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One thing nobody's mentioned yet - if you're self-employed, you should definitely be making quarterly estimated tax payments to avoid this problem in the future. Pay as you go through the year (April, June, Sept, and Jan of the following year) and you won't end up with a huge bill at tax time. I learned this the hard way too. Got hit with a $8k tax bill my first year of self-employment and couldn't pay it all at once. Now I put aside 25-30% of every payment I receive and make quarterly payments. No more surprises!
Do you set aside a separate bank account for this? I've tried to do quarterly payments but always end up spending the money I should be saving for taxes.
Yes, I have a separate savings account specifically for taxes! This was game-changing for me. Every time I get paid, I immediately transfer 30% to this account. I don't even think of that money as mine - it's already the government's money that I'm just holding temporarily. Some banks let you create sub-accounts with different names, which helps mentally. I named mine "NOT MY MONEY - TAXES" to remind myself not to touch it except for quarterly payments. Having it separate from your main checking account removes the temptation to spend it.
Don't forget that if you paid penalties and interest on your 2023 taxes, those are treated differently than the tax itself. While the $13,500 tax payment isn't deductible on your 2024 return, any interest you paid on late taxes might be deductible if you itemize. Penalties are never deductible though. If you paid through the IRS payment system, you should be able to see the breakdown of what portion was tax, what was penalty, and what was interest. Might be a small silver lining!
Wait really? Interest on tax payments can be deducted? That's amazing, I paid about $400 in interest because I was on a payment plan. Do you know which form this goes on?
do u have an actual accountant or just a tax preparer? big difference tbh. my "accountant" last year was just a lady at a strip mall tax place & she missed tons of stuff. real accountant this year saved me like $3,200 by finding actual business deductions & doing proper income splitting
This is so true! I used to go to one of those chain tax places and when I finally switched to a CPA, the difference was huge. Worth every penny, especially for self-employment stuff.
make sure ur quarterly estimated payments are higher next year!! that was my mistake too. if ur income is increasing, u need to adjust estimates. i use the safe harbor rule - pay 110% of last year's tax & avoid penalties even if u end up owing more.
Here's what our CPA firm is doing for clients with this issue: 1. We're creating a workpaper that clearly separates business meals into two categories: pre-1/1/2023 (100% deductible) and post-12/31/2022 (50% deductible) 2. For clients with good recordkeeping, we're using the actual dates of each meal 3. For clients with less detailed records, we're doing a pro-rata allocation based on 9 months at 100% and 3 months at 50% The IRS hasn't specifically addressed this fiscal year issue in any publications I've seen, but the calendar-specific language in the original legislation is pretty clear that the enhanced deduction ends 12/31/2022.
Have any of your clients using the pro-rata approach been audited yet? I'm worried that might be seen as too simplified if the actual spending pattern wasn't evenly distributed throughout the year.
None of our clients using this approach have been audited yet. You raise a valid concern though. If a client's business is seasonal or their meal expenses fluctuate significantly throughout the year, a pro-rata allocation wouldn't be appropriate. In those cases, we recommend either analyzing the actual receipts or using a reasonable allocation based on their business patterns (like quarterly sales figures or similar metrics that would correlate with business meal activity).
Has anyone heard if Congress might extend the 100% meal deduction? I heard rumors they might bring it back since restaurants are still struggling in many areas. Would hate to spend hours implementing a split approach if they're just going to retroactively extend it again.
I haven't seen any serious legislation proposed to extend it. There was some industry lobbying from restaurant associations, but it doesn't seem to have gained traction. I'd proceed with the split approach rather than counting on a retroactive extension.
Just wanted to add something important about your credit card debt - while you're tackling the tax issues, don't ignore this! Credit card interest compounds quickly and can become a bigger problem than the taxes. Consider calling your credit card companies and asking about hardship programs. Many have options they don't advertise that can lower your interest rate or even pause payments temporarily while you get back on your feet. Just be honest about your situation.
That's a great point. I've been ignoring my credit card statements because they stress me out, but that's obviously making things worse. Have you had any personal experience with these hardship programs? I'm wondering how understanding they actually are.
I went through this myself during 2020. I called all three of my credit card companies - two offered to reduce my interest rate by about half for 6 months, and one actually gave me a 3-month payment pause without additional interest accumulating. The key is to call before you miss payments. They're much more willing to work with you if your account is still in good standing. Be prepared to explain your situation briefly and have a specific request in mind. Sometimes they'll offer options right away, but other times you need to directly ask "Do you have any hardship programs available?" or "Can you reduce my interest rate while I get back on track?
For the medical bill concern, I'd recommend pulling your credit reports ASAP. You can get free weekly reports from all three bureaus at www.annualcreditreport.com (the only government-authorized source). If you find the bill in collections, don't panic! Medical collections have less impact on your credit score than other types of debt, and new scoring models even ignore paid medical collections.
Mateo Warren
Make sure you get this fixed before filing your taxes! My cousin had something similar happen with his dad's IRA at a small bank and ended up paying taxes on the whole thing because he didn't realize the mistake until after he filed. He tried to amend later but it was a huge headache that took like 18 months to resolve. The key issue is the distribution code in Box 7 of the 1099-R. For a properly handled beneficiary IRA distribution due to death, it should be coded as a "4" not a "1" or "7". If it's coded wrong, the IRS computers automatically treat it as fully taxable.
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Kaylee Cook
β’Do you know if we need to get the 1099-R corrected before we file, or can we just file with the explanation that it's incorrect? The tax filing deadline is coming up soon and I'm worried the credit union won't fix this in time.
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Mateo Warren
β’You really want to get the corrected 1099-R before filing if at all possible. Filing with an explanation that contradicts the 1099-R information the IRS has on file often triggers correspondence audits or notices. If you're running close to the deadline, file an extension to give yourself more time to get this corrected. An extension gives you an additional six months to file (though not to pay, but in this case the correct tax should be much lower or zero). The credit union should be able to issue a corrected 1099-R within a few weeks if they acknowledge their mistake.
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Sofia Price
Has anyone mentioned the 10% early withdrawal penalty yet? If your wife is under 59.5, that could be an additional hit on top of the income tax unless this gets fixed properly. When my husband's credit union messed up his inherited IRA from his grandmother, we got slapped with both regular income tax AND a 10% penalty on the whole amount.
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Alice Coleman
β’Actually, the 10% early withdrawal penalty doesn't apply to distributions to beneficiaries after death, even if the beneficiary is under 59.5. That's one of the exceptions listed in the tax code. But they would still owe regular income tax on the distribution if it's not corrected.
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