Need Tax Help/ Advice

HI T.-
are you locally in sandiego?
We have a great tax guy we have been with for 6 years, he has helped many people in all kinds of situations,
company is coast to coast tax in vista, Morey Holtzman is his name. best wishes, let me know if you'd like his number

Hi T.! I am so sorry for all you have been through. I have an accountant that is a very good friend of mine that may be able to help you. I can talk to her and see if maybe she can help. Thanks!

I'm sorry I dont have any tax advice for you, but I have a beautiful little 2 month old that is not fitting into her clothes anymore (some of it she only wore once) maybe I can help you out with "baby stuff" where do you live and what are you having?

C.

Good Grief ! You need to go to an attorney. Look in the yellow pages for a center called - in California - California Rural Legal Assistance. You can call the County that you live in and ask them for the name and phone number of the Federal program for Legal Assistance for low income people.

I think that you would be eligible for Earned Income Credit on your income tax report. It is also called EIC - Look o\in the 1040 instructions. Go online to www.irs.gov. and they will have a list of Forms and Publications, click on that and you will find the 1040 instructions.

Good Luck, C. N.

Hi T.,

Oh my goodness, you poor thing! I'm so sorry about your first baby. Congrats on your second and what a blessing that you are able to get another go at it. Eventhough your current situation is difficult, everything is going to be just fine! Trust me, I was in a similar situation.

I was also seperated (not legally) when I was pregnant with my daughter. My husband never supplied anything as to helping me financially when I was pregnant. I had to buy all of my own maternity clothes, etc. If you are not LEGALLY seperated, and I believe even if you are, your husband HAS to split his taxes with you. Also, there is a HUGE tax penalty to him if he files, married & seperate. You should do some research, then send it to him and ask him if you could both file together since you were together for 1/2 of the year anyway, and since he's not helping you throughout the pregnancy now...and since it will benefit both of you. He will get more money back filing married and splitting the money with you than he would if he filed married/separate. This very thing happened to me and my husband.

Also, you should find out if you are entitled any alimony or support since you have been thrown into this life of one income, and no job since youre split. Why should he not have to help you throughout your pregnancy...it's his baby too.

I would also bet that your employer is in for a MAJOR law suit if he cancelled your insurance when you were 7 months pregnant. It's kind of like an employer firing a pregnant woman (which is another avenue I would take with the job you are not sure you have or don't have...talk about a MAJOR lawsuit!) Treating a pregnant woman that way is VERY illegal and frowned upon unless there was a really good reason you were fired (which you aren't even sure of...so I'm assuming there's not a reason at all). Go onto the California State website www.ca.gov, and do some research on these things. Find out what your rights are, and don't let these people take advantage of you!
Being pregnant is a blessing, but it's also very stressful and you always have the fear of the unknown and if you'll be able to care for your child on your own. I'm sure there are programs out there that the state provides to woman in your situation. Go here: http://www.ca.gov/HomeFamily/IndFamServices/Children/Calw...
This has info on Calworks (Calif Dept of Social Services)Find out how the California program for temporary assistance to families works in providing housing, food, utilities, clothing or medical care. Also click on: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Learn more about the Federal programs which help families in need of temporary assistance.

We pay taxes for a reason, if you are in need of assistance, you should find out as much as you can on how to get it in your condition. They may even be able to help you with your tax situation, or can give you advice.

TAXES: Don't go to H&R Block!! They rip you off. We used to go there too, and there is a MUCH easier way, and you even get your money quickly (which is H&R's way of roping in the people that count on their tax returns!).

Go to your local Walmart and get Turbo-Tax. It is $40 and it asks you all the questions you need to get the highest returns. We used to pay almost $300 a year (or more) to have a retired CPA do our taxes...that is until we found out all he did was do our taxes with Turbo-tax!!! He always got us the MOST money back too.

If you would like, I'd be happy to send you our copy of Turbo-tax for free. I really feel for you and want to help you out. Let me know. My email is ____@____.com.

I am telling you, there is so much info on the State website for what you are entitled to when you have a baby, and when you are seperated from your husband and don't have the same means to live. Use Google too and type in topics like: Assistance for Pregnant woman, assistance for pregnant seperated woman, etc.

My husband also used the "I'm broke" lie. You have a LEGAL right to contact his employer and ask for the HR department. Ask what he's making, and ask if the "commission only" story is true. Also, see if he gets any bonuses, or any extra money you are unaware of.

My husband was paying hardly anything (after my daughter was born) and always said he was "so broke" and could "barely afford to live"...he bought a new 20inch computer screen (with the entire NEW computer) a $7000 off-road motorcylce, and was living high on the hog. Living in a new prestine community, paying $1400/mo for a one bedroom. I was living in the ghetto, barely able to pay $895 for a one bedroom house for my daughter and me. I lived sometimes on my credit to stretch to my next paycheck.

All I'm saying is, men know how to work our "sympathy card". Don't believe a word he's saying...especially if he "took" the money from the shared vehicle you were entitled to at least 1/2 of. Garauntee...he's also going to have to come up with that if you are smart through this divorce. Keep reminding him, once the baby is here...he's not going to get ANY breaks from you in child support if he is treating you this way now. Make him think you WILL give him a break when it comes to support. The State doesn't give a parent a second look who says they can't pay the support they should. They don't care HOW you get the money, or how horrible they have it...fact is, a baby costs x amount...and that needs to be paid.

I wish you the best of luck in your situation. Please let me know if you have any other questions!

Best Wishes,
T.

Hi T.. I had help from a great lady here in Riverside at H&R Block. We had a situation and she was a big help. I see you are in the LA area. I have a friend who is an accountant in Orange County. If you want her to look at your situation, I could ask her. Let me know. Also, if you are open to ways to alleviate your tax burden, let me know. Having a home based business offers alot of tax advantages. T.

so, i'm not an expert in anything, but i'm in the middle of figuring out my taxes as well, I'm also in the middle of a divorce. I'm so sorry for your misfortune, but if you can see the upside, then only good things will come to you. I'm still figuring out my 2005 taxes! So, yes, file married filing separately. A portion of your medical fees and your legal fees are tax deductible. What I would do is have a 'consultation' with an accountant and see if you can get some ideas from them. Tell them you're not sure if you're going to hire someone but you'd want to see what they could do for you first - this meeting should be free. Then, go home and apply what you learn on your H&R Block self filed tax return. There are so many things you could try to do - maybe claim you're a sole proprietor of your own business for the past few months that has no income but only expenses? Car expenses and gas could be write offs. If it's out of your home, a certain square footage could be a write off. There are certainly ways to be creative and I this is a perfect time to try to get crafty. I wish you the best of everything...

Hi T.,

If I wasn't in such a hurry today I'd be making this a LENGTHY response! Wow....you've got alot going on.
But I have to keep this short. I cruised thru alot of the other answers and you got alot of good advice.
Keep searching cuz there really are lots of options to get help for free or super cheap. Check out local churches too.
Make SURE to go after that soon to be ex husband of yours for financial help. Regardless of the reasons that he is gone while you are 7 months pregnant...it's his child too and the courts will see it that way also.
And also make sure to go after your ex employer(s). They can not do this to you and the others.

Check out www.legalzoom.com

It's a website that can give you free legal advice and they even have an 800 number for you to talk to someone. Start there with ALL of this stuff that you told us and put on this source....maybe they'll be able to tell you exactly where to start and what to do legally based on all these different avenues that have left you high and dry.

Godspeed T. and we'll all look forward to hearing that things worked out for you.

T.

Dear T.:
I too have experienced the loss of coming home from the hospital empty armed. How long ago did this happen? How far along are you with this pregancy...what a blessing, new life!
We had 3 beautiful children after our loss, there is much in life to give us hope....including how the taxes will work out.

Would you like to talk? My number is ###-###-####.
P.

I don't have tax expertise, but know something about family law. Does dad have income? He is responsible for supporting his child. Have you considered contacting him and asking him to pay at least $400 immediately? If you have paid all of the child's expenses for the past six months it seems likely he owes you a lot more than $400 at this point. I would suggest your lawyer write a letter but it may cost you the $400 just to pay him or her. Don't write back to this site saying anything your lawyer has said to you. Keep those conversations strictly confidential. But check with him or her about filing an Order to Show Cause for support and fees. If you live in Los Angeles, you may qualify for help with your case from the Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law. Their number is ###-###-####.

A little about me... I'm a new mom of a beautiful 5 month old boy and a full-time, working CPA. Unfortunately, medical bills only become deductible once they exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. This includes any wages, interest, etc. that you've earned in 2007. But if you don't itemize your deductions (like have a mortgage with deductible interest or property taxes) you don't get anything above the standard deduction. And, yes, if you're not technically divorced yet, you can't file single. However, you may qualify to file as head-of-household which has more favorable tax consequences than married-filing-separately. If your spouse didn't live with you the last six months of the year or provide more than half of your household expenses and your child live with you principally, I'm pretty sure you qualify. I know you said you haven't been paid for your work. Were you paid anything? Did you get a W-2? Without having anything withheld in Federal or State taxes, you're not likely to get anything back. But if you think you owe, you must have some sort of income. This may help you qualify for the earned income credit which is refundable(meaning even if you don't have anything withheld, you may get something back). The problem here is that you don't have to earn very much before the credit phases out. It sounds like it might be worth seeing someone at a place like H&R block; even if it costs a little, there are the types of ideas he/she would be able to help you with. I hope this has helped some, too. Good luck!

T.,

Contacting a University is a GREAT idea. The program is called VITA through the college of business/accounting. I used them when I was a struggling student at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. They also knew about all the deductions I was eligible for that I didn't know about. You still get peace of mind because after the college student completes your return their professors, who are CPA's, check it over and catch any mistakes. Then, they sign off on it and you mail it in. The bonus is that the program is completely FREE!! Good luck!

D. :)

First, I am not a tax person. However, I've been doing my own taxes for 30 years. ( not easy sometimes with all the attachments required) Second, you do not have to file married even if you are. Third, if your soon to be "X" won't file married you don't have a choice. Try talking him into it, I'm almost positve that you will get a refund if you file as married. Another thing, since the company you were working for is so messed up are you sure your w-2 is correct. I just returned one of my husbands w-2's because it was incorrect. Your w-2 may be showing money you were supposed to get but never got. You also need to check with social security and make sure the company was paying into it. I had an employer that withheld taxes and social security from my pay (as they are supposed to) and for three years never sent it to the government. I had to show proof to social security that I had worked(pay stubs) to get credit towards future social security payments. You may also qualify for the earned income credit. I beleive that can be as much as $1600. towards taxes you owe. Don't trust the tax guy. Try turbo tax(if you are not willing to do it the old fashioned way) There is a free on-line. Bottom line I would be terribly leary that your w-2 is wrong. Also, test all the ways to file your taxes (long form and short form) Good luck.

I can't help you with your financial situation as I have little money myself and have never been married. My taxes are extremely simple so I don't know about all that stuff. I do have a 2 month old son so we can hand down a lot of things you may need. Where do you live? We're in Hermosa Beach, in the LA area. I'm so sorry about all that is going on with you and I hope things get better :o)
Good luck,
S.
____@____.com

One reason you might owe is that married filing jointly and married filing separately are taxed differently. The standard deduction (the one that you automatically get) is lower for married filing separately, which means that more of your income actually gets taxed. That might also put you in a higher tax bracket. So, if you had your income witheld at the lower rate (married filing jointly), you might not have witheld enough.

I would suggest going to a tax professional because they might be able to find some deductions or help you develop a manageable payment plan. There are a lot of tax laws, and the online services provided just aren't designed to answer every question. I know it's hard to think about spending more money on this, but in the long run, not paying your taxes is going to have a MUCH more detrimental effect on your credit than taking out a temporary loan.

I wish you luck with your situation . . . you definitely don't need this added stress while you're getting ready for baby.

Hi T.,
Go to H&R Block, explain to them what you explained to us. They will know what to do, and take any payment out of the refund they find for you. Do not take the anticipation loan, you need as much money as possible and you can wait a couple weeks to get it. I always use H&R and have never paid yet, and trust me I am hovering around your income range. I know I filed single before my divorce went through, and there are detuctions you may not know of yet.
Financially, Craig's List buy and sell everything. I just bought a highchair for $10.00. Wic and medi-cal are great programs, but you should also apply for food stamps. After the Baby arrives you are a 2 person household and you can apply for just food stamps without welfare.
Good Luck with everything!

Can you claim your "husband" then as a dependent?

Hi T.....you shouldnt owe...can Sheryln at Professional Tax Service she is great...tell her D. Mitchell sent you...I will fill her in and she will get you the refund you deserve

:) D. Mitchell

I myself file as head of household and single even though I am technically still married. I use turbotax online and go the long route. Take every deduction possible. If you have not tried this please do. I actually owed state this year for the first time ever. So you may not be able to get around the state tax of $100 you stated you owe. Also if you have not heard of the tax rebate I have provided the article below. You will be getting some kind of money this year no matter what. See below:
Sources on Capitol Hill and at the Treasury Department said the plan would send checks of $600 to individuals and $1,200 to couples who paid income tax and who filed jointly.

People who did not pay federal income taxes but who had earned income of more than $3,000 would get checks of $300 per individual or $600 per couple.

A Democratic aide and Republican aide said there will be an additional amount per child, which could be in the neighborhood of $300.

Those who earn up to $75,000 individually or up to $150,000 as a couple will be eligible for the payments, said Republican and Democratic sources familiar with the tentative deal.

You can find more information about this rebate (stimulus package) on the IRS website as well as Turbotax. It has helpful Q&A's. I hope this helped. Good luck with your upcoming child. :)

You didn't say what your income was so really hard to say much, but If you and your husband has been separated for more then half the year, file head of household, (its legal). That way you are taxed at lower rate and get chance at EIC also. You have to have a lot of out of pocket expenses to do any good with itemizing. I know what you paid sounds like a lot, but it isn't when it comes to your taxes. Hope this helps. But without alot more information, really can't say much

http://freebies.about.com/cs/freetaxprep/a/freetax.htm YOU MIGHT FIND SOME HELP OPPORTUNITIES on this website. Taxes are a pain. It seems to me with your info, you'd be getting more back. Hope you can find some good advice. GOOD LUCK

T.,

For this sort of problem..you want to deal w/ the IRS directly. I know you may've heard horror stories about dealing with them, but anytime I've had "complicated" tax questions...I always went directly to them because they should have the "CORRECT" answer. Speaking w/ an H/R Block rep isn't the same...trust me! Just make sure you document who you're speaking w/ including their name & rep #. Their # is 800-829-1040. Hope everything works out for you!

-S.

Try dialing 211 for help. Or contact the local welfare office, I got an ad from them says free tax help just call for appointment. Pretty sure you and I aren't local to each other but it sounds like you qualify for some services and they should be lots of help. but if you run into a dead end or red tape and bs with them I do know the local AARP offers free tax help as well. Haven't had to call on them yet but maybe someday. Best of luck..

T., Please go to a tax advisor. Even H&R Block would be better than trying to figure everything out on your own. About the child support I don't know if the child needs to be born or not but try to get some refrences for good family law lawyers and go to see one. I think that him selling community property and not splitting it is against the law in the state of California, because CA is a community property state. If your ex is having financial problems that is his problem and he should be actively pursing getting a new job that pays well and has health insurance for the baby. Even if you are divorced he still has to provide legally. Get a good lawyer and a tax person and everything will work itself out!

If you are separated from your husband you are now head of household for tax purposes. That will make a difference in the amount of tax owed.

Hi T.,

I don't have alot of advice. I was wondering if you had claimed medical payments, prescription drugs, dental, travel ect. I usually just file my own taxes on the web. I was able to get some money back because of a surgery. I paid over 700.00 for the surgeries. It would be a good idea to have reciepts. If you don't have reciepts for prescriptions, go to the pharmacy and they will print you up a printout for the year 2007. You can always check with your physicians office for paid balance for 2007. You can only claim paid expenses.

Good luck!

H. B.

Hi T.,

To tell you the truth, it all comes down to how much you actually made last year.
What did you claim on your W4? (dependents and marital status)
Depending on this information, your medical payments (etc) might actually not put you over a standard deduction.
As far as you not getting paid from your employer, you should get unemployment benefits started ASAP! They will not BACKPAY for the time that you have been out of work, you need to claim right away. Once you do, you'll start getting biweekly payments from your local EDD. Once you give birth, it will change over to disability payments. (yes, you will need to tell them, they are 2 separate entities)HOWEVER, after your "normal" 6 weeks(or 8 depending on C-section or regular delivery) on disability, you may AGAIN go back on Unemployment, since your job no longer exist for you to go back to.
The H&R Block program is one of the better ones out there, but you may also try TURBOTAX, just to compare..you wont pay until you send over the file anyway. If you log on to IRS.gov you will find information on HOW to file your taxes (by yourself) for free if you fall into a certain income category. Worth to check out.
Good Luck!

I don't know how much help they give you on the online H&R block site, but it sounds to me like you are right, you should get something back. There is a free tax prep site that you can at least try, I think it's freetaxusa.com. but you can do a search if that's not it, but again, I've never used it so I don't know. But like the other person said, make sure you claim everything and that you file singly- you may also consider filing jointly with your husband since you are still technically married, I don't know if that is allowed or if it would even help. Sorry, though, and good luck!

Dear T.,
You are right in getting all this business taken care of before your sweet baby arrives. My first thought is to contact AARP. The website is www.aarp.com. They do offer free tax assistance. Their webste states that they give preference to people 60 year old but they will assist any age group. Once in the home page, go to the search section and type in "free tax prepartion". They have a phone number of contacts and I believe an online preparation section. I always prefer to do something of this magnitude in person, face to face. Also, if I remember correctly you can write off any sales tax. I have a friend that purchased many construction supplies for his home and added up all the sales tax paid. Not that you may have purchased such items but I'm sure they may be other items that may pertain to you. It's another question to ask the tax preparer.
The second thing that needs to be taken care of is the bill that are stacking up.... don't ruin your credit! Call everyone of those companies and tell them you need assistance and inform them of how much you can pay ( even if it is only $5)and what date during the month you can pay as to your welfare check date arrival. It is very important to write everything down, ie: name of the person you spoke with, date, conversation. I would also ask them to send a letter of confirmation. If they are unable to help you, don't stop there, ask for a supervisor. Do all this before ever thinking of hiring a debt company or filing for bankruptcy.
Lastly, you will have to also go after your husband for child support and expenses. This is why the State and I'm not sure if its also the Federal government has inacted "
the Deadbeat Law". Your husband is responsible to pay for his portion and therefor they will go after him and garnish his wages even if it takes years! Please contact a free organization to do this. In San Diego we have University Of San Diego that has a free legal advice department ( depending on need and income). Check in your area to any such Law Department Universities. AARP will probably be able to help you with all your needs.
Best Wishes to you and your baby. I know you've hit a bump in the road but hang tough, don't take "no" for an answer, there are lot of organization to help you, sometimes it's all about just redirecting and moving on. Always ask if there is another way. By the sound of your letter, I think you already have.
P.

T., you should of received a noticed from your local agency you get your benefits from saying they offer free tax help, if not contact where you get your wic from they can steer you to the agency that will file & do your taxes for you. For Free all free, do not pay for your taxes to be done, OK !!! I am so sorry for all the hassle this year has been for you , Can I call you soon to be ex hubby a ( A ....... )
I swear where the heck is these mens morals, oh I know in there butt ox's hang in there girl, keep your spiritual faith going. I hope this helps

T.,
So sorry to hear about your situation! Just an idea, I know a lot of universities or colleges that have accounting programs require their students to do people's taxes for free. Not sure if they only offer this service to other students or to anyone who wants it. I just remember when I went to school that it was something the accounting students were doing each february/march. You might call a university that is close to you and ask about it. At least you would have another person looking at it with a fresh set of eyes. Good luck!

As hard as it may be to do, I think you should seek advice of a professional, just to be sure...

Have you started the process for child support so that the minute your little darling arrives, you can get some help from the Father.

Things will probably get worse before they get better, financially, but try to keep your head up for your sake and for your baby. The last thing you guys need is to stress the baby out.

I know you said you don't want to have to do a payment plan with the IRS, but it is easy to do and sometimes that's the only option. I know $400 sounds like a million dollars to you right now, but it really isn't that much that you have to pay back. It could be alot worse.

Good Luck with everything!

Hi T.,
It may be worth it to go to an actual person for your taxes. You may be able to change your filing status. Since you already file with H&R Block, they have that program where you get your refund in advance, it would be worth checking it out. You may even find that you can get a discounted fee, when you explain your situation.
I always did mine myself too, but found that the tax professional did them better..and you lose that stress of "Did I do it right?". Something you could probably use a little less of right now...stress.
Good luck to you and congratulations on your baby. I hope all goes well for you and you have a safe and peaceful delivery.
K.

HI T.,
I'm so sorry to hear about all this.. You seem to be pretty darn STRONG!!!!! Not sure where you live but most states have free tax prep for people who need it and can't fincial afford it. Also, I used H&R for many years and then they basically screwed me. They missed so many things that you should be gettting back, I would highly suggest you go to someone. It's worth the money because they help you get all the deductions that your normally wouldn't even think off. Like all your medical bills, that is a write off, your gas/milage to and from Dr's that is too a write off, if you have office, etc. Also, ask if they can work with you on a payment plan, you'd be suprised how they will work with you. You never know until you ask.
I wish you the best of luck and hang in there.....

It takes about 2 - 3 weeks after you submit your paperwork to get the first check. After the first 6 weeks of disabillity you can also get Paid Family Leave for another 6 weeks. If you have not heard anything from your JOB by then, I would file for unemployment which is another 7 months of pay. You should have your diabillity before 4/15 to pay your taxes. By the way, I have some baby boy clothes in excellent condition if you want them respone to this message.

B.

I have had to help a friend who told his wife that he wants a divorce right before christmas with his taxes. To get an estimate of what he would be getting back if he filed one way or another I used Turbo Tax. It's only 9.95 to upgrade online to get additional help, plus with my friend we tried married filing jointly and married filing separately and even head of household. My suggestion to you is to see what the difference is between head of household and married filing separately. My friend's wife had a baby last year by another man and he supported her and that child and came to find out that someone illegally claimed him so...in case you didn't know you can claim your stillborn baby on your taxes because it should ask you if the child died somewhere. You still had a baby regardless. But if you still can't get the right answers call your local H&R Block...they dont take money until after your taxes are done.

T.:
I am not sure where you are located but Cornerstone Church in Wildomar has free tax help by experts for seniors and others in need. You can find their contact information on their website www.go2cornerstone.com Good Luck!

If worse comes to worse, you can always file an extension to file. Did you claim your child? What did you pay federal and state on your W2? On your paystub, how many dependents do you have? You might want to double check that.

T.,

I can't offer any tax advice, but I do know of an amazing organization called Baby 2 Baby. They take donations from families and put them right in the hands of other families.... you can find them on-line. I don't know if there are "requirements" for who gets what but they certainly might be worth a look!

Also, I know that "extra" funds are nill, but if you have any cash and need to purchase a few things for the baby, there is an incredible sale coming up at the end of March. It is the MOTHER of all garage sale, over 250 families. Go to www.lakidsconsignment.com. You will find everything from cribs, to stroller, to clothes at prices that are amazing. I think you can even print out a pass so you can shop before the public arrives!

Good luck to you and hang in there. Woman have an innner strength that is unbeatable. You will get through this and come out on the other end- my best to you and your baby...

K.

I beleive since you've been seperated not living with each other for over 6 months you can file single. Your best bet would be to call IRS they can answer whether or not you can file single. Also, you can look that up on the IRS website. Hope things get better for you....C.