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From the IRS https://www.irs.gov/publications/p526#en_US_2012_publink1000229664     Expenses Paid for Student Living With You   You may be able to deduct some expenses of having a student live with you. You can deduct qualifying expenses for a foreign or American student who: Lives in your home under a written agreement between you and a qualified organization (defined later) as part of a program of the organization to provide educational opportunities for the student, Isn't your relative (defined later) or dependent (also defined later), and Is a full-time student in the twelfth or any lower grade at a school in the United States. You can deduct up to $50 a month for each full calendar month the student lives with you. Any month when conditions (1) through (3) are met for 15 or more days counts as a full month.  

You are correct... but it is a pain if not answered properly the very first time. This is not user friendly.  I had to completely delete the 1099R and reestablish it and then and only then was I able to select out of a string of possibilities if part of the distribution was a charitable contribution. Once identified that there was a CQD, it then prompted for the other questions. But...if you do not answer correctly the first time, it is extremely difficult to revise!        

That's actually not the answer.    I found that there was a Microsoft Visual C++ exe that needed to be updated. TurboTax Desktop is reliant on Visual C++ and the outdated exe caused the software not to work correctly and throw out a generic code. 

Tips for fields where there is nothing to enter a zero should not be used. Delete the entry in that field and then try again. If you continue to have the same experience it's always a good idea to clear any debris from the software. Close your return and perform the clearing process.   Try clearing the cookies and cache.   It handles many issues that seem nonsensical on a regular basis with online activity. Watch to be sure you are selecting 'all time' as example.  Do not use selections like 'last hour' for those browsers that give  you options. How to clear your cache Once this is complete open your return and try again.   If you are using TurboTax Desktop, save your return, then at the top select Online, then Check for updates.   Please update here with any additional details and the state you are working with and we will help.

Qualified wildfire relief payments are excludable from Federal and California income if they meet the requirements explained below.    You generally should enter a 1099-G for disaster payments in TurboTax to match IRS records, but you must take steps to ensure they are not taxed if they qualify for exclusion. If the payments are for qualified disaster relief, you can exclude them from income by entering the 1099-G as reported, and then entering a corresponding negative amount in the "Other Common Income" section (often labeled as "Other 1099-G Income") to offset it.    According to the IRS, qualified wildfire relief payments are excluded from gross income. In general, this means that affected taxpayers can exclude from their Federal gross income amounts received in 2025 for losses, expenses, or damages to the extent these losses, expenses, or damages are not covered by insurance or other reimbursements.    This includes amounts received for reasonable and necessary personal, family, living or funeral expenses, as well as for the repair or rehabilitation of their home, or for the repair or replacement of its contents, lost wages (other than amounts received for lost wages paid by the employer which would have otherwise paid such wages), personal injury, death, or emotional distress.    See this IRS news release and  Publication 525, Taxable and Nontaxable Income, for additional information. This TurboTax blog also addresses these issues.   For taxable years beginning after December 31, 2019, and before January 1, 2026, the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2023 allows an exclusion from gross income for any amount received by an individual as a qualified wildfire relief payment.    Generally, California law does not conform to Federal law on this issue, but there are exceptions:   Wildfire Disaster Settlement Exclusion – For taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2021, and before January 1, 2030, California law allows a qualified taxpayer an exclusion from gross income for any qualified amount received from a settlement entity in connection with a qualified wildfire disaster in California. If a qualified taxpayer included income for a qualified amount received from a settlement entity in a prior taxable year, the taxpayer can file an amended return for that year within the normal statute of limitations. For more information, see Schedule CA (540), California Adjustments – Residents, specific line instructions in Part I, Section B, line 8z and California Revenue and Taxation Code (R&TC) Section 17138.7.   To be deemed non-taxable, the settlement entity (the paying entity of the relief funds) must be able to provide documentation to the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) upon request to verify the payments.    If any qualified amount was excluded from income for federal purposes and California law provides no similar exclusion, include that amount in income for California purposes. For more information, see Schedule CA (540) specific line instructions in Part I, Section B, line 8z. For specific wildfire relief payments excluded for California purposes, see the California Form 540 instructions at What's New and General Information.    

To remove a form or an entry in your, follow the steps from this article:   Open or continue your return. On Tax Home, select Start, Continue, or Pick up where you left off to enter your return. In the left menu, select Tax Tools and then Tools. In the pop-up window Tool Center, choose Delete a form. Select Open or continue your return. On Tax Home, select Start, Continue, or Pick up where you left off to enter your return. In the left menu, select Tax Tools and then Tools. In the pop-up window Tool Center, choose Delete a form. Select Delete next to the form, schedule, and worksheet in the list and follow the instructions. Tips and tricks To delete a form that came in the mail (for example, W-2, 1098, or 1099) it's best to do it from within your return. Open or continue your return. Search for the form name in the search bar (for example, W-2) and select the Jump to link in the search results to get to the summary screen. From here, you can select the trash can icon to delete. Delete next to the form, schedule, and worksheet in the list and follow the instructions. Tips and tricks   To delete a form that came in the mail (for example, W-2, 1098, or 1099) it's best to do it from within your return. Open or continue your return. Search for the form name in the search bar (for example, W-2) and select the Jump to link in the search results to get to the summary screen. From here, you can select the trash can icon to delete.    

You are correct that you do not want to change your W-2.   The $2,900 appears in box 10 on your W-2.   In the W-2 interview, you will be asked if you had an FSA (yes) and if there was anything left in the FSA (answer, zero or 0).   In the Child and Dependent Care interview, enter the $850 as paid to the caregiver. You have nothing carried over from last year and are carrying over nothing to next year. The net result is that $2,050 is unaccounted for or just disappears. This $2,050 gets taxed, and is added back to Income on line 1 on your 1040. You have no Child Tax Credit because the amount given to the care giver was either excluded from income or was forfeited.   This should give you the result you want without having to change the W-2.

As long as your Form(s) 8889 has the correct information then whatever is causing the program to show "Available Now"on the "Less Common Income" screen will not prevent the accurate electronic filing of your tax return.  I realize anything that doesn't look like it's flawless can be unsettling when it comes to filing your tax returns, but in this case I wouldn't worry about it.