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Noah Irving
I think your calculations look right based on the numbers. I moved from an accountant to doing my own taxes last year and had a similar "sticker shock" moment. Here's a tip I wish someone had told me: whenever you have income that doesn't have taxes withheld (like your interest), you should plan to set aside about 25-30% of it for taxes, depending on your tax bracket. For next year, look into making quarterly estimated tax payments for that interest income. The IRS form is 1040-ES. It'll save you from having a big bill next April and might even save you from underpayment penalties if your total tax due is high enough.
Thanks for confirming! Quick question - how do the quarterly payments work? Do I just guess how much interest I'll earn for the year and divide by 4? And if I mess up the estimate, will I get penalized?
Noah Irving
ā¢Quarterly payments are basically your best estimate divided into four payments. The IRS provides a worksheet with Form 1040-ES that helps you calculate the amount. You can base it on last year's interest if you expect similar amounts, or adjust as needed if you know it will be different. If you underestimate, you might face a small penalty, but only on the difference between what you should have paid and what you did pay. The good news is there's a "safe harbor" rule - if you pay at least 90% of this year's taxes or 100% of last year's tax liability through withholding and estimated payments, you generally won't face penalties even if you end up owing more.
One thing to consider - are you contributing to any retirement accounts? With your income level, putting money into a traditional 401k or IRA could reduce your taxable income and potentially lower your tax bill. For 2025, you can contribute up to $23,000 to a 401k if your employer offers one, or up to $7,000 to an IRA. Might be worth looking into for next year's taxes, especially since you have substantial interest income that's adding to your tax burden.
Madison King
ā¢Not OP but I'm in a similar situation. If I max out my 401k at work, does the contribution have to be made before December 31st to count for that tax year? Or do I have until April 15th like with an IRA?
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Always get a second opinion when in doubt! I had an accountant once who insisted I couldn't take the home office deduction because I also had a full-time job. Turns out he was totally wrong - if you're self-employed even part-time, you can absolutely take that deduction for the portion of your home exclusively used for that business. Found a new accountant and saved over $1,000.
Ethan Scott
ā¢Did you find the new accountant through a referral or did you just search online? I'm thinking I might need to do the same thing but I'm not sure how to find someone reliable.
I got a referral from a coworker who also does freelance work on the side. Personal referrals are definitely the way to go if possible since online reviews for tax professionals can be hard to trust. If you don't have any personal referrals, I'd recommend looking for an Enrolled Agent (EA) rather than just any tax preparer. They're specifically licensed by the IRS and tend to be more knowledgeable about tax code than the seasonal preparers at big chain tax services. Local small business associations sometimes have lists of reputable tax pros who work with self-employed individuals.
Laura Lopez
Have you checked if your accountant is actually calculating your Qualified Business Income deduction correctly? With your freelance income, you should be eligible for the QBI deduction which is up to 20% of your qualified business income. This is something a lot of tax preparers overlook or calculate incorrectly.
QBI is so confusing! My accountant says I don't qualify because my business is a "specified service business" (I'm a consultant) and my income is too high. Is there a simple way to know if I should be getting this?
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Your tax guy is probably right, but there's a middle ground option you might consider. You can set up an installment agreement with a very small monthly payment (like $25) while your tax pro continues to resolve the actual issue. This typically stops collection activities including levies, gives you a formal agreement with the IRS, but doesn't require you to pay the full incorrect amount. If your accountant resolves it in your favor, you can get refunded for whatever small payments you made. I went through almost exactly this same situation when my employer issued a corrected W2 but the IRS assessment was based on the original incorrect one. My accountant was working on it, but I couldn't sleep at night worrying about levies, so the small installment payment was my compromise solution.
Mei Liu
ā¢That's an interesting approach I hadn't thought of. Wouldn't setting up a payment plan be seen as accepting that I owe the amount though? I'm concerned it might complicate things if we're simultaneously arguing that we don't actually owe this money.
Setting up the installment agreement doesn't mean you're agreeing the amount is correct. The IRS allows you to dispute the underlying tax while still having a payment arrangement in place. You can specifically request that your agreement be processed with "pending audit reconsideration" or "disputed liability" noted on your account. When the dispute is resolved, if it turns out you owe less or nothing, the IRS will refund any excess payments automatically. I made about four $25 payments before my situation was resolved, and I received those payments back with my refund. The peace of mind was worth the temporary $100 out of pocket.
One important thing nobody has mentioned: the CP504 notice isn't the final step before levy! There's still the Final Notice of Intent to Levy (usually Letter 1058 or LT11), which gives you 30 days' notice AND appeal rights before any actual levy happens. The CP504 is definitely designed to scare you, but you still have time and options. Your tax professional is likely aware of this timeline, which might explain why he's not panicking.
Ava Johnson
ā¢This is correct. Having worked at the IRS for 12 years, I can tell you there's a specific sequence of notices, and CP504 is not the final step. You'll get at least one more notice with appeal rights before any levy action.
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Noah Torres
My accountant told me something important about software deductions - make sure your wife keeps a record of when she started actually USING the software, not just when she purchased it. Take screenshots of her first project using it with dates visible. For my business, I had to prove the "in service" date for a major software purchase, and having those dated screenshots saved me when I got a letter from the IRS questioning my deduction timing.
Caden Nguyen
ā¢Thanks for mentioning this! Do you know if email confirmation of the download/activation would count as proof? Or do we really need actual project screenshots?
Noah Torres
ā¢Email confirmations of download/activation are a good start, but they only prove you received the software, not that you actually put it to business use. The IRS specifically looks for evidence of the software being used in your business operations. Project screenshots with visible dates, saved project files with creation timestamps, or even emails to clients mentioning you used the new software on their project can all serve as stronger evidence. I'd recommend keeping several different types of proof just to be safe. My accountant calls it the "belt and suspenders" approach to tax documentation.
Has anyone here actually been audited specifically about software deductions? I'm wondering if the IRS really cares about a $1400 software purchase or if we're all being paranoid. I've been deducting software for years and never had an issue.
Ryan Young
ā¢I got audited last year and software deductions were absolutely part of what they examined. It wasn't the only thing, but they specifically asked for proof that the $3200 design software I purchased was actually used in my business and when I started using it. They disallowed part of another tech purchase because I couldn't prove I was using it exclusively for business.
Melina Haruko
Just wanted to add that timing matters a lot in your situation. If your father-in-law transfers the house to you now, you should wait as long as possible before selling to establish ownership time for the Section 121 exclusion. Also, make sure to document EVERYTHING about the payments you've been making over the years. Bank statements, canceled checks, anything that proves you've been financially responsible for the house. This creates a paper trail showing beneficial ownership that could help if you're ever audited.
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Kara Yoshida
ā¢Thanks for this advice! How far back should we go with documentation? We have most bank records for the past 7 years, but the earlier years might be harder to track down. Also, does having our names on utility bills help establish our "beneficial ownership" claim?
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Melina Haruko
ā¢Try to gather documentation going back as far as possible, but the past 7 years should be sufficient for most IRS purposes since they typically don't look back further than that for audits. If you can show a consistent pattern of payment responsibility, that strengthens your case. Utility bills in your names are excellent supporting evidence! They help establish that you were truly treating the property as your primary residence. Also gather any documentation showing you were responsible for property taxes, insurance, maintenance and repairs. The more comprehensive your paper trail showing you were acting as the true owners, the stronger your position.
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Dallas Villalobos
Has anyone considered the stepped-up basis option? If the father-in-law is older, it might be worth keeping the house in his name until he passes (sorry to be morbid), at which point the basis would step up to the fair market value at the time of death, eliminating capital gains.
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Philip Cowan
ā¢That's technically correct but comes with significant risks in this situation. The OP mentioned trust issues with the father-in-law, so leaving the property in his name creates vulnerability. Also, they need the proceeds now for their new home purchase, so waiting isn't practical.
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