This thread has been incredibly informative! As someone who's also navigating high-income tax planning for the first time, I wanted to add one more consideration that might help others in similar situations. If you're using tax software to estimate your liability, make sure it's properly calculating the Additional Medicare Tax based on Medicare wages (Box 5 of your W-2) and not just using your AGI. I made this mistake initially when trying to project my 2024 taxes and was getting confused results. Also, for those mentioning bonus deferrals - check if your employer allows you to defer into a non-qualified deferred compensation plan rather than just delaying payment to the next calendar year. While this doesn't help with the immediate Medicare tax threshold, it can provide more flexibility for long-term tax planning if you expect to be in a lower tax bracket in future years. The collective wisdom in this thread about threshold management, equity compensation timing, and pre-tax benefit optimization is exactly the kind of practical guidance that's hard to find elsewhere. Thanks to everyone for sharing their real-world experiences!

This has been an absolutely fantastic thread - I've learned more about the Additional Medicare Tax in these comments than from hours of searching IRS publications! Just to summarize the key takeaways for anyone else in a similar situation: 1. The 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax is based on Medicare wages (Box 5 of W-2), not AGI or taxable income 2. Thresholds are $200k single/$250k married filing jointly/$125k married filing separately 3. The tax only applies to amounts OVER the threshold, not the full income 4. For married couples, filing jointly uses the combined income threshold 5. Employer withholding starts at $200k regardless of filing status, so you might get refunds if under joint threshold 6. Bonus deferral strategies can help manage threshold timing 7. Most pre-tax deductions (401k, health insurance) don't reduce Medicare wages, but a few like transportation benefits do 8. Equity compensation (RSUs, stock options) counts toward Medicare wages and can be harder to time 9. Setting aside money for potential additional tax is smart planning even if you think you'll stay under For those mentioning the various tax tools and services - it's great to see real user experiences rather than just theoretical advice. The complexity of these calculations really makes professional guidance or specialized tools worthwhile when you're close to these thresholds. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and strategies!

Yes, FreeTaxUSA absolutely saves your progress! I've been using it for the past two years and it's been really reliable about auto-saving everything as you work through each section. Just make sure you create an account and log in before you start entering information - that's the key step. Once you're logged in, it saves automatically after each page or section you complete. You can safely close your browser or log out whenever you need to, and when you come back everything will be exactly where you left it. I actually do the same thing you're planning every year - I start early and then add documents as they arrive throughout tax season. Last year I probably logged in and out at least 5-6 times over a couple weeks as I got various forms in the mail, and never had any issues with lost data. When you log back in, you'll see your return on the dashboard with a progress indicator showing how much you've completed. It makes it really easy to see what sections are done and what still needs your attention. Much better experience than trying to do everything in one marathon session! You're making a smart move switching from TurboTax - the functionality is essentially the same but you'll save a ton of money.

Yes, FreeTaxUSA definitely saves your progress! I've been using it for three years now and it's one of the most reliable features. As long as you create an account and stay logged in while entering your information, it automatically saves everything as you complete each section. I do exactly what you're planning every tax season - start early and then add documents as they come in. Last year I worked on my return over about two weeks, logging in and out probably 8-10 times as various 1099s and other forms arrived in the mail. Never lost a single piece of data. When you log back in, your return will show up on your main dashboard with a completion status (like "In Progress - 45% Complete") so you can easily see where you left off. The interface is really intuitive about showing which sections are finished and which ones still need attention. One small tip: make sure you're actually signed into your account before you start entering information. The system will let you work as a "guest" but then won't save anything. As long as you see your name in the top right corner of the screen, you're good to go! Don't stress about having to rush - take your time and add the missing documents when they arrive. You made a great choice switching from TurboTax!

I completely understand your anxiety about this - when you're dealing with a different country's tax system, it's natural to worry about these details! The good news is that everyone here is absolutely right. I've been filing jointly with my husband for over a decade, and our refunds have always gone to my personal checking account without any issues. The IRS really does operate differently than many other countries' tax agencies. They're focused on getting your refund to the account you specified, not verifying whose name is on that account. As long as you entered the correct routing and account numbers, you're golden. Since you mentioned you're coming from a different country's system, I think you'll find the US approach refreshingly straightforward once you get used to it. The IRS assumes that if you're filing jointly, both spouses have agreed on where the refund should go. Your Chase account will accept the deposit just fine - they process thousands of these every tax season.

I can definitely relate to your concern! I went through the same worry when I first moved to the US from Canada. Back home, Revenue Canada was super strict about account ownership matching the names on tax documents, so I was convinced the IRS would reject our joint refund going to my individual account. Turns out everyone here is spot-on - the US system is much more relaxed about this. I've been filing jointly with my spouse for three years now, and our refunds have always gone straight to my personal Bank of America account without any hiccups. The IRS truly doesn't cross-reference account holder names. One small tip that gave me extra peace of mind: I logged into my bank's online portal and verified that my account was set up to accept electronic deposits from government agencies. Most major banks like Chase have this enabled by default, but it was one less thing for me to worry about. Your anxiety is totally understandable given the differences between countries' systems, but you can breathe easy on this one!

I had the exact same problem last year with over 80 transactions from my E*TRADE account. After trying several free converters that either crashed or produced corrupted TXF files, I found that the key is making sure your CSV is properly formatted BEFORE conversion. Here's what worked for me: First, open your CSV in Excel and verify that all required fields are present - transaction date, symbol, quantity, buy/sell price, and acquisition date. Remove any summary rows or extra headers that might confuse the converter. Make sure dates are consistent (I used MM/DD/YYYY format throughout). Then I used the TaxACT CSV to TXF converter (free version handles up to 500 transactions) which worked flawlessly. The resulting TXF file imported into TurboTax without any errors. Just make sure to backup your original CSV first in case you need to make adjustments. One gotcha - if you have any corporate actions like stock splits or mergers, you'll need to adjust those transactions manually in your CSV before conversion. The automated converters don't handle complex corporate actions well.

I've been dealing with this exact same issue! After trying multiple approaches mentioned here, I ended up using a combination method that worked perfectly. First, I cleaned up my Schwab CSV export in Excel - removed extra headers, standardized date formats to MM/DD/YYYY, and added a "Type" column to clearly mark Buy/Sell transactions. Then I used the free version of CSV2TXF converter (found it on SourceForge) which handled my 150+ transactions without any issues. The key was making sure my CSV had these exact column headers: Date, Action, Symbol, Quantity, Price, Commission, Total. Before importing to TurboTax, I opened the generated TXF file in a text editor to spot-check a few transactions - this caught one formatting issue where my commission column had some blank cells that needed to be filled with zeros. The whole process took about 2 hours including cleanup, but it beat manually entering everything. My TurboTax import went smoothly and all the gain/loss calculations matched my broker statements. Definitely recommend the "clean CSV first, then convert" approach over trying to find a converter that can handle messy data.

I think people often confuse tax RESIDENCY rules (for income tax filing purposes) with Social Security/Medicare tax obligations. They're governed by different sections of the tax code! Even some tax preparers get this wrong. I've seen software engineers on EADs mistakenly told they're exempt when they're not. Always check IRS Publication 519 "U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens" - it covers this topic specifically.

Great thread with lots of helpful info! I just wanted to add that if you're unsure about your specific situation, you can also check Box 3 (Social security wages) and Box 5 (Medicare wages) on your most recent pay stub or W-2. If your employer is withholding these taxes, those boxes should show your wages subject to these taxes. Also, once you do get your actual Green Card, nothing changes regarding FICA taxes - you'll continue paying Social Security and Medicare taxes just like you are now with your EAD. The transition is seamless from a payroll tax perspective. One more tip: keep good records of all your Social Security contributions during your EAD period. When you eventually apply for Social Security benefits (whether retirement, disability, etc.), all these contributions will count toward your benefit calculation, regardless of whether they were made before or after you got your Green Card.