Deductions & credits

"And finally, since on my 2022 return I indicated I'd withdraw $500 I can't now do a withdrawal of $500 right? To go that route I would have needed to remove the $500 before the filing deadline or extension deadline of 2022 right?"

 

Correct.  The ability to withdraw the excess without penalty has expired. 

 

"Alternatively, if I don't file an amendment for 2022 is there a way that this can still be addressed or taken care of in 2023 even if that means incurring further penalties? If so I'd likely prefer that to reduce further paperwork and opportunity for error. I assume I'd just get hit with a retroactive 6% penalty for 2022, and maybe another 6% for 2023 perhaps?"

 

The 6% penalty that you owe for 2022 can only be addressed on your 2022 return.  If you don't fix it yourself, the IRS has 3 years to catch you, and assess the penalty, with interest and an additional penalty for late payment (totaling about 1.5% per month from whenever they catch you, back to the original filing deadline of April, 2023.)

 

Separately, if you don't deal with the excess, there will be another penalty for 2023, and every year after that the excess remains in the account.  And even if you remove the excess or "use it up" by contributing less than the maximum in some future year, the IRS won't know about it unless you document it--meaning they can continue to assess tax, interest and late fees--and documenting it will call it to their attention.  So its best to fix it properly as soon as you can.

 

"Is it possible to file an amendment using Turbo Tax even if I didn't use it to file my original filing?"

 

Yes, but it is slightly more complicated than if you had used Turbotax from the start.  You start by buying Turbotax Deluxe for 2022 to install on your own computer from a CD or download.  You can buy directly from Turbotax at the link for Products for previous tax years at the bottom of this page, or some third party retailers like Amazon, Staples or Best Buy might have discounted copies of the 2022 program for sale.  After installing the program, you need to prepare a "new original" 2022 tax return that exactly matches the one you filed with CashApp (including the answer that you will remove the excess, even though that is wrong).  Print the returns and make sure they exactly match, then "file" the 2022 return by telling the program you will mail it in.  You don't actually mail it, but this will tell the program to mark it as "filed."  Then save, quit, and reopen the program.  Now you are ready to make the amended return.  Change your answer to "I won't remove the excess", and that should generate a revised form 8889, a form 5329, and a form 1040 and 1040-X.  Print, sign, include a check, and mail to the IRS.  You may want to use a mailing service with tracking.  You may be able to e-file the amended return instead of mailing, if you wait until after January 22--e-filing amended returns is something the IRS wants companies to start doing, but it is unclear if Turbotax will actually allow it this year (and the IRS is currently closed to all e-filing while they reprogram their system for 2023).

 

"If I were to file the 1040-X and 5329 how involved is that without using software?"

That depends on you.  Form 5329 is simple, you just fill out part 7 where you report the excess and calculate the penalty.  Form 1040-X is a summary of your tax return where you list the original info in column A (copied from your original return), the revised info column B, and the difference in column C.  The only thing that will change is the addition of the 6% penalty (the excess contribution is still taxable income on line 8f, because you can't take a deduction for it if it is excess, which makes it taxable.  So only the penalty is new.)  Whether you can do it by hand depends on your comfort level with tax forms and instructions.