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This describes every single home improvement project we've taken on in our house. Every step of the way. My dream is to one day live in a house where the walls are mostly square and plumb, with studs that are 16" on center. So now, we start every room with the nuclear option, and it goes like this: Step 1: Rent a roll-off dumpster. Step 2: Get the big hammer and gut the room down to the studs and joists. Step 2b: Try not to entertain the idea of arson. Step 3: new sub floor, wiring, insulation, drywall, floor, trim. Step 4: Live in relative relative comfort for a few months, and then repeat.

Step 2b is the most crucial to follow - yet the most tempting to succumb to.

Yes, if it were an allowed rental (it's not), it is active participation. Looks like another example of incorrect tax return preparation by one of your competitors. Be sure and milk it. On taking the losses, even if she had a legit rental (not self) all the losses would be suspended at $150,000 MAGI, right? Is she there?

Hmmm...it would be nice to automatically import all W-2s, 1099s (especially the consolidated brokerage ones), etc. Even if you do some of that now, though, isn't there a need to double check the input? I doubt that automation will void the rule of "garbage in, garbage out. And I believe I'm not the only one who does certain forms in complex situations by hand so I can check them against the software, usually to be sure I checked the boxes right and put the right numbers in the right places. In other words, I figure out the answer by hand and then try to coax the software to agree with me. Can robots handle employer contributions to an HRA when the employee is over 65 and on Medicare? How about amending from MFS to MFJ? How about when spouses work in different states? Live in different states? How about when brokerage statements say "N/A" for cost basis and/or date purchased? Fear not, we'll always have jobs in customer service. Someone has to answer the client who wants to know how much he can make before paying back Soc Security. Or the one who wants to know why his home is assessed so high. Why just today we had a landlord client who wanted us to evict one of his tenants. And the one who called because someone rang his doorbell but no one was there. Someone has to give these folks the phone numbers of SSA, the town assessor, the marshall's office, the police. Or can robots figure that out too? If so, I want one.

I showed this to my wife and she said it would be enough for her shoes.....maybe. Great suggestion though, I like the patio but I think the jacks in front are illegal, easy fix.

I'll take a shot that ROFT would be record of federal tax. Even though you filled in the monthly liability amounts, you are still getting the error because you have the first box checked. I would probably check the second box of line 14, fill in the amounts, and e-file the return.

The rent should zero out (Sch C rent expense = Sch E rent income). So the total income on the 1040 is the same (assuming no loss suspension on E). If Sch E has close to a zero profit/loss, then SE tax won't change by much moving the Sch E expenses to Sch C. If Sch E shows a loss, moving expenses to C will reduce SE tax, and vice versa.

It's the modern version of the Carousel of Progress (64/65 World's Fair and now Disney's Tomorrowland). Companies doing all they can to make a cheaper product, increase profits, market share, and stock price at the expense of people's jobs. I feel for all the future college graduates. So what do we do? If you have money you can invest some of it in these companies and receive the dividends for income, then if and when the market crashes use the rest of it to buy more, just like the big guys do (at the expense of the little guy). If you have no money you need to find a way to get some, hopefully legally by finding a field or building a business that a robot won't takeover. Maybe the lyrics by Zager and Evans "In the Year 2525" are not so far off.

I wish there was an artificial intelligence that I could ask tax questions.

You can always amend. What you can't do is get a refund for those years.

Save on repair costs...........Go this route....

In computer science, an ideal "intelligent" machine is a flexible rational agent that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its chance of success at some goal. Rational agent concept makes this whole idea as impossible in this universe. Sorry to ruin your day (or remaining life).

I have a cartoon somewhere (can't find it now) on "How Tax Software Should Work" that shows a guy dumping all his papers into a big funnel on top of his computer. It's cute.

Did you try stopping and re starting service from control panel > administrative tools > services? I've been doing this on a regular basis the last week on my desktop, laptop is fine. So unpredictable.

Catherine I would just amend the return. By your post, no depreciation to correct and no method of accounting has been established.