Is there a small child nearby that you could give it to and see what they do with it?
I have no idea either.
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I used TaxAct to prepare our 2021 tax return. It indicated we were supposed to get a refund of $3745 federal but the IRS only issued $245. The explanation listed several possible reasons, but the only one which applies said that the amount for the Recovery Tax Credit was computed incorrectly.
Has this happened to anyone else? Should I look into this or is this happening to a lot of people because the tax preparers coded the rules wrong?
Hmmm not TaxAct specifically but someone I know indicated they didn’t receive their stimulus payment not realizing they had received it (long story about the different method their payments were issued in 2020 vs 2021) and the IRS noticed so deducted it from their refund since it was already received. A lot of people (not meaning you) don’t seem to realize the stimy payments (although not taxable) were received as an “advance”. In general in my IRL social circle there is a LOT of confusion and even more regarding the (partial) advances people received for the higher child tax credits.
I hope you get a good answer and can enlighten the rest of us! I haven’t filed yet and also plan to use TaxAct so am hoping to avoid pitfalls specific to that software!
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FWIW I’ve used them for years and have never had an issue before
ETA: as far as I can tell, if the IRS does this, whatever they say you’re supposed to get is correct.
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I got a couple maxi dresses recently and I want to get pockets added. How much fabric do I need to allow for? Phone size + wiggle room for phone + seams? I imagine the tailor will want me to provide fabric and I do have a plastic storage tub full of random fabric scraps, I just need to make sure whatever scrap is the right size.
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I’m assuming you’re doing side seam pockets? I have a ~5” screen phone (non-MAX iPhone) and it fits fine in a 5”x5” pocket that’s sewn more or less like a mitten shape sticking into the dress but I wouldn’t mind a pocket that’s a little narrower and which fell below the opening more so I didn’t worry about it tipping back out of my dress.
Edit: I have one dress with a pocket a bit more like that, and it’s ~6X7”, but the dress is a very stretchy knit material so I don’t find the pocket helpful for even something like a phone because of how much it pulls on the material
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Depending on type of pocket you want to add. Least fabric would be to do a pocket where one side of the pocket is the dress (either on the inside or outside) and the other is pocket fabric. Other option is the more traditional pocket. I have a pattern for that and it’s probably about 9inches by 6 inches. But that is a very roomy pocket and I only use it for stiffer fabrics in an a-line or fit and flare style where i have lots of room for giant pockets.
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My tailor has random fabrics and always seems happy when I let him choose what he thinks would work best.
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Ok, here’s what’s likely going on. For future reference, your refund was reduced by $3500.
For the third stimulus, you should have receive $1400 for each person in your family, for a total of 5 x $1400 = $7000.
The IRS sent (or should have sent) letters to each taxpayer telling them how much they received. But for some reason, they sent one to each member of a married couple. We’ve seen a lot of married couples coming in with two letters. It’s likely you got a letter for $3500, and your wife got a letter for $3500. Maybe you only received one letter, maybe you thought it was the same letter twice, and you entered $3500 as the amount you received for the third stimulus payment.
The IRS computers check, say, Nope, we sent the entire $7000, and reduce your refund by $3500.
Most people received the stimulus in March or April, so you can check your accounts to confirm that you did indeed receive it.
We did a lot of returns last year where people did not receive stimulus payments. I’ve seen a number of people this year who say they did not receive the payment, and we insist they go back to their bank statements and check. Everyone so far has indeed received it.
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Ohhhh. I didn’t realize that I needed to add the $3500 from both letters to put $7000 in that line. Makes complete sense now!
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A+++++ work there @JRA64!
Our stimulus checks were direct deposited, which made everything so much easier.
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For anyone who has created a will (or been involved in the execution of one), who did you choose as executor? Family member? Close friend? Or professional (ie lawyer)? From what I can tell it is a shitty role that would be even shittier if someone were trying to do it while grieving.
We have to pick one to get wills set up. Adulting is weird and sobering.
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My mom named me executor of her will. But I inherited everything so it was NBD (and it was a very small estate)
If I had to distribute lot of things to different people, it could have been a huge PITA.
I think you can name anyone to be executor, including the (an) attorney, like the one who draws up the will. But it will cost the estate because they will need to be paid.
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My organized, competent friend is my executor. She gets some percent of the estate for her trouble.
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We picked my aunt. She picked me because her kids are a little too young. So to punish her, I picked her 
.
In a few years when her kids are more established in adulthood and she is also older we will both reassess.
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our lawyer made us select backups. So we are each executor of the other’s, and if we both die at the same time, I think the first person is one of my more reliable sisters, then a friend, then my BIL (since it would be a pain for him since overseas). Each stands to benefit from the estate (well for the BIL and sister it is their kids getting stuff in trust, I don’t remember the friend), and I don’t recall if they get even more if they are the executor.
They also are backup power of attorney/health care.
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We are each other’s, and then our backup is a good friend who is super organized and would be able to use the money (percentage dictated by law). We always enjoyed each other’s company but I think it was a big thing for us to ask her and for her to feel like we trusted her so much! My sister is also super organized but is busy with kids and doesn’t need the money. She’s the backup.
my dad's estate
My dad asked his friend to be executer for his “very simple estate”. It would have been me but I’m in a different country. My dad thought it would be easy peasy since everything was lined up, but it took a year! His friend (an older gentleman) used to be the manager of a Home Depot and was very on top of things, but he didn’t do internet and did everything in person or by phone. It was a ton of work. My dad thought he’d only have to pay his friend a little, but at the end his friend wrote us a letter saying that the lawyer said he could ask for a percentage by law, and we were so grateful to him for his help and approved it immediately. His wife had just become disabled and we were also happy that the money could help them after everything he’d done for us. It’s now been close to five years since I last heard from him but I think maybe I should send him a card.
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We have somewhere between $200-800 in visa gift cards and I want to make a concerted effort to spend them because I keep forgetting they exists. I can’t think of anything we could regularly buy with them except groceries, and I get 6% back from my credit card for groceries so I’d rather use that. Any ideas?
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Any bills you can pay online with a credit card?
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Excellent question! I will have to check. I know the electricity charges 2.5% to pay with a card but I think the phone doesn’t…
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