Has anyone noticed that the 1098-T forms are NEVER accurate? My school consistently puts payments in Box 1 for the wrong year (showing January payments that I actually made in December of the previous year). It's like they just report when they process the payment rather than when it was actually made.

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! My wife is in a PhD program and we've been navigating the employer reimbursement timing issue for three years now. One thing I learned that might help - make sure you understand exactly what your husband's employer considers "qualified education expenses" for their reimbursement program. Some employers have stricter definitions than what the IRS allows for education credits. For example, my wife's employer only reimburses tuition and required fees, but not books or lab fees that we can still claim for the Lifetime Learning Credit. This means we need to track which specific expenses will be reimbursed versus which ones we can claim the full credit for. Also, I'd recommend reaching out to your husband's HR department to get a written timeline for when the reimbursement will be processed. Having that documentation helps with tax planning and ensures you're prepared for the recapture calculation in 2024. We've found that being proactive about getting reimbursement status updates makes the whole process much smoother.

Has anyone else noticed that withholding seems super messed up lately? I claimed 0 dependents like OP but I'm still getting way less taken out than last year. I'm worried I'll owe a ton when I file.

Connor, you're definitely not overthinking this! Your approach is actually really smart - claiming 0 dependents on your W-4 will indeed maximize your withholding throughout the year, which often leads to a larger refund when you file. The key thing to remember is that your W-4 withholding and your actual tax return are two completely separate processes. Your W-4 is just telling your employer how much to withhold from each paycheck as an estimate, while your tax return reflects your actual tax situation for the year. Since you have the legal right to claim your son as a dependent for the 2025 tax year (based on your custody agreement), you can absolutely claim him when you file your return, regardless of what you put on your W-4. This might actually work out perfectly for you - you'll have extra tax withheld all year, then get credit for your dependent when you file, potentially resulting in a nice refund. Just make sure you keep good records of your custody arrangement and that you and your ex are crystal clear about who claims your son each year. Having it documented in your divorce decree is ideal. Good luck with the new job!

Just wanted to add some perspective as someone who's been through an IRS audit related to charitable deductions. The auditor wasn't trying to catch me in some elaborate scheme - they just wanted to see that I had reasonable documentation for my claimed values. What saved me was having photos of the items I donated along with a simple spreadsheet listing each item, its condition, and the value I assigned based on the Salvation Army guide. The auditor spent maybe 10 minutes reviewing it and moved on. The key thing I learned is that the IRS isn't looking for perfection in your valuations - they're looking for evidence that you made a good faith effort to be reasonable. A $20 shirt valued at $25 isn't going to raise eyebrows, but a $20 shirt valued at $200 definitely will. For your dresser specifically, I'd suggest looking up similar pieces on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist to get a sense of what used furniture in similar condition is actually selling for. That gives you a solid basis for your valuation if anyone ever asks.

As a tax professional, I want to emphasize that the system actually works pretty well despite seeming vulnerable to abuse. The IRS uses data analytics to flag returns with unusually high charitable deductions relative to income, and they have access to aggregate donation data from major organizations. What most people don't realize is that inflating donation values is considered tax fraud, which can result in penalties of 20-75% of the underpaid tax, plus interest and potential criminal charges. The risk-reward ratio just doesn't make sense for most people. For your situation, I'd recommend documenting everything now even though you already donated. Write down what you remember donating, research fair market values using the Salvation Army guide or similar resources, and keep that documentation with your tax records. For the dresser, check sold listings on eBay or Facebook Marketplace for similar items to establish a reasonable value. The key is being able to show you made a good faith effort to determine fair market value. Perfect accuracy isn't expected, but gross overvaluation will definitely get you in trouble if caught.

I've used H&R Block for the past three tax seasons and can confirm they use Axos Bank (formerly BofI). Here's the funny thing though - last year I switched from their Refund Transfer option to direct deposit to my own bank account and got my refund almost a week earlier! 😂 The Refund Transfer might seem convenient, but it's basically adding a middleman (and extra days) to your refund journey. Plus, you're paying for that convenience. For gig workers especially, I'd recommend skipping any refund transfer products and just having the IRS deposit directly to your personal account.

Based on everyone's input here, it sounds like H&R Block uses Axos Bank for their refund transfers, but honestly as a fellow freelancer, I'd recommend skipping their banking products altogether. I made the mistake of using a refund transfer service two years ago thinking it would be faster, but it actually delayed my refund by almost a week. The IRS processes everything the same regardless of which tax prep company you use - the real bottleneck is usually on their end, especially with gig income that might trigger additional review. Save yourself the fees and processing delays by just having your refund deposited directly to your own bank account. The tax prep software doesn't really impact refund speed as much as we think it does.

I had this exact same question last year! An IRA distribution is literally ANY money coming out of an IRA account - doesn't matter where it goes after. So yes, when u move $ from TIRA to Roth, that's a distribution. The trick is the tax treatment: - Regular withdrawal to your bank account = distribution (taxable + maybe penalties) - TIRA to Roth = distribution + conversion (taxable but no penalties) - IRA to IRA rollover = distribution but not taxable if done properly Report the whole amount on line 4a, and the taxable part on 4b. For backdoor Roth, those are usually the same number unless u had non-deductible contributions.

Hey Sean! I totally get the confusion - I was in the same boat when I first started doing my own taxes. Here's the simple breakdown: Yes, your TIRA to Roth conversion IS considered an IRA distribution and goes on line 4a. Think of it this way - money left your Traditional IRA account, so that's a "distribution" regardless of where it went next. For a backdoor Roth conversion: - Line 4a = total amount that came out of your TIRA - Line 4b = taxable portion of that amount If you made deductible contributions to your TIRA, then 4a and 4b will be the same (fully taxable). If you made non-deductible contributions, you'll need Form 8606 to calculate what portion is taxable. The key thing to remember: an IRA distribution is ANY money leaving an IRA account - whether you pocket it, convert it, or roll it over. The tax treatment varies, but they're all technically distributions. Don't stress too much about triggering an audit - as long as you report the numbers from your 1099-R correctly, you should be fine. The IRA custodian already sent those same numbers to the IRS anyway!