasp that 92.35% concept. One thing I'd add for Gabriel - don't forget about the additional Medicare tax if your self-employment income gets higher in future years. Once your combined wages and self-employment income exceed $200,000 (or $250,000 if married filing jointly), there's an additional 0.9% Medicare tax that applies. It doesn't affect the 92.35% calculation, but it's something to be aware of as your freelance business grows. Also, remember that you can deduct half of your self-employment tax as an adjustment to income on your Form 1040. This is separate from the 92.35% calculation but provides additional tax relief. The IRS basically recognizes that as a self-employed person, you're paying both the employee and employer portions of these taxes, so they give you this deduction to help level the playing field. Keep good records of your business expenses like others mentioned - every legitimate deduction reduces both your income tax AND your self-employment tax burden!

Going through the exact same thing right now! Filed in early February with EITC, had that dreaded PATH Act message for what felt like forever, then it switched to "we are processing your return" about 5 days ago. My transcript also shows the 507 code with no 971, which from reading all these comments seems to be the standard pattern this year for EITC reviews. It's such a relief to find this thread because I was getting really anxious about what was happening with my return. The waiting is absolutely killing me - I've got some medical bills that came up unexpectedly and I'm really counting on this refund. But seeing all these success stories where people got their refunds 1-3 weeks after the status change is giving me so much hope! It sounds like we're all part of the same verification wave and most people are getting positive outcomes. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and timelines - makes this whole process feel way less scary when you know you're not alone in it!

I'm going through almost the exact same situation! Filed in mid-February with EITC, had that PATH Act message for what felt like forever, and my status just changed to "we are processing your return" about a week ago. My transcript shows a 507 code but no 971 either. Reading through all these experiences is so reassuring - it really seems like this is the standard pattern for EITC filers this year. The waiting has been absolutely brutal, especially when you're dealing with unexpected expenses like you mentioned. But seeing so many people with this exact same code combination getting their refunds within 2-4 weeks of the status change is giving me real hope! It sounds like the IRS is just doing more thorough internal verification this year without needing additional info from us, which is actually a good thing. Hang in there - based on everything I'm reading here, it really does sound like we're on the right track and just need to be patient a little longer. Thanks for posting this because I've been wondering the exact same thing!