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Don't forget to look into a SEP IRA or Solo 401k as alternatives. As self-employed individuals, you can contribute much more pre-tax money to these accounts than to a traditional 401k at an employer. While this doesn't directly help with 529 contributions, reducing your overall tax burden may free up more money that you can then put toward 529s with after-tax dollars.
How much more can you actually contribute to a Solo 401k vs a regular employer 401k? I've heard mixed things and I'm trying to decide if it's worth the extra paperwork.
With a Solo 401k, you can contribute in two capacities - as both the employee and the employer. As an employee, you can contribute up to $22,500 (for 2023), just like with a regular 401k. But you can also make additional employer contributions of up to 25% of your compensation, with total contributions capped at $66,000. A regular employer 401k typically just allows the employee contribution plus whatever match your company provides, which is rarely anywhere near the maximum possible. The Solo 401k essentially lets you control both sides of the equation and maximize the total contribution.
Ava Thompson
Something nobody's mentioned yet - if you're really committed to funding those 529s, look into Coverdell ESAs as another option. They're more limited ($2k per year per beneficiary), but they cover K-12 expenses too, not just college. My accountant recommended using both types of accounts for our kids.
CyberSiren
ā¢Aren't there income limitations on Coverdell accounts though? I thought if you make above a certain amount you can't contribute.
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Grace Patel
Another option to consider is switching your LLC tax election to S Corporation status if your business is earning enough profit. With an S Corp, you can pay yourself a reasonable salary (which requires W2s and payroll taxes) and then take additional distributions that aren't subject to self-employment tax. Saved me about $8,500 in self-employment taxes last year on my $125,000 in business profit.
That's interesting - I've heard about this S Corp approach before. At what income level does it generally make sense to make that switch? I'm currently making around $85,000 in profit annually.
Grace Patel
ā¢The general rule of thumb I've heard from tax professionals is that S Corp election starts making sense financially when your net profit is consistently above $60,000-80,000. At your $85,000 profit level, it could definitely be worth exploring. The main consideration is balancing the additional costs (more complex tax filing, payroll processing, etc.) against the self-employment tax savings. You also need to pay yourself a "reasonable salary" which the IRS expects to be in line with industry standards for your role. The remaining profit can then be taken as distributions without self-employment tax.
Don't forget that as a single-member LLC taxed as a sole proprietorship, you should be making quarterly estimated tax payments! When I first started, I didn't realize this and got hit with underpayment penalties. Since you don't have taxes withheld from a W2 like a C Corp owner would, you have to handle this yourself.
This! I made this mistake my first year and ended up with a $550 penalty. Now I use the IRS Form 1040-ES worksheet to calculate my quarterly payments.
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I've been using TaxAct for our family business for 3 years now. Based on what you described, you and your wife definitely need the Self-Employed version because of your LLCs and home offices. It includes all the Schedule C forms and business expense categories you'll need. For your kids, it really depends on how complex their self-employment is. If they're just doing simple contract work without many deductions, they might be ok with Deluxe. But if they're tracking business expenses, mileage, supplies, etc., they'll need Self-Employed too. One thing to consider - if your kids are working for your LLC, you'll need to issue them W-2s or 1099s depending on whether they're employees or contractors. TaxAct Self-Employed does handle this, but it's another wrinkle to consider.
Amara Okafor
ā¢Thanks for the insights from your experience! Just to clarify - if my kids are receiving both W-2s from our businesses AND have their own separate self-employment income, which version would they need? Also, does TaxAct make it easy to handle the investment income reporting for all of us?
If your kids have both W-2 income and separate self-employment income, they'd definitely need the Self-Employed version. The W-2 part is easy with any version, but once you add self-employment income with business deductions, you need the higher tier. TaxAct does handle investment income reporting pretty well in my experience. All versions (even Deluxe) include basic investment reporting for things like dividends and capital gains. The interface walks you through entering 1099-DIV and 1099-B forms. If you have more complex investments like rental properties or partnerships, you'd need the Self-Employed version for those too.
Has anyone compared TaxAct vs TurboTax for family business situations like this? I'm in a similar boat and wondering if one is better than the other for multiple self-employed people.
I've used both. TurboTax is more user-friendly but WAY more expensive, especially for multiple returns with self-employment. TaxAct Self-Employed is about half the price of TurboTax Self-Employed and covers basically the same forms. TaxAct's interface isn't as pretty but gets the job done.
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Ethan Scott
Here's my super basic method for quarterly taxes that's worked for me for 6 years: 1) Keep track of all income in a spreadsheet 2) Set aside 30% of EVERY payment you receive right when you get it 3) When quarterly deadline comes, pay whatever's in your "tax savings" account This isn't precise, but it's easy and I've always ended up with more than enough to cover my taxes. If you set aside too much, you just get a refund or can reduce future payments. The alternative is stressing over exact calculations every 3 months, which isn't worth the mental energy for most self-employed people.
Lola Perez
ā¢Doesn't setting aside 30% of everything mean you're overpaying by a lot? Especially after deductions and everything, isn't the actual tax rate much lower than that?
Ethan Scott
ā¢You're right that it often means setting aside more than you'll ultimately owe, but that's intentional. The 30% covers federal income tax, self-employment tax (15.3%), and usually state income tax too. After deductions, you might end up with a lower effective rate - maybe 20-25% all-in for many people. But I've found it's much better to slightly overpay than to come up short. Plus, knowing that my taxes are covered gives me peace of mind. If I have extra in my tax savings account after filing my annual return, I just transfer some of it to my retirement account or reduce the next quarter's payment.
has anyone tried the IRS's direct pay system? i tried using it for my q1 payment but got super confused about what to select for "reason for payment"... is it "estimated tax" or "extension" or what? also it asked for a form number and i had no idea what to put
Riya Sharma
ā¢For quarterly estimated taxes, you'd select "Estimated Tax" as the reason for payment and "1040-ES" as the form number. Then you'll need to select the tax year and quarter you're paying for. It's actually pretty straightforward once you know which options to pick!
StellarSurfer
Have you considered checking with accounting students at your university? When I needed help with my amendment (also international student), I found a senior accounting student who was pursuing CPA certification and needed practical experience. She helped me with my 1040X and 1040NR for just $75. The accounting department at my school had a bulletin board where students could advertise their services. The student who helped me was supervised by a professor to make sure everything was done correctly. Might be worth checking if your school has something similar!
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Sean Kelly
ā¢That's a smart idea! How did you verify they knew what they were doing though? I'd be nervous having another student handle my taxes. Did they make you sign any kind of waiver in case they made a mistake?
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StellarSurfer
ā¢I checked that the student had completed advanced tax courses, including international taxation, and was in the master's accounting program. The professor supervision was key - I actually met with both of them for the initial consultation, and the professor reviewed the final forms before submission. No formal waiver was required, but we did have a simple email agreement outlining what they would do and the fee. The accounting program treated this as a practical training opportunity, so they were motivated to get it right. The student was actually incredibly thorough and found deductions I didn't know I qualified for, even with the non-resident limitations.
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Zara Malik
Just want to warn you to be REALLY careful with amending from 1040 to 1040NR. I tried using regular tax software for this exact situation and it was a disaster. The software couldn't handle the complexities of non-resident status and actually made things worse. The IRS ended up sending me multiple notices with different amounts owed. Took almost 9 months to sort out and cost me way more than if I'd just paid a specialist from the start.
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Luca Greco
ā¢What software did you try using? I was thinking about trying TurboTax for my amendment but now I'm nervous...
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