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Has anyone used H&R Block instead of TurboTax for rental property home offices? I've had similar problems and wondering if switching software would help.
I switched from TurboTax to H&R Block last year specifically because of rental property issues. In my experience, H&R Block has a better interface for Schedule E and handling home office expenses for rental management. It lets you directly enter the expenses under "other expenses" without trying to force you into a self-employment situation. The guidance was clearer too.
I had this exact same issue with TurboTax last year! The key thing to understand is that rental property management expenses go on Schedule E as "other expenses," not through the traditional home office deduction process. Here's what worked for me: Calculate the percentage of your home used exclusively for rental management (office square footage รท total home square footage). Then take that percentage and apply it to eligible home expenses like utilities, insurance, mortgage interest, property taxes, repairs, and depreciation. In TurboTax, go to your rental property section, scroll down to "Other Expenses" and manually enter each allocated expense with clear descriptions like "Home office utilities - 15% of total" or "Home office insurance - 15% of total." Don't use the regular home office deduction wizard at all - it's designed for Schedule C self-employment income, not rental properties. This approach keeps everything properly allocated on Schedule E without double-reporting income. Make sure to keep detailed records showing the space is used exclusively for rental management activities, including photos and a log of business activities conducted there.
Have you checked your IRS transcript online? Sometimes it shows processing steps that WMR doesn't reveal. The combination of self-employment and credits often triggers what the IRS lovingly calls "additional review" (their euphemism for "we're going to take our sweet time"). ๐
Been in this exact situation for the past month! Filed February 10th with 1099-NEC income, CTC, and EIC. Finally got my refund deposited yesterday (March 6th) - so about 24 days total. My transcript updated with codes 846 and 571 about a week before the actual deposit hit my account. The waiting is absolutely brutal, especially when you're getting daily "any updates?" questions from family. What helped my sanity was checking my transcript instead of WMR - at least the transcript gives you SOME indication of movement even when WMR is stuck on that useless first bar. Hang in there - seems like most self-employed filers with these credits are hitting the 3-4 week mark this year. Your refund is coming! ๐ค
Slightly different approach - have you considered filing Form 1040X to amend your 2021 return? In some cases with ISOs and AMT, you can treat the options as never having been exercised if they became worthless within the same year or shortly after. Might be worth exploring as an alternative to the capital loss approach.
This advice is potentially misleading. You generally can't retroactively undo an ISO exercise through an amendment. The capital loss and AMT credit recovery approach is the standard IRS-approved method. The "treat as never exercised" approach typically only applies in very specific circumstances involving statutory stock options that weren't properly issued or were canceled within the same tax year as exercise.
I went through almost the exact same situation in 2020-2022. Exercised ISOs, paid massive AMT, then the company got acquired for pennies and common shareholders got zero. It's absolutely brutal financially and emotionally. A few things that helped me navigate this: 1. **Timing matters for worthless securities** - You claim the loss in the year the stock actually became worthless, not when you found out about it. For me, this was the date the acquisition closed and it was clear common shares had no value. 2. **Documentation is key** - I created a comprehensive file including: the original ISO agreement, exercise confirmations, any company communications about the acquisition, the final acquisition term sheet showing $0 for common shares, and a written timeline of events. The IRS wants to see that you can prove an "identifiable event" made the shares worthless. 3. **Don't forget about AMT credits** - This is where many people leave money on the table. The AMT you paid in 2021 generates credits that can offset regular tax in future years. Form 8801 is your friend here. The worthless stock loss actually helps trigger these credits since it reduces your AMT relative to regular tax. 4. **Consider professional help** - This situation is complex enough that a tax professional experienced with ISOs and AMT is worth the cost. The potential recovery often justifies the expense. The silver lining is that you can recover a significant portion of what you lost through proper tax planning. It takes time (capital losses are limited to $3K/year against ordinary income), but you will get relief.
This is incredibly helpful - thank you for sharing your experience! I'm particularly interested in your point about timing. My company was acquired in October 2022, but I didn't receive the final documentation showing common shares got $0 until January 2023. Should I claim the loss for 2022 (when the acquisition closed) or 2023 (when I had definitive proof)? Also, do you have any tips for calculating the adjusted basis correctly when AMT was involved? I want to make sure I'm not leaving money on the table with the basis calculation.
Dont forget about the qualified business income deduction (QBI) on Section 199A! If your reporting income on Schedule C you might qualify for this extra 20% deduction even if you have expenses that offset most of the income. Could actually work in ur favor!!!!
This is actually incorrect information. The QBI deduction only applies to net business income, so if you're reporting expenses that perfectly offset the 1099-NEC income (resulting in zero net income), there would be no QBI deduction available. Additionally, even if there were some net income, speaking at a single conference would likely fall under the specified service trade or business (SSTB) limitations for QBI.
This is a really helpful thread! I'm dealing with a similar situation where I got a 1099-NEC for what should have been expense reimbursements. Based on all the advice here, it sounds like Schedule C is the way to go to offset the income with the actual expenses. One question though - when reporting the expenses on Schedule C, do I need to follow the specific IRS categories (like separating meals at 50% deductible vs. full transportation costs), or since these were direct reimbursements can I just list them as "Other expenses" with a description? I want to make sure I'm not overcomplicating this but also want to be completely accurate in case of any questions later. Also really appreciate the suggestions about taxr.ai and Claimyr - it's reassuring to know there are resources available when you need specific guidance on these tricky situations!
Max Knight
Has anyone filed taxes as a QJV using TurboTax or other DIY software? Is it easy to set up or should I use a CPA the first year?
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Emma Swift
โขI used TurboTax last year for our QJV and it was pretty straightforward. The key is that you'll file one joint return, but you'll each complete a separate Schedule C. TurboTax Home & Business handles this well - there's a section specifically for QJVs where you can allocate the business income/expenses between spouses.
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Giovanni Rossi
Great question! I've been following this discussion closely since my wife and I are considering a similar transition. One thing I'd add is to make sure you understand the liability implications of switching to a QJV. Unlike a sole proprietorship where only one spouse is typically liable for business debts, with a QJV both spouses become jointly and severally liable for all business obligations. This means creditors can go after either spouse's personal assets for business debts. Also, regarding your sons as employees - definitely keep them as W-2 employees rather than trying to bring them into the QJV structure. The IRS is very strict that QJVs can only include the married couple as owners. Having your kids as regular employees actually provides better liability protection and clearer tax treatment. One more tip: consider getting an EIN for the QJV even though it's not strictly required. It can make banking and business transactions cleaner, especially when dealing with vendors who expect a business tax ID.
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Rajan Walker
โขThis is really helpful information about the liability aspects! I hadn't fully considered that both my husband and I would become personally liable for business debts with a QJV. That's definitely something we need to discuss before making the switch. The point about getting an EIN is interesting too - we've been using my husband's SSN for the sole prop, but having a separate business tax ID does sound like it would make things cleaner going forward. Do you know if there are any downsides to getting an EIN for a QJV, or is it pretty much all upside? Also, thanks for confirming about keeping our sons as W-2 employees. We definitely don't want to complicate their tax situation or create any issues with the IRS by trying to include them in the ownership structure.
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