I moved out of my main home in August 2023, and converted it to a rental property. The house sat vacant on the rental market for eight months, producing no income at all in 2023. Finally, a tenant moved in in April 2024. When I filed my 2023 tax return (a year ago), the TurboTax expert told me I should not report my landlord expenses at all for 2023, and instead I should report those 2023 expenses on my 2024 tax return. (e.g. homeowner's insurance, cleaning expenses, utilities etc.) I spoke with another TurboTax expert yesterday, who confirmed that that was the correct thing to do. So I know I did not mis-hear what they told me. Today I spoke with another TurboTax expert, who told me that that was the wrong thing to do, and that I should amend my 2023 tax return to report my landlord expenses from 2023. Can someone please tell me which is correct, and tell me exactly which IRS rule applies? Should I report my 2023 expenses on my 2024 tax return?
Whether or not I amend my previous tax return will not affect my refund for 2023 or 2024. But I pay money for TurboTax because I expect my returns to be amendment-free. I am very annoyed at the conflicting advice from various TurboTax experts. It is causing me to lose confidence in TurboTax.
