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Omar Zaki
One thing to consider with your 1098-T: if this is your first year filing independently but your parents claimed you last year, double-check that THEY aren't also trying to claim your education expenses this year! My parents and I accidentally "double-dipped" a few years ago and both claimed my American Opportunity Credit. The IRS flagged it and we had to amend returns. Make sure your parents know you're claiming your own education expenses this year to avoid conflicts. And if you're a grad student, remember the AOTC is only available for the first 4 years of higher education, so you might be limited to the Lifetime Learning Credit which is capped at $2,000.
Oh that's a really good point I hadn't considered. I should definitely check with my parents to make sure we're on the same page about who's claiming what. We talked about me filing independently but didn't specifically discuss the education credits. Thanks for the heads up!
AstroAce
Has anyone used the IRS Free File options for reporting 1098-T? TurboTax keeps wanting to upgrade me to their "Deluxe" version just to process my education forms and I don't wanna pay $60+ just for that.
Chloe Martin
ā¢Try FreeTaxUSA! I switched from TurboTax last year and it handled my 1098-T and education credits perfectly. Federal filing is free and state is only like $15. They don't do that annoying upsell thing that TurboTax does for basic tax situations.
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Speaking from personal experience, file ASAP and make sure to include a brief explanation letter. I forgot to file my 2019 taxes (just completely spaced it during pandemic) and when I finally realized, I filed immediately with a short letter explaining the oversight. I did owe some penalties but not as much as I feared. The key is to file before they send you a notice, which looks like you haven't reached that point yet.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Do I need to do anything special with the letter? Like attach it in a certain way or reference anything specific? I've never had to write to the IRS before and I want to make sure I do it right.
Just write a simple one-page letter titled "Statement of Reasonable Cause" explaining that you inadvertently missed filing the return due to life circumstances (be specific but brief about the job change and move). Include your names, Social Security numbers, tax year, and sign it. Attach it to the front of your return if filing by mail. If filing electronically, mail the letter separately to the same IRS processing center where you would have mailed your return, and reference your names, SSNs, and tax year 2022 in the letter.
What tax software are u using? I forgot to file 2020 taxes and TurboTax charged me extra for "prior year returns" which was annoying af. Ended up switching to FreeTaxUSA for my late filing which was way cheaper for past years.
Emma Davis
ā¢I second FreeTaxUSA for prior year returns. TurboTax wanted $140 for my 2021 return when I filed it late, but FreeTaxUSA was like $15. Same forms, way less money.
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Something that hasn't been mentioned yet - if you're self-employed or a business owner, these rules apply differently than if you're an employee trying to deduct unreimbursed expenses. For self-employed people, these business travel deductions go on your Schedule C. If you're an employee, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act eliminated miscellaneous itemized deductions for unreimbursed employee expenses for tax years 2018-2025, so you might not be able to deduct these expenses at all on your federal return (though some states still allow them). Are you self-employed or an employee? That makes a huge difference here.
Jade Lopez
ā¢I'm self-employed, running my own consulting business. The conference is directly related to my field and I'm presenting at one of the sessions. Does that strengthen my case for the airfare deduction even with the extended vacation time?
That definitely strengthens your case! The fact that you're presenting at the conference creates an even clearer business purpose for the trip. The IRS would have a hard time arguing that your primary purpose wasn't business when you're actually a presenter. Since you're self-employed, you'll report these deductions on your Schedule C, which is much more straightforward than the old unreimbursed employee expense deductions. Just make sure to maintain documentation of your presentation, the conference agenda showing your name, and all receipts for the business portion. The extended vacation doesn't affect your airfare deduction as long as the primary purpose was clearly business, which in your case is very well established by being a presenter.
Nina Chan
Don't forget about the 50% limitation on meals during the business portion of your trip! Even during the conference days, your meals are only 50% deductible (unless it's 2021/2022 when temporary 100% deductibility for business meals was allowed). Also, if you're taking this trip internationally, there are some additional special rules that might apply depending on the country. Generally the same primary purpose test applies, but there can be allocation requirements for certain countries.
Ruby Knight
ā¢I thought the rules were different for meals included as part of a conference registration fee? Aren't those fully deductible rather than subject to the 50% limit?
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Have you considered checking if Fidelity offers their own tax help? I've used Vanguard in the past, and they had dedicated support for helping clients understand their tax forms. Might be worth calling Fidelity directly before paying someone else.
Amina Diallo
ā¢That's a great idea I hadn't thought of! Have you actually gotten detailed help from them before on how to report specific transactions? I'll definitely give them a call tomorrow if that's the case.
I've gotten basic guidance from them before, but it can be hit or miss depending on who you talk to. Their customer service can usually help clarify what specific codes or entries on your form mean. What they typically won't do is give specific tax advice about how to report things on your return - they'll explain their form but stop short of telling you exactly what to enter on your tax forms. Still worth calling though, as they can often clear up confusion about what certain transactions or adjustments on their statements represent.
Has anyone tried just asking on Reddit? r/tax has some really knowledgeable people who answer questions for free. I've gotten good advice there for some complicated tax situations.
I've had mixed results with Reddit. Sometimes you get amazing detailed answers from actual tax pros, and other times you get conflicting advice that leaves you more confused. The challenge is knowing which advice to trust when you get multiple different answers.
Luca Ricci
One thing nobody mentioned yet - the amount in box 4 of the 1098-T (the adjustment) matters for how you report it. If you took the American Opportunity Credit and not just the Lifetime Learning Credit, you might need to use Form 8863 for the recapture. Last year when my son's college adjusted spring tuition, I had to calculate how much of the original expenses actually resulted in a credit. It's not always a dollar-for-dollar recapture. I ended up reporting it on line 10 of Schedule 2 which flows to the 1040.
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Omar Farouk
ā¢Thanks for this specific info! I'm pretty sure we claimed the American Opportunity Credit last year. Do you know if TurboTax has a specific section for Form 8863 recapture, or do I need to look for Schedule 2?
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Luca Ricci
ā¢TurboTax definitely has a section for the Form 8863 recapture. When you enter your education information, there should be a question asking if you received any refunds of expenses you claimed in previous years. Answer yes to that, and it will walk you through the recapture calculation. If for some reason you can't find it in the education section, you can also search "recapture" or "education refund" in the TurboTax search bar, and it should take you right to it. The software will automatically fill out the necessary forms once you enter the information.
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Aisha Mohammed
Anyone know if this 1098-T adjustment thing applies to Pell Grants too? My kid had some tuition refunded because he got an additional Pell Grant that came through late.
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Ethan Campbell
ā¢Yes, it does apply to Pell Grants too! The key thing is that if you allocated the original Pell Grant to living expenses (which makes it taxable but allows you to claim tuition credits), and then later got tuition refunded, you may need to recalculate. Basically, any refund of qualified education expenses that you previously claimed for a credit needs to be accounted for.
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