Just fyi there's a huge difference between community property states and non-community property states when it comes to step-up basis for surviving spouses!!! My mom got a full step-up on ALL assets when my dad died because they lived in California (community property state), but my aunt who lives in new york only got step-up on my uncle's half of their joint assets. Cost her like $30k more in taxes when she sold their vacation home!!!

Just want to emphasize what others have said - you're absolutely fine and caught this at the perfect time! I went through almost the exact same situation when I inherited my grandfather's portfolio last year. One additional tip: make sure you get proper documentation of the December death date value. If these were publicly traded stocks, you can usually pull historical price data from sites like Yahoo Finance or your brokerage. For the exact date of death value, you'll typically use either the closing price on that date, or if you want to be more precise, you can use the average of the high and low prices for that day. Also keep in mind that if your grandmother died on a weekend or holiday when markets were closed, you'd use the closing price from the next trading day. The IRS is pretty reasonable about this stuff as long as you have documentation and use a consistent method. You're going to save yourself a lot of money by reporting this correctly - that $66,000 difference in taxable gains is huge! Props for doing your research before filing.

When I filled out Form 8833 for my Berlin apartment rental income, I made sure to reference the specific paragraph number of Article 6 in Part III, not just the article number. Makes it clearer for the IRS. Also, double check the amounts you're excluding match exactly across all the forms - I had a discrepancy of a few dollars due to rounding when converting euros, and it caused a letter from the IRS asking for clarification.

I've been dealing with similar German rental property issues for several years now. A few additional tips based on my experience: Make sure you're calculating the exchange rate correctly - the IRS allows you to use either the yearly average exchange rate published by the Treasury or the rate on the date you received each payment. I personally use the yearly average because it's simpler and well-documented. For your Form 8833 explanation, I'd suggest being even more specific about which paragraph of Article 6 you're relying on. Something like: "Under Article 6, paragraph 1 of the United States-Germany Income Tax Treaty, income from immovable property situated in Germany may be taxed in Germany. Pursuant to this provision, I am excluding EUR 12,250 (USD 13,475 using Treasury yearly average rate of 1.10) in German rental income that was reported and taxed in Germany." One more thing - keep excellent records of your German tax payments and the exchange rates you used. The IRS sometimes follows up on treaty claims, and having everything documented makes the process much smoother. I scan and organize all my German tax documents each year specifically for this purpose. Your negative adjustment approach sounds correct - that's exactly how I handle it on my returns.

I'm a CPA who works with several YouTubers and content creators. Here's what I tell my clients about home renovations: 1. Track EVERYTHING separately. Have dedicated credit cards or accounts for business purchases. 2. Document the business purpose of each renovation with photos and written explanations. 3. Be conservative with your deductions - claiming 100% of home improvements will raise red flags. 4. Consider setting up a formal business entity (LLC, S-Corp) to create clearer separation. 5. For major renovations, consult with a tax professional BEFORE starting the project to plan properly. The home office deduction (Form 8829) can be valuable, but remember it's based on the percentage of your home used EXCLUSIVELY for business. Filming in your kitchen occasionally doesn't qualify the entire kitchen as a business space.

Has anyone here actually been audited for claiming home reno expenses as a content creator? I'm terrified of getting in trouble but also don't want to miss out on legitimate deductions. My entire YT channel is about bathroom renovations and I'm about to do my third bathroom this year.

Has anyone used both TurboTax Business and H&R Block Premium & Business for S-corps? Trying to decide which one to go with this year. I've been using TurboTax for personal returns but not sure if it's the best for S-corps.

This is such a timely question for me! My wife and I are in almost the exact same situation - she started an S-corp last year and we've always filed jointly for our personal taxes. One thing I learned that might help you is to make sure you're keeping really good records throughout the year, not just at tax time. We started using QuickBooks to track all the business expenses and income monthly, which made preparing the S-corp returns much easier. It also automatically categorizes a lot of transactions, so you're not scrambling to figure out what each expense was for when you're doing your taxes. Also, don't forget about quarterly estimated tax payments for the S-corp income! Since it flows through to your personal return, you might need to adjust your withholdings or make quarterly payments to avoid underpayment penalties. We got hit with that our first year because we didn't realize the business income would push us into a higher tax bracket. The reasonable compensation issue that Ravi mentioned is super important too. We ended up consulting with a CPA just for that piece to make sure we got it right, even though we did the actual tax prep ourselves.

I had a similar experience last year where a preparer promised a huge refund that seemed too good to be true. Turns out she was claiming I operated my home as a daycare (I don't) to get a massive home business deduction. I reported her to the IRS using Form 14157 (Tax Return Preparer Fraud). The IRS takes this seriously because shady preparers cost them billions.

This is a huge red flag situation. A legitimate tax preparer should ALWAYS be transparent about what deductions they're claiming on your behalf. The fact that she's being vague and won't explain the specifics is extremely concerning. Here's what you should do immediately: 1. Don't sign anything until you get a complete draft of your return 2. Ask her to walk through each deduction line by line - if she refuses, walk away 3. Compare the draft to your previous year's return to see what's different 4. Consider getting a second opinion from a CPA or EA (Enrolled Agent) With your income level and typical tax situation, a $9K swing without major life changes (new business, significant charitable donations, major medical expenses, etc.) is highly suspicious. Remember, YOU are legally responsible for everything on that return, not the preparer. If she's committing fraud, you could face penalties, interest, and even criminal charges. Trust your instincts - if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Better to pay what you actually owe than deal with an IRS audit and potential fraud charges.