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Mae Bennett
Anyone else notice TurboTax keeps pushing their "live expert" add-on now? I tried it last year and it was... meh. The "expert" seemed to just be reading from the same help screens I could access myself.
Yes! I tried it too and felt the same way. They barely looked at my specific situation and just gave generic advice. Definitely not worth the extra $100 they charged.
I made the jump from TurboTax to a CPA when my income hit around $160k, and honestly wish I'd done it sooner. The biggest eye-opener wasn't just finding more deductions, but learning about tax strategies I never even knew existed. My CPA showed me how to optimize my 401k contributions, set up a backdoor Roth IRA (which TurboTax never suggested), and restructure some investments to be more tax-efficient. The first year alone, these strategies saved me more than double what I paid in CPA fees. At your income level, you're probably hitting some phase-out thresholds for certain deductions and credits that TurboTax might not explain clearly. A good tax pro can walk you through these and help you plan ahead for next year too. Even if you decide to go back to software later, having a professional review your situation once during this big income change could be really valuable.
This is really helpful insight! I'm curious about the backdoor Roth IRA you mentioned - is that something that becomes more beneficial at higher income levels? I've heard the term but never really understood when it makes sense to pursue that strategy versus just maxing out a traditional 401k. Also, when you say "phase-out thresholds," are there specific income ranges where certain tax benefits start disappearing? I want to make sure I'm not missing anything important as our income continues to grow.
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Welcome to the community! As someone who's been through multiple job transitions over the years, I can definitely relate to the W4 confusion. Everyone here has given you excellent guidance, and I want to reinforce the key points that have emerged from this discussion. The bottom line is simple: since you're only working one job right now at Company B, you should NOT check the "multiple jobs" box on your W4. That section is specifically designed for people who are simultaneously working multiple jobs, not for tracking your employment history throughout the year. Your withholding from Company A (January-March) won't disappear - it will automatically be credited to your tax account when you file your return next year, since the IRS will receive W-2s from both employers showing all taxes withheld on your behalf. However, since your total income for the year will come from two different salary levels, I'd strongly recommend using the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator (it's free on their website) to determine if you need any additional withholding. This tool will account for what you've already had withheld and calculate whether your current job's withholding will be sufficient for your total tax liability. Many people in this thread have shared success stories using this approach, with additional withholding amounts typically ranging from $25-50 per paycheck. Better to be slightly over-withheld than face a surprise tax bill next April!
This is such a comprehensive summary of all the great advice shared in this thread! As a newcomer to both this community and dealing with mid-year job changes, I really appreciate how you've distilled the key points so clearly. Your explanation about the withholding from Company A being automatically credited when filing really puts my mind at ease. I think that was one of my biggest concerns - somehow "losing" what was already withheld from my previous job. It's reassuring to know the IRS system accounts for all W-2s automatically. The range of $25-50 extra per paycheck that people have mentioned throughout this discussion seems very reasonable, and I like your point about it being better to be slightly over-withheld than surprised with a tax bill. I'm definitely going to use the IRS Withholding Estimator this weekend to get my specific number. Thank you for taking the time to synthesize all this information - it's exactly what I needed to feel confident about moving forward with my W4!
Omar Hassan
As someone new to this community who just went through a very similar situation, I wanted to share my experience! I switched jobs in March after a brief period of unemployment, and I was equally confused about the W4 form. After reading through all the excellent advice here, I can confirm what everyone has been saying - don't check the "multiple jobs" box since you're only working one job currently. That checkbox is specifically for people working multiple jobs at the same time, not for sequential employment throughout the year. I ended up using the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator that so many people recommended, and it was incredibly helpful! I input my income and withholding from my previous job (January-March) plus my expected income from my new position, and it calculated exactly how much additional withholding I needed. The tool recommended an extra $35 per paycheck on line 4(c) of my W4, which gave me peace of mind knowing I wouldn't face any surprises at tax time. It's so much better than guessing or overthinking the situation. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this discussion - this community is amazing for breaking down these complex tax scenarios in such an accessible way!
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Maya Lewis
I think everyone's overlooking that the student loan forgiveness is only 2 years away. If I were in your shoes, I'd probly just focus on that short term goal. 2 years of missing Roth contributions isnt gonna destroy your retirement. Have you ran the actual numbers? $1100/month savings on student loans for 24 months = $26,400 saved. That's WAY more than 2 years of max Roth contributions ($6k x 2 = $12k). Just sayin, might be worth taking the hit on retirement contributions to get that sweet loan forgiveness.
Isaac Wright
ā¢That's a good point, but don't forget about the lost growth on those Roth contributions over time. $12k invested for 25 years at 7% is around $65k. Still might be worth it for the loan forgiveness, but the opportunity cost is higher than just the contribution amount.
Ethan Brown
This is such a common dilemma for married couples with student loans! I went through the exact same situation a few years ago. Here's what I learned from my research and experience: The $10k income limit for Roth IRA contributions when married filing separately is brutal, but there are definitely workarounds worth considering: 1. **Backdoor Roth IRA** - As mentioned by others, this is probably your best bet. You contribute to a traditional IRA (non-deductible) and immediately convert to Roth. No income limits on conversions. 2. **Maximize your employer 401k** - This isn't affected by filing status, and many plans now offer Roth 401k options too. 3. **HSA if available** - Triple tax advantage and can be used as retirement account after age 65. For the student loan piece - definitely run the numbers on the total savings vs. opportunity cost. But honestly, with only 2 years left until forgiveness and $1,100/month savings, that's probably the financially smart move short-term. One thing to consider: can you and your wife adjust withholdings or estimated payments to get closer to that $10k threshold for next year? Sometimes small tweaks to pre-tax contributions can help you stay under limits while still optimizing the overall strategy. The Solo 401k suggestion is brilliant if you have any 1099 income!
Sergio Neal
ā¢This is really helpful advice! I'm in a similar boat but hadn't thought about adjusting withholdings to get closer to the $10k threshold. How exactly would that work? Like, if I'm at $139k income, would increasing my 401k contributions enough to get my AGI down to $10k actually be feasible? That seems like it would require contributing almost all of my income, which doesn't sound realistic. Or am I misunderstanding how the income calculation works for the Roth IRA limits?
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23 Question for anyone who's dealt with this before - does it matter how long after the death you sell your share? I'm in a similar situation but it's been nearly two years since my mom passed and my brother just now wants to buy my portion of her house. Does that change anything tax-wise?
9 Yes, timing can matter! If you sell soon after inheriting, your basis is the stepped-up value at death and there's usually little to no gain. But if you wait years, any appreciation since death could be taxable. For example, if the property was worth $300K when your mom died (your basis), but is now worth $350K and your brother buys your half for $175K, you'd have a $25K gain ($175K minus $150K basis) that would be taxable. Keep in mind this would be a capital gain, and if you owned it over a year, it would be long-term with better tax rates.
Kara Yoshida
This is really helpful information everyone! I'm dealing with a similar inherited property situation and had no idea about the stepped-up basis concept. One thing I'm curious about though - if multiple siblings inherit a property and one buys out the others like in the original post, does each sibling report their individual sale separately? Or is there some kind of combined reporting required since it's technically one property being transferred within the family? Also, are there any special considerations when the buyer is a family member versus selling to a third party?
Great questions! Each sibling reports their individual sale separately - there's no combined reporting needed. You'll each get your own 1099-S showing what you received for your share, and you'll each report that individually on your own tax returns using Form 8949 and Schedule D. The fact that your brother is buying you out (family member) versus selling to a third party doesn't really change the tax treatment. What matters is that you're disposing of your ownership interest in the property. The IRS treats it as a sale regardless of who the buyer is. One thing to keep in mind though - make sure the sale price is reasonable/fair market value. If you sell to a family member for significantly less than what it's worth, the IRS could potentially question whether it's a legitimate sale or a disguised gift. But as long as you're getting fair value for your share (like getting it appraised first), you should be fine. The stepped-up basis still applies the same way - your basis is the fair market value of your portion at the time of death, not what your father originally paid for the house.
Gael Robinson
Just wanted to add my experience here - I was in the exact same boat last year with my blended rate being way lower than my marginal bracket. What really helped me understand it was thinking of it like this: imagine your income is water filling up different sized buckets stacked on top of each other. Each bucket has a different tax rate label. The first bucket (10% rate) fills up completely before any water goes to the second bucket (12% rate), and so on. Your marginal rate of 35% is just the tax rate on the "top bucket" that your income reached. But your blended/effective rate is the average across ALL the buckets that got filled. So if you made $300,000 married filing jointly, you're not paying 35% on all $300,000. You're paying 10% on the first ~$22,000, 12% on the next chunk, 22% on the next chunk, etc. Only the dollars above ~$364,000 would actually get hit with that 35% rate. This is why tax software like TurboTax shows such different numbers - one is your "top rate" and the other is your "average rate" across all your income. Hope this mental picture helps!
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Noah Ali
ā¢This bucket analogy is brilliant! I've been struggling to wrap my head around why my 32% tax bracket didn't mean I was paying 32% on everything. The visual of water filling different buckets with different rates makes it so much clearer. I just realized this also explains why getting a raise doesn't always push you into a higher "overall" tax situation - only the extra dollars above the bracket threshold get taxed at the higher rate. Thanks for breaking it down in such a simple way!
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Miguel Castro
This is such a common confusion! I went through the exact same thing when I first encountered the difference between marginal and effective tax rates. Your 23.6% blended rate is actually your "effective tax rate" - it's the actual percentage of your total income that goes to taxes after accounting for our progressive tax system. The 35% is your "marginal tax rate" - the rate that applies only to your last dollars of income. Think of it this way: if your taxable income puts you in the 35% bracket, that doesn't mean all your income is taxed at 35%. The first portion is taxed at 10%, then 12%, then 22%, then 24%, then 32%, and only the income above the 35% bracket threshold gets hit with that 35% rate. To verify TurboTax is calculating correctly, you can manually check by taking your total tax owed (from line 24 of Form 1040) and dividing it by your taxable income (line 15). That should give you roughly your 23.6% effective rate. The good news is that having a lower effective rate than your marginal rate is completely normal and expected! It means the progressive tax system is working as designed.
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Justin Chang
ā¢This explanation is really helpful! I'm new to understanding tax brackets and was making the same mistake as the original poster - thinking my entire income would be taxed at my marginal rate. The progressive system makes so much more sense now. I'm curious though - do things like standard deductions and tax credits also factor into lowering that effective rate? Or is the difference between marginal and effective rates purely due to the bracket system itself? I'm using TurboTax for the first time this year and want to make sure I understand all the moving pieces that go into that final blended rate calculation.
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