That's really helpful actually. Is that something I can just write in on the form? Like a specific dollar amount to take out extra? How did you figure out that $50 was the right amount?

Yes, on the current W-4 form, line 4(c) is specifically for additional withholding. You just write in the extra amount you want withheld from each paycheck. We calculated our $50 amount by looking at how much we owed last year ($1800) and divided it by the number of paychecks we each get annually (we both get paid bi-weekly, so 26 paychecks each). That gave us about $35 per paycheck, but we rounded up to $50 to be safe. It's not a perfect science, but it worked well for us. You could do the same calculation based on what you've owed in previous years.

I tried it but found it confusing tbh. Ended up just doing what someone suggested above - using the "married but withhold at higher rate" option and adding a little extra. Way easier and had the same result.

This is actually smart af. What savings account do you use? I've been thinking about doing something like this because my refunds are always tiny but I suck at saving.

Yes, there are income limits for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). For 2025, if you're single with no qualifying children, you can qualify with income up to about $18,000. With one child, that limit increases to around $43,000. If you're married filing jointly, the limits are higher. At $38k with no children, you'd likely be over the limit for EITC, but if you have a qualifying child, you might still be eligible. There are other credits worth looking into though, like the Saver's Credit if you contribute to retirement accounts, or education credits if you're taking classes.

Thanks for sharing your experience! Could you clarify which specific tax form or schedule you used to list these expenses? And did you have to itemize deductions or was this handled differently?

I used Form 8863 (Education Credits) and claimed the expenses as part of my qualified education expenses for the American Opportunity Credit. The great thing is you don't need to itemize deductions to claim education credits - they're available even if you take the standard deduction. The form has a line specifically for required course materials, which is where these project expenses can fit. Just make sure you have documentation that clearly shows the project was required for your degree program!

This is critical advice! I got audited because I used outdated tax advice from a blog post. Always check that you're looking at the most current IRS publications. For education expenses, Publication 970 is the bible - they update it every year.

2 Can you explain how that works? I thought you couldn't "carry forward" Roth contributions like that?

18 You're right that you can't exactly "carry forward" Roth contributions in the traditional sense, but if you're eligible to contribute in the current year, you can apply excess contributions from a prior year to the current year instead of withdrawing them. For example, if you made an excess contribution in 2021, and you're eligible to contribute to a Roth in 2023 but haven't maxed it out yet, you can apply some or all of that 2021 excess amount toward your 2023 contribution limit. You'd still owe the 6% penalty for 2021 and 2022 (if you didn't fix it before the 2022 deadline), but you'd avoid the penalty for 2023 and beyond without having to withdraw funds.

6 I believe the 6% penalty continues indefinitely until you fix the excess contribution, but I'm not sure if there's a point where the IRS won't let you fix it anymore.

Do the carriers provide this service for free? And are their classifications considered "official" enough that customs won't question them? I ship through USPS mostly, but I'd switch carriers if it meant getting reliable HS code help.

The major carriers typically provide basic classification assistance for free if you're a regular customer shipping internationally. While their guidance isn't a formal binding ruling, it's generally reliable since they have a vested interest in ensuring smooth customs clearance. The classifications they provide are based on the official Harmonized Tariff Schedule. USPS unfortunately offers less support in this area compared to FedEx, UPS, or DHL. If you're shipping high volume or high-value items internationally, it might be worth considering a switch. Alternatively, you could use USPS for domestic and smaller carriers for international if that makes financial sense for your business.

That's super helpful! Did you run into any issues with duty rates varying between countries even with the same HS code? I'm trying to figure out if I should adjust my prices for international customers based on their location.