jklcpa

Coverage exemption C is claimed on the return using form 8965. It is for U.S. citizens living abroad for at least 330 days in a 12 month consecutive period.

Sounds like that could be the problem and is possibly something that isn't working properly in the program. Perhaps a call to ATX support is warranted. Not to ask the obvious, but if you filed a joint return LY and rolled that over, you have checked to make sure you have changed the filing status to MFS, right?

It was a hard year for me with the pets and family too. Last year 2 of my 4 dogs passed that I still miss terribly, and then a third dog started battling CHF late in the year. Yesterday she collapsed twice from lack of oxygen for which I gave extra doses of lasix over the course of the day and evening that brought her out of her difficulties. Those incidents are hard to watch and definitely make it hard to concentrate. On top of that, for those that didn't see on facebook, my mom fell after Th'giving and had 3 fractures that earned her an 8+ week stay in rehab. Because of intense pain early on, she really only had 3 weeks of therapy before her release last week, so although she is home again and mostly healed, she needs additional strengthening, some amount of help, and for someone to look in on her periodically over the coming weeks as she goes through home-based therapy and transitions fully back to independent living. It's been endless hours with things related to her care, meetings and numerous phone calls, caring for her dog and her house too. I am also the one that accompanies her to all doctor appts, meetings, and wherever else she needs to go. Thank goodness she only lives around the corner from me, and thankfully my oldest sister has stayed at mom's house for the last week. I've never been physically and mentally exhausted like this going into tax season. Send extra chocolate, would ya? I'm going to need more than ever.

JB, since you are not a CPA or EA, my understanding (in general) is that you have to register and get the NYTPRIN, but since you didn't prepare any NY returns last year and will only prepare the one return this year, then you don't have to pay the fee. Also not sure about the code 09 because I didn't investigate the NY site.

I hope it's only that an install code is needed, not that you have to purchase a separate package. I don't blame you for being mad; I would be too.

Well, there are those pesky affordability worksheets that must be filled out that are in the Form 8965 instructions. If the person doesn't meet the criteria for unaffordability or one of the other exemptions, then the SRP (the penalty) is assessed.

Thanks, Eva. In Jack's client's case, the issue wasn't so cut and dried to rely on the instructions in the 1040X, and since the post was from over 3 years ago, the decision on its handling has long since been made. However, Jack is one of our regular contributors here, and since you resurrected the topic, maybe he will enlighten us on whatever happened with this client and the EIC.

Pub 970 should give you a starting point for your further research. Page 30 covers student loan interest, interest on loans refinanced that are consolidated or collapsed (interest would be nondeductible), and page 37 has the section on loan forgiveness and when it is a taxable or nontaxable event. It doesn't specifically mention the PAYE program but does include a "caution" that interest paid on loans that are forgiven under other programs is nondeductible.

AKA "Pay As You Earn" :http://www.smarterschooling.com/colleges/obama-student-loan-forgiveness-program-paye/ or this link as some info on it too: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/sites/default/files/income-driven-repayment.pdf

I'm sorry for your loss, Joan. Treat yourself gently and with time the memories of all the happier moments you shared with your cat over his lifetime will come to the surface and replace the ones from the past few days.

Form 4137

If anyone received a PM requesting tax prep from a new member whose name starts with rica..., vacationing in the Bahamas, please ignore it. I've banned the person as a spammer. That seems to have automatically removed the PM from my mailbox, so if any more were sent by this member, this action should remove them. At least 2 of us have received this, and this "person" made the unfortunate choice to PM me. BANNED! If anyone receives a similar suspicious PM from any other new members. Please report it. Similar to posts in the forum, all PMs contain "report" links within each message of PMs that we receive. Thanks.

Warning - an even dumber blonde joke. I'm wondering if this was a text from one of my clients.

This is the Ring Central pricing for fax-only service: http://www.ringcentral.com/plansandpricing/ringcentralfax.html The base price starts at $7.99 per month for one fax number and the first 500 pages.

The person isn't eligible for the PTC because she had the ability to purchase MEC offered through her employer that falls within the range of affordability. A person can't turn down that coverage and then have the gov't subsidize the premiums. Because of that, she was never eligible for the PTC. It doesn't matter that her income fell within the 100-400% of FPL.

Yes, you are correct on both points. If you want a reference, it's #22 on this IRS page.

The test for affordability of MEC through an employer's plan is 9.56% of household income. The premium to be used is the lowest premium that the employer offers and must include all discounts such as for non-smokers. It isn't unusual for taxpayer to give the Marketplace incorrect information when determining eligibility. For example, the taxpayer may have given only wage information, but for purposes of determining eligibility for the PTC, household income is used. For this test, household income is MAGI (AGI plus excluded foreign income, n/t soc sec and tier 1 RR benes, and t/e interest) for the taxpayer and anyone else that is claimed as a dependent. Is the taxpayer eligible to contribute to an IRA or HSA before 4/15/16 for the 2015 tax year that would lower the household income enough that the employer's premium would then exceed the 9.56% threshold and thereby qualify the person for the PTC? If the person is able to do so and can come up with those funds, that would be preferential than to pay back the APTC because she gets to keep the funds in her name than paying the government. See items 5 through 10 on this page at the IRS site.

Someone over 65 with a qualifying child can still get the EIC if he or she meets the other requirements.

I agree John. The only other thing I also did was to download Drake's ACA guides and saved to my desktop for easy access.

This made me laugh. It sounds too much like "the dog ate my homework" excuse.

There are a few of my favorites in your list too. Husband and I are making a point of seeing artists from our youth for this very reason as they come to our area. I think the last we saw was Three Dog Night, and Cory Wells passed on last November and Jimmy Greenspoon last March.

Moderator note: Original question has been answered. O/T, derailing posts have been hidden.

The changes were part of the Bipartisan Budget Act passed last year and the part affecting social security benefits goes into effect 5/1/16. Below is a link to a short summary from Morgan Stanley that summarizes closing the loopholes you are referring to, basically losing the "File and Suspend" and "Restricted Application" strategies. About asking for specific advice on how to increase your personal benefits, the question is rather broad and without knowing anything of your financial situation, no one here can give you the answers you seek. One of my webinars last month was a monthly tax update where the instructors spent quite a bit of the session talking about these changes in social security. Perhaps it would be beneficial for you to look into a course or webinar that would help you make the most appropriate choices for your own situation. http://www.morganstanley.com/articles/changes-social-security-2016

In the scenario you describe, the box 61 would be left blank on the 1040. This is explained very succinctly in the 1040 instructions for line 61 where it says the following (bold is mine for emphasis): I If you had qualifying health care coverage (called minimum essential coverage) for every month of 2015 for yourself, your spouse (if filing jointly), and anyone you can or do claim as a dependent, check the box on this line and leave the entry space blank. Otherwise, do not check the box on this line. If you, your spouse (if filing jointly), or someone you can or do claim as a dependent didn’t have coverage for each month of 2015 you must either claim a coverage exemption on Form 8965 or report a shared responsibility payment on line 61.

Why am I hearing Bones in my head with this one? Dammit ATX, I'm a tax preparer, not a ....