dont overlook the local zoning rules!! my neighbor got a $5000 fine because our neighborhood wasnt zoned for accessory dwelling rentals. had to kick out tenants and everything. check with ur city planning dept before u do anything!!!

Great thread everyone! As someone who's been through this exact situation, I want to emphasize a few key points: 1. **Federal taxes**: No business license needed for rental income - you'll use Schedule E on your personal return. The IRS treats most rental activity as passive investment income. 2. **Local requirements**: This is where it gets tricky. Even if you don't need anything for taxes, you may still need: - Rental permits/licenses from your city/county - Zoning compliance (as Emma mentioned - this is HUGE!) - Safety inspections for rental units - Business registration if your area requires it 3. **Insurance**: Definitely get landlord insurance before your first tenant moves in. Regular homeowners won't cover rental activities. 4. **Record keeping**: Start tracking everything NOW - receipts, mileage for property visits, renovation costs, etc. Good records will save you headaches at tax time. Since you mentioned the unit is currently vacant while renovating, this is actually perfect timing to get all your ducks in a row before you start actively renting again. I'd recommend calling your city's planning department first to confirm zoning, then checking on any local rental requirements. The tax stuff is actually the easier part!

They might also ask about prior year returns if there's any discrepancy or if you're dealing with multiple tax years. Sometimes they'll verify your employer name from your W-2 or ask about dependents if you claimed any. Pro tip: have a pen ready to write down reference numbers and the rep's name/ID number - you'll need those if you have to call back later. Good luck getting through! 📞

Been through this recently and can confirm what others are saying. They'll definitely ask for your SSN, full name, date of birth, and address from your most recent return. The AGI (Adjusted Gross Income) from your last filing is a big one - they almost always ask for that. If you're married, they might ask about your spouse's info too. Also bring any notices or letters you've received from the IRS if that's what you're calling about. The whole verification usually takes 3-5 minutes once you actually get through to someone. Just stay calm and speak clearly - the reps are generally pretty patient if you need a second to find something in your paperwork.

Brooklyn, congratulations on taking the initiative to understand your tax transcript! 🎉 Code 806 is absolutely something to be excited about - it represents all the federal income tax that was withheld from your paychecks throughout the year, essentially acting as prepayments toward your tax liability. Since you mentioned being meticulous about your finances, here's a quick way to verify this is correct: take all your W-2 forms and add up the amounts in Box 2 (Federal income tax withheld). If you have any 1099 forms showing federal withholding, add those too. The total should match your Code 806 amount exactly. Regarding your investment income question - yes! Any backup withholding from your investment accounts (typically 24% if there were TIN issues) would also be included in this Code 806 total. You'd see this reflected on your 1099-DIV or 1099-INT forms in the federal tax withheld box. The beautiful thing about Code 806 is that it's a dollar-for-dollar credit against your tax liability. So if you owe $15,000 in taxes but have $12,000 in Code 806 withholdings, you'd only owe the IRS $3,000 more. It's basically the IRS saying "Hey, you already paid us this much throughout the year!" Keep up that attention to detail - understanding these codes will serve you well in managing your tax situation year-round! 📊

Brooklyn, I'm so happy you asked this question! As someone who was completely mystified by tax transcript codes when I first started looking at them, I totally understand that mix of excitement and confusion. 😊 Code 806 is definitely good news - it represents your federal income tax withholding credits, which is essentially all the tax money that was already taken out of your paychecks throughout the year. Think of it as the IRS acknowledging "Hey, you already paid us this much!" Since you mentioned being meticulous about finances, here's what I do to verify everything matches up: I grab all my W-2 forms and add up Box 2 (Federal income tax withheld) from each one. If you have any 1099 forms showing federal withholding (like backup withholding on investments), those get added too. That total should match your Code 806 amount perfectly. For your investment income question - absolutely! Any backup withholding from dividends, interest, or other investment income would be included in this Code 806 total. You'd see this on your 1099 forms in the federal tax withheld section. What I love about understanding Code 806 is that it shows you how much you've already contributed toward your tax bill throughout the year. It's like having a running tab that's been paid down month by month! Keep asking these great questions - understanding your tax situation is such valuable financial knowledge. 💪

14 I went through almost the exact same situation! Quick tip - save screenshots of all the Venmo transactions that show "child support" in the description. Also, if the biological father ever mentions the purpose of the payments in texts or emails, save those too. When I filed, I didn't have to submit any of this documentation, but I keep it all in a folder just in case I'm ever questioned about it.

I'm dealing with a similar guardian situation and wanted to add that it's also worth documenting the custody arrangement itself. Even though there's no court order for the support payments, if you have any legal documentation showing you're the official guardian (like guardianship papers from when you took custody), that helps establish the legitimacy of receiving support payments on behalf of your niece. Also, consider asking the biological father to include your niece's name in the Venmo descriptions along with "child support" - something like "child support for [niece's name]" makes the purpose even clearer. The IRS guidance is pretty clear that child support isn't taxable income regardless of whether it's court-ordered, as long as it's genuinely for the child's benefit, which yours clearly is. Keep doing what you're doing with the documentation, and don't stress too much about it. The $600 monthly payments with clear descriptions should be straightforward to handle come tax time.

My wife and I just went through this exact situation! We both made around $60k and I was previously HOH with our daughter. Our refund dropped by over $4k after getting married. Here's what we did: 1) Adjusted our W-4s so we weren't getting a big refund but also not owing at tax time. A big refund just means you overpaid throughout the year anyway. 2) Maxed out our 401k contributions which lowered our taxable income and moved us to a lower tax bracket. 3) Started using an HSA (Health Savings Account) which is triple tax advantaged and reduced our taxable income even more. Don't just look at the refund amount. Look at your total tax paid vs total income. That's the real measure of whether you're coming out ahead.

I went through this exact same shock when my husband and I got married! We both earned around $70k and I was filing HOH with my son. Our first year married filing jointly was such a wake-up call. One thing that really helped us was realizing that the "marriage penalty" isn't necessarily permanent - it's more about tax planning strategies. We ended up: 1) Contributing more to our retirement accounts to lower our combined taxable income 2) Looking into whether married filing separately might work better for us in specific years (though you lose some credits this way) 3) Timing certain deductions and expenses strategically The other reality check for us was that even though our refund was smaller, we were still paying less in total taxes than we would have as two single people once we factored in things like lower health insurance premiums through spouse coverage and other married benefits. It's frustrating that the tax code penalizes dual-income couples like this, but there are ways to work around it. Definitely run the numbers both ways (MFJ vs MFS) each year to see what works best for your situation!