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Your 403(b) contributions should be included in your New Jersey income as a Wage Adjustment.  Unlike federal law, New Jersey does not allow exclusions for contributions to deferred compensation plans other than 401(k) plans.  If not included, contributions to 403(b) plans must be added back to NJ taxable wages.  Make sure the amount in Box 16 does not already reflect the adjustment.  

You will want to wait until 2026 to start deducting your business expenses.  Startup costs are not deductible in the year they are paid if the business has not yet launched. Instead, you "capitalize" them and claim them in the first year your business is active—in your case, March 2026.     You will be able to deduct up to $5,000 of any of the Startup expenses in 2026, any additional amount will have to be amortized (deducted over the next 15 years).   If you were already practicing as a Reiki practitioner and this training improved your existing skills for that business, it is generally deductible. If the Master Level training is considered a requirement to enter a new profession or a different type of practice you weren't previously qualified for, it is not deductible.   I wish you continued success in your venture!

TurboTax automatically calculates the additional senior deduction based on your date of birth and your income. You will see it on Schedule 1a, line 13b of your 1040 form. There is nothing extra that you need to do.  Taxpayers who are 65 and older may qualify for the additional deduction of $6,000 ($12,000 for MFJ).  To be eligible for the additional deduction, you must meet the eligibility criteria below: Be 65 or older by December 31, 2025 File Married filing Jointly if married Modified adjusted gross income under $75,000 ($150,000 for MFJ).  The deduction phases out for taxpayers above this income Review the TurboTax articles Tax Counseling for Seniors and the IRS Fact Sheet Deductions for Seniors for more information.

TurboTax AI tells me that simply because I chose the "mail check" option for paying tax due, the Form 8453 is generated with the box for mailing Form 8949 checked by default per IRS requirements. This is even if there were no summary sales of assets. I had actually paid the tax due using IRS Direct Pay and checked the "Mail Check" box only because the only other options available in TT were "Direct Debit to Bank account" and "Pay by credit card". As I dont actually need to mail check, I assume I dont need to mail Form 8949 either? Why does TT check the Form 8949 by default, if the "Mail Check" option is selected? Why would this be an IRS requirement?

Form 2210 is Underpayment of Estimated Tax, it's calculated but not filed by default unless you have an exception.  If you are using desktop you can view the form in Forms mode (2210-F is for farmers and fishermen).   This is asked under Other Tax Situations / Underpayment Penalties and normally carried over from 2024 return but Turbotax will ask to confirm it in that section.  Not sure where you are in the interview flow but where is one reference to it.   Per Form 2210, to avoid penalty in 2025 you need to have paid thru withholding or timely (usually quarterly) estimated taxes, the smaller of - 100% of your 2024 tax (110% if AGI > 150k or 75k if filing MFS), or 90% of your 2025 tax.  this is your "safe harbor" amount of tax you need to pay to avoid penalty.   "tax" here refers to this Line 4 definition.  It's generally Line 22 of your 1040 plus certain additions from Schedule 2, less refundable credits, see instructions here   https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i2210.pdf  

@MindyB wrote: TurboTax automatically applies Head of Household "HOH" if you have a qualifying dependent and pay more than half of the cost of your home upkeep.    To add HOH, in the My Info section, during the interview, indicate that Yes, you did pay more than half of the cost to keep up your home in 2025. I'm trying to enter someone's information now who does meet the criteria for HOH and TT is refusing to allow it.  I have read the requirements and verified the information is correct, but it simply isn't allowing it.  I believe it is a bug within the TT software.   Looking at 2d in the help window that pops up from the program.   You can file as Head of Household if either SITUATION A or SITUATION B described below applies to you. SITUATION A: You provide a home for certain other persons, you were unmarried or legally separated as of December 31, 2025, and ONE of the following was true:   2. You paid over half the cost of keeping up a home in which you lived and in which one of the following also lived for more than half of the year: (d) Any other relative, as defined by the IRS, you can claim as a dependent. The relative in question (d) is on the list provided, and they qualify as a dependent.   One thing I noticed is that in the dependents screen, their status is listed as "No Entry."  Could that have something to do with it?   ETA: I managed to fix it.  I went to the forms and clicked the HOH option there.  Then returned to the step-by-step and it finally allowed me to say that I provided more than half the support for the household.  When looking at the list of dependents, there is a status listed now (saying "Dependent").   So I believe this is a bug where the status is not being properly handled when entering possible dependents.

Thanks for your excellent reply.  You are right.  I subsequently confirmed it with the PA Department of Revenue as well.  I'll move forward with the Safe Harbor rule as you suggested.   All the best to you!    

The best way to determine your total traditional IRA basis for 2025 is to check your most recently filed Form 8606, specifically Line 14. This form is cumulative and carries your lifetime after-tax (nondeductible) contribution total forward from year to year.    If you used TurboTax, it will be one of the forms in your return.  You can also get the information from the IRS- the Wage and Income transcript shows Form 5498 data for the past 10 years, which lists all IRA contributions reported by your brokers.  You can also request this to see if a Form 8606 was ever filed with your past returns (you will have to call).     Use the IRS Get Transcript tool online, which is the fastest method, or call the automated line at 800-908-9946. @yatoshura

You may not have been able to pay your TurboTax fees with your refund because you did not meet one of the requirements for this service.   They are as follows.   Your refund must be enough to cover your TurboTax fees. You must have an address in the United States. You must be e-filing. The name on the bank account must match the name on the tax return. Your refund must be directly deposited into a single account.   You can also contact TurboTax Customer Support using this link: Turbo Tax Customer Support.   Click here for Can I pay with my refund?   Please return to Community if you have any additional information or questions and we would be happy to help.

Use IRS form 2210 Underpayment of Estimated Tax to see if you owe a penalty for underpaying your estimated tax.   You are asked about 2024 information because:   for most filers, if your federal tax withholdings and timely payments are not equal to 90% of your current year tax, or  100% of the total tax from the prior year (whichever is less),  then you may need to complete Form 2210 to determine if you are required to pay an underpayment penalty.   See this TurboTax Help.

To enter tips in TurboTax, enter your W-2 as shown, then check for "Tips not reported on my W-2" in the "Uncommon situations" section to report cash tips, or look for prompts about "Reported tips". If tips are included in Box 1 but not separated in Box 7, use the "Let's check for other situations" screen to report them.   Steps to Enter Tips in TurboTax Online: Search for W-2: Type "W-2" in the search bar and click the "Jump to" link. Enter W-2 Info: Enter your employer's information, including boxes 1, 3, 5, and 7. Check for Tips Screen: After entering W-2 information, you will see a screen named "Let's check for other situations" or similar. Report Unreported Tips: Check the box that says "Tips not reported on my W-2". Enter Tip Amount: Follow the prompts to enter your unreported tips, which allows TurboTax to calculate the correct tax liability. Final Paystub: If your employer didn't separate tips in Box 7 but included them in Box 1, you can use your final paystub to determine the amount. Here's a link that gives additional information on this: How do I enter tips in TurboTax online?

You can still claim the Overtime deduction but you don't enter it as if it was in box 14 of your W-2.  if you know the amount of overtime you were paid.    For 2025, employers are not required to break this out and report separately on Form W-2.  Therefore, you may have to calculate the QOC yourself.  If your employer does not provide the amount, the IRS will allow you to calculate it using "reasonable methods" from your pay stubs, year-end statement, etc.  To determine the amount of your deduction (if you are paid time-and-a-half), take your total overtime pay and divide it by 3.  To enter it in TurboTax:    Go to the W-2 screen under under Income in the Federal section. Add or edit your W-2 for your employer where you worked overtime. After entering your W-2, look for the Let's check for other situations screen. Check the box next to Overtime. TurboTax will ask some questions to help you report the correct amount.

I have several hundred transactions. My Fidelity 1099-B shows a summary of all the transactions along with their proceeds, basis, wash sale, etc. Should I single out all the individual transactions with wash sale separately from the rest of the summary? Does it make a difference? When I input the summary, it also let me check the "W" box and put in an adjusted cost basis. Is this not the wash sale amount in box 1g?

No, Form 1095-A is not exclusive to users of HealthCare.gov. It is issued to anyone who enrolled in a qualified health plan through any official Health Insurance Marketplace, which includes both the federal exchange (HealthCare.gov) and state-based exchanges.  States that run their own exchanges, such as Covered California, NY State of Health, or Pennie will also use the 1095-A.

What is the best way to find out the total amount as of 2025? Would any of my old tax returns have the amount? Or do I need to check with IRS? Please advise if there is good way to determine this amount since I have not been tracking.