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Since your spouse passed away in 2025, you are considered married for the entire year and can file your 2025 tax return (in 2026) as "Married Filing Jointly", as long as you did not remarry in 2025. ... See more...
Since your spouse passed away in 2025, you are considered married for the entire year and can file your 2025 tax return (in 2026) as "Married Filing Jointly", as long as you did not remarry in 2025.   If you're using TurboTax, here’s what you’ll typically do:   Start a joint return as usual. When prompted, indicate that your spouse passed away in 2025. TurboTax will guide you through entering the date of death and any other relevant details. Form 1310 is the Statement of Person Claiming Refund Due a Deceased Taxpayer. You likely DO NOT need to file Form 1310. Surviving spouses and court-appointed representatives don't need to complete this form. You establish your right to the refund by simply filing the joint return and writing "Filing as surviving spouse" in the signature. https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/filing-a-final-federal-tax-return-for-someone-who-has-died has more information.   I'm very sorry for your loss, Alex. This is a difficult time, and this is a very common question. @amartino11 Thanks for the question!    
I will turn 73 in late 2027. Which month and year am I required to begin RMDs? I plan to pay for my grandchild's college tuition beginning in the spring/summer of 2028. May I receive a tax credit ... See more...
I will turn 73 in late 2027. Which month and year am I required to begin RMDs? I plan to pay for my grandchild's college tuition beginning in the spring/summer of 2028. May I receive a tax credit by sending the RMD of my 403b directly to my grandchild's college? Thank you!
For a married couple 65+, how does the latest tax bill affect how much of my spouse’s 25 k in SS will be taxable in the following scenario:  earned income about $100k, pension about $50k, interest, c... See more...
For a married couple 65+, how does the latest tax bill affect how much of my spouse’s 25 k in SS will be taxable in the following scenario:  earned income about $100k, pension about $50k, interest, capital gains about $30k.  Will we have to pay tax on $25k in SS given the standard deduction, $6.5k property taxes, and the new deduction for seniors?  
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credit is a refundable credit designed to help eligible individuals and families afford health insurance. The credit is reconciled through a process on your ... See more...
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credit is a refundable credit designed to help eligible individuals and families afford health insurance. The credit is reconciled through a process on your annual federal income tax return, meaning your final eligibility and the amount of the credit are determined when you file your taxes. The calculation of the premium tax credit depends on several factors, including your household size, income, and the cost of the benchmark health plan available in your area. If any of these factors change during the year, such as an increase in income, it is important to report those changes to the Health Insurance Marketplace promptly. Failure to report changes can result in significant tax liability at the end of the year, as you may be required to repay excess credit amounts received in advance. Regarding your specific question, TurboTax does not have the ability to track your taxable activities or notify you of changes related to the premium tax credit throughout the year. However, the TurboTax software provides detailed explanations of how the credit works and its potential tax implications during filing season. For more information, you can read this additional article about the premium tax credit and its tax effects: Health Care and Your Taxes: What's the Connection?   @Ray0200  Thanks for the question! **Say “Thanks” by clicking the thumb icon in the post **Mark the post that answers your questions by clicking on “Mark as Best Answer”  
We do not have any other information from you.   You have not told us what other income you are receiving in addition to the SS.   Without any personal information like email or SSN, provide some det... See more...
We do not have any other information from you.   You have not told us what other income you are receiving in addition to the SS.   Without any personal information like email or SSN, provide some details about the other income you have.
That's entirely up to you, and you don't really give enough information about yourself to make very many helpful comments.   Certainly, if you need the money to live, you might need to stop contr... See more...
That's entirely up to you, and you don't really give enough information about yourself to make very many helpful comments.   Certainly, if you need the money to live, you might need to stop contributing.  If you are not retired, have extra money, and are choosing between a regular savings account and a Roth IRA, you might stick with the Roth, because you can withdraw the contributions tax-free if needed (just like a savings account) and only pay tax if you withdraw earnings.  If you are retired and thinking about estate planning, your heirs would not owe tax whether they inherited cash or a Roth IRA.  But, if you need long term medical care, Medicaid can require you turn over a Roth IRA to them before they will cover your care, but they will not require you turn over a traditional IRA (as long as you turn over the RMD each year). 
What percentage should I set aside for taxes?   
The IRS generally assumes that income is earned evenly over the year, so if you have significant taxable income in the last quarter of the year and paid a large estimated tax payment in the last quar... See more...
The IRS generally assumes that income is earned evenly over the year, so if you have significant taxable income in the last quarter of the year and paid a large estimated tax payment in the last quarter to cover that liability, your tax return could initially show a penalty for not paying in earlier in the year.   If your income is not received evenly (e.g., you're a seasonal business owner, or you received a large bonus or capital gain late in the year), you may be able to reduce or eliminate the penalty by using the Annualized Income Installment Method. You would used Form 2210 to allocate your income based on when it was actually received during the year, instead of the default of assuming it was earned evenly throughout the year.     In TurboTax, you would navigate to Other Tax Situations, then find the section on Underpayment Penalties.  From there, you want to follow the prompts, and answer "yes" to the prompt "do you want to use the annualized method to reduce the penalties?"  From there, simply enter the data on the prompts to allocate your full year income based on actual receipt date.  TurboTax will then complete Form 2210 and file it with the tax return.   Illinois has a similar form, the IL-2210, which will also have you allocate your income based on when received if your income was not received evenly throughout the year in order to eliminate/minimize any penalties.
The $6,000 senior deduction beginning with tax year 2025 is actually a temporary personal exemption for individuals who are 65 years or older (subject to income limitations and identification require... See more...
The $6,000 senior deduction beginning with tax year 2025 is actually a temporary personal exemption for individuals who are 65 years or older (subject to income limitations and identification requirements).   The personal exemption is in addition to the standard deduction for 2025. For a single filer over the age of 65, the standard deduction is added to the over-65 deduction and the temporary bonus deduction.    The full amount for filing single (and not blind) would be as follows: Standard Deduction: $15, 750 Extra Deduction for 65 and older: $2,000 Temporary senior exemption: $6,000 For a total deduction of $23,750   The full amount for filing jointly (and not blind) would be as follows: Standard Deduction: $31,500 Extra Deduction for 65 and older: $3,200 Temporary senior exemption: $12,000 For a total deduction of $46,700   You need to consider your total income since the temporary senior exemption is limited by Adjusted Gross Income. The senior exemption of $6,000 shall be reduced (but not below zero) by 6% of the taxpayer’s modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) that exceeds $75,000 ($150,000 in the case of a joint return).   The standard deduction mentioned above will be indexed for inflation after 2025.   Add the amount you plan to withdraw from your traditional IRA to your other sources of income to produce total income. The enhanced standard deductions mentioned above (depending on your filing status) will be subtracted from your total income to produce your taxable income.   You can use this link to estimate your tax liability based on your situation and the tax brackets listed in the link: What are the 2025 tax brackets and rates (for filing federal tax returns in 2026)? 
The way to figure your tax liability on your traditional IRA distribution would be to figure out what your marginal income tax rate would likely be each year. You can use our Tax Calculator here. Onc... See more...
The way to figure your tax liability on your traditional IRA distribution would be to figure out what your marginal income tax rate would likely be each year. You can use our Tax Calculator here. Once you fill it out, it will show you a federal income tax bracket.   Let's say that you fill out the form and it returns a result of 22% in the tax bracket area. You take out $10k from your traditional IRA, and have 22% withheld for federal income taxes, which is $2200. That's the calculation. If you also have a state income tax on retirement distributions, you'd want to consider a state withholding amount as well (the amount to withhold depends on your state's income tax rate(s)).   It is wise of you to consider working with your income over the next four years to maximize the senior deduction, but I want to clarify that taking an IRA distribution now does not maximize the senior deduction for you, given that you are 67 now. What it possibly would do is maximize it in the future, if doing so would then reduce your required minimum distribution to where it would put you below the $75k single/ $150k married MAGI threshold to take the full senior deduction. And that scenario would only apply if the senior tax deduction was extended past year 2028.
I'll be withdrawing my RMD after my birthday in 2026, can I use the existing Uniform Lifetime Table contained on the IRS website, or do I need to wait until a 2026 version of the table has been made ... See more...
I'll be withdrawing my RMD after my birthday in 2026, can I use the existing Uniform Lifetime Table contained on the IRS website, or do I need to wait until a 2026 version of the table has been made available?   Thank you, William
The conversion from a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA depends on the nature of the dollars you used to fund the traditional IRA. If you used pre-tax dollars to fund the traditional IRA, you cannot av... See more...
The conversion from a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA depends on the nature of the dollars you used to fund the traditional IRA. If you used pre-tax dollars to fund the traditional IRA, you cannot avoid paying ordinary income taxes on that amount. The amount you convert will be considered taxable income in the year of conversion. You can avoid the 10% early withdrawal penalty if those funds remain in the Roth account for five years and until you are past 59 ½ years of age. If you made nondeductible contributions to the traditional IRA (i.e. paid from out of pocket money rather than being withheld from your paycheck) you may not have to pay taxes on the conversion. However, any earnings on the contributions at the time of conversion will be treated as taxable income.
The growth in the 529 is still tax-free when withdrawn if used for qualifying education expenses, whereas the daughter (or grandchild, if you use a UGTMA) will probably pay 15% long term capital gain... See more...
The growth in the 529 is still tax-free when withdrawn if used for qualifying education expenses, whereas the daughter (or grandchild, if you use a UGTMA) will probably pay 15% long term capital gains when they cash out, and may also pay yearly tax on any dividends.
Our tax system is "Pay As You Go" and not wait until the tax time.  If you have a balance due more than $1,000 you may be assessed an Estimate Tax Penalty.   If you owe  more than $1,000, there i... See more...
Our tax system is "Pay As You Go" and not wait until the tax time.  If you have a balance due more than $1,000 you may be assessed an Estimate Tax Penalty.   If you owe  more than $1,000, there is a Safe harbor exception. The "safe harbor" exception protects you from estimated tax penalty if you meet one of the following two conditions: 90% of current year's tax: If you have paid at least 90% of the total tax you will owe for the current tax year. 100% of the previous year's tax: If you have paid 100% of the tax shown on your previous year's return (110% if your Adjusted Gross Income was more than $150,000 ($75,000 if married and filing separately)) Waiver due to unusual circumstances Casualty, disaster, or unusual event Retirement on disability
I have used Turbotax for years. I love it. How do I calculate and report any leftover capital losses from the last few years, and how do I calculate and report the leftover NOL from last year
The IRS calculates your required minimum distribution (RMD) by dividing your total account balance by a life expectancy factor. This factor is determined by your age, your beneficiaries' life expecta... See more...
The IRS calculates your required minimum distribution (RMD) by dividing your total account balance by a life expectancy factor. This factor is determined by your age, your beneficiaries' life expectancies, and your own life expectancy. Since your life expectancy factor is updated annually, the amount you must withdraw each year will also change.  Please note you can combine IRA account values to calculate RMD but if you have multiple 401k accounts, each much be calculated separately.   IRS pub 590 -B is more info. if you would like to calculate RMD. Please scroll down at the very end of the page to see IRS worksheet to calculate RMD amount.  https://www.irs.gov/publications/p590b#en_US_2024_publink100090310   Most of the time, brokers are able to tell you the amount of RMD.   Thanks for participating in TurboTax's Ask the Expert event today. I hope this information was helpful! **Please cheer or say thanks by clicking the thumb icon in a post **Mark the post that answers your question by clicking on "Mark as Best Answer" Regards, TurboTax Expert
How do I figure out the amount of tax to be withheld from my pension and social security when also working in an as needed basis (<58 hous/month) 
Consider the situation where a person who is still in their working years inherits cash, lets's say $100,000.     A. It could be invested in mutual funds.  When withdrawn in retirement, the princ... See more...
Consider the situation where a person who is still in their working years inherits cash, lets's say $100,000.     A. It could be invested in mutual funds.  When withdrawn in retirement, the principal is not taxed and the gains are taxed as LTCG at 15%.  (And there may be some dividends taxed at 22% along the way.)   B. The person could increase their pre-tax 401k contributions from (let's say) $10,000 per year to the max of $31,000 per year.  This results in a $15,000 reduction in take-home pay, which is made up from the cash inheritance.  So the 401k can be maxed out for about 6-1/2 years.   This results in an immediate tax savings from the wage income of at least $5000.  But it converts the inheritance, which was tax-free, into an instrument that could be taxed at 22%.   C. The person uses strategy B but places the money in a Roth account in the 401K. The person gets no immediate tax savings, which means the strategy only works for 5 years instead of 6-1/2. But the gains after retirement are now tax-free instead of being taxed at 15% or 22%.   Looks like Roth is the way to go.  Or am I missing something?   (Person already has a Roth IRA that is maxed out, and already has a Roth 401k, so the 5 year clocks are already satisfied.)
 When you file a joint tax return, you combine all of your income so the taxability of the SS is based on the total amount of income received between the two spouses.