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LMAO.  Anyone getting a refund hasn't tweaked their W4 and that's not my fault.  Just because someone doesn't know how to handle their business doesn't make their emergency my emergency.    Am I annoyed with the wait?  Sure, but I'm not going to abandon TT as some have threatened to do.  That's just radical hyperbole behavior which is who I was referencing.   You are correct though, we all paid for tax software and as long as we are all able to file by 4/15 then the obligation is fulfilled.  Relax.  You want zero day results then hire a multi thousand dollar agent instead of depending on a very cost effective tool like TT.   There's an old saying: You can have fast or cheap but you can't have both.   @MyCoal 

The only thing you're missing is that it's not a penalty. That's the way the law requires the calculation to be done. The phaseout applies separately to each spouse. Just look at Schedule 1-A and follow the steps in Part V.  

If you are filing as Married Filing Separately you are not eligible for the deduction.  If you are Single and your AGI is over $150,000 or Married Filing Jointly and your AGI is over $250,000 you are not eligible for the deduction.   If you are age 65 or older and meet the requirement, the additional deduction is automatically added on your federal tax return.   Standard deductions for 2025 Single - $15.750 add $2,000 if age 65 or older Married Filing Separately - $15,750 add $1,600 if age 65 or older Married Filing Jointly - $31,500 add $1,600 for each spouse age 65 or older Head of Household - $23,625 add $2,000 if age 65 or older   New Bonus Standard Deduction (OBBB): An additional $6,000 deduction for taxpayers 65 and older. This is per eligible individual, meaning a married couple both over 65 could get $12,000. Important: This bonus deduction is temporary, lasting from 2025 through 2028. Income limitations: It phases out for taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income over $75,000 for single filers and $150,000 for joint filers. The amount is calculated on Schedule 1-A, Part V, with that amount flowing to Form 1040 Line 13b Look at your Form 1040 - You can view your Form 1040 plus Schedules 1, 2 and 3 at any time using the online editions. Click on Tax Tools on the left side of the online program screen. Click on Tools. Click on View Tax Summary. Click on Preview my 1040 on the left side of the screen.

Thank you SteamTrain, for the clarification.   I mistyped.  It was not "SS" that I meant, but an actual 1099-R from a pension.  My wife has been receiving that pension for 10 years, and, for reasons unknown to us, it always has a different amount in boxes 1 and 2a.  The difference is small, about 2%, but it is always present.   I will do as you suggest (answering "Yes" to the question.  But, really, how do I know what TT is doing with the numbers I enter?  I really don't know what numbers TT uses to compute our taxes-- nor how it does it.  And, I do not want to know.  I just want to know that it uses the data I enter to determine the proper minimum legal tax we owe.   Sometimes TT is extremely frustrating.  I'll start a new thread on it, but a good example is the headaches I have had with K-1 forms, or foreign tax payments, or TT telling me that it needs information from our 2024 taxes to finish computing SS (this time it really is SS) stuff.  TT has all my past taxes-- why doesn't it grab the required information automatically, instead of telling me to find it myself (and not even telling me what lines to get it from).  TT gets my prior accumulated stock losses and automatically carries it forward, but not SS data.  I really do feel that TT is inconsistent and undependable.  I just don't know that there is anything better, and it would be such a hassle to switch.   Anyway, thank you for your help.   DG

Download to Win 11.  When I open saved file questions about sharing info.  Cannot click submit or continue.  Must open original download file over again to continue entering info.  Looks like saved file takes me to online where I get these errors.

The 1098 T does NOT include room and board.   "Qualified tuition and related expenses.   Qualified tuition and related expenses are tuition, fees, and course materials required for a student to be enrolled at or attend an eligible educational institution. The following are not qualified tuition and related expenses.   Amounts paid for any course or other education involving sports, games, or hobbies, unless the course or other education is part of the student’s degree program or is taken to acquire or improve job skills. Charges and fees for room, board, insurance, medical expenses (including student health fees), transportation, and similar personal, living, or family expenses."

This is an additional deduction, not included with the standard deduction. This additional deduction for seniors is calculated automatically based on the birthday you have entered in your tax return.    Note, this deduction has income limitations.  It begins phasing out at income of $75,000 for a single filer (or $150,000 married) and is completely phased out at income of $175,000 for a single filer (or $250,000 married).   This deduction is located on Schedule 1-A Additional Deductions, Part V. The total additional deductions will be summed and appear on your 1040, line 13b.   You can check this in TurboTax Online by navigating to Tax Tools on the left of your screen, choose Tools, then View Tax Summary. On the left of the screen, select Preview my 1040, and scroll to Schedule 1-A Part V.

@pk, thank you so much for your reply, very helpful. I had intended to purchase TurboTax on Amazon, but you have to be physically present in the US to purchase and download through them - or use a vpn that makes it seem like you’re located in the States. I ended up purchasing directly from TurboTax and was able to download and use the software, no problems. I used a US based credit card, did not even try my foreign based one. I plan on keeping my US account and any refunds or payments will go through it. I haven’t submitted my returns yet, but I did change my address to Ireland in the forms, which I think I need to do to access the tax treaty between the two countries that prevents double taxation - could be wrong, as 2025 was my first year living outside the US. Thank you again for your help!

Go back to Deductions and Credits, and review the section on Estimates and Other Taxes Paid to find where you may have entered more state income taxes besides withholding. Any state income taxes reported on your W-2 or other income document are entered in the Income section and shouldn't be reported separately as a deduction.   Detailed calculation information in TurboTax Online can be found by navigating to Tax Tools > Tools > View Tax Summary > Preview My 1040 to access the Form 1040 Worksheet. This worksheet, specifically the Tax Smart Worksheet located between lines 15 and 16, provides the in-depth, step-by-step calculations for your tax liability.    If you are using the Online version, you will need to have paid for your product in order to see all of the worksheets.   If you are using a Desktop version, you can switch to Forms Mode by clicking on Forms at the top of the screen. There, you can scroll through the complete list of forms and worksheets TurboTax has prepared and click on the one you want to review, or click "Open Form" above the list of forms on the left and enter the one you are looking for.   Any state income taxes paid through withholding will be entered from your Forms W-2, 1099-R, or other information return. If you made an additional payment toward your 2025 state taxes that wasn't reported elsewhere in your return, you can report it in the Federal section of TurboTax, under Deductions and Credits, Estimated Taxes. Select State taxes for 2025, then click on "+Add another payment". Enter the amount and date of the payment.    If you are reporting a state tax refund received in 2025 in Wages and Income, TurboTax will need to know whether you deducted state taxes paid on your 2024 return. Enter payments for the state for which you received the refund. If you received refunds from more than one state, enter each one separately in TurboTax and report payments associated with that state. Use the link to Add another state or local tax refund.   See this help article for more information on entering Form 1099-G for a state tax refund.   See this article for more information about Form 1099-G.  

To enter, edit or delete your Form 1095-A - Click on Federal Taxes (Personal using Home and Business) Click on Deductions and Credits Click on I'll choose what I work on (if shown) Scroll down to Medical On Affordable Care Act (Form 1095-A), click the start or update button

It shows the same message on HR Block tax program.  They keep pushing the date for a new form.  This is poor management by the federal government.  Nothing to do with tax preparation software. HR Block has pushed the date 3 times now.  Im now waiting until February 27th for the updated IRS form...  I bet they will push it again into March.

@matto1 A student loan payment is not entered on nor deductible on a federal tax return.  If you paid student loan interest that is deductible on a federal tax return.   To enter student loan interest paid - Click on Federal Taxes (Personal using Home and Business) Click on Deductions and Credits Click on I'll choose what I work on (if shown) Scroll down to Education On Student Loan Interest Paid (Form 1098-E), click the start or update button

The instructions posted previously apply to TurboTax Business. Print, sign, and attach the electronic filing form. You should be able to file once TurboTax accepts the attachment.    Note that the actual form in TurboTax Business cautions "Do not file paper copies," confirming that the form should be attached to an e-filed return.   @rileyhumes 

  Where are "Forms"? I'm using TT on my MacBook and on the app, and I still can't find that.   Last year, the "other income" on the 1099-MISC from my structured investments automatically went to Schedule 1, line 8z, but this year I'm stuck in the endless loop of the income defaulting to "self-employment." and Schedule C getting filled out.   I've deleted the imported 1099-Misc and also a dozen new ones that I typed in, and nothing works.     I don' want to file by mail.   HELP!