Taxes By Tarsha, LLC

01/24/2026

What if all you needed to book your next cruise was a deposit of $25? Would you book?

Let’s go!

01/17/2026

🚨 Important Student Loan Refund Information 🚨

Currently, federal student loan collections are temporarily paused, meaning refunds are not being offset at this time. This pause allows the government to update repayment programs and systems.

As a result, eligible taxpayers may receive their full refund, even if student loans previously applied.

⚠️ This pause is temporary and does not eliminate the loan balance.

👉 We encourage clients to:
• Verify their loan status
• Take steps toward repayment or rehabilitation
• Plan ahead for when collections resume

📍 Contact our office if you have questions about your specific situation.

01/17/2026

🚨HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD CONFUSION ENDS HERE 🚨

Because the internet is mixing things up BAD 😮‍💨📣

✨ Head of Household is a FILING STATUS
✨ It is NOT a deduction
✨ It is NOT the same as Single

Let’s be clear 👇🏽

Yes Head of Household filers are considered unmarried for tax purposes
That does NOT mean you have to be “single” in real life ❌
It means unmarried or legally separated as of December 31

Now the BIG misconception 👀

Head of Household does NOT use the Single deduction
It has its OWN higher standard deduction 💰

Approx 2024 numbers
Single ≈ $14,600
Head of Household ≈ $21,900
Married Filing Joint ≈ $29,200

So when people say 👇🏾

“If you don’t get $23k you must file Single” 🚫WRONG

To qualify for Head of Household you MUST
✔️ Be unmarried for tax purposes
✔️ Pay MORE than half the household costs 🏠
✔️ Have a qualifying person living with you most of the year 👶🏽

This status exists to help people who are carrying households 💪🏽

Filing it wrong
🚩 Delays refunds
🚩 Audit risk
🚩 Paybacks with penalties

Filing Single when you qualify for HOH 💸 Leaves money on the table💯

Moral of the story 🔥 Your filing status is based on FACTS, Not FB opinions, Not refunds‼️

If this helped save it 📌 If you still unsure ask BEFORE filing‼️

01/15/2026

🎓COLLEGE KIDS & TAX CREDITS LET’S CLEAR THIS UP

Having a child in college does NOT automatically mean your refund goes up.

Let’s talk facts.

You may qualify for education credits like the American Opportunity Credit (AOTC) or Lifetime Learning Credit (LLC) BUT ONLY IF certain rules are met.

Here’s where people get tripped up 👇🏽

📌 You may NOT qualify for a credit if:
• Scholarships or grants covered most (or all) of the tuition
• There were little to no out-of-pocket education expenses
• The student isn’t your dependent
• Income limits are exceeded
• The student already claimed themselves
• The credit has already been used the max number of years

💡 Important education rule people miss:
Scholarships and grants reduce the amount of qualified expenses. If tuition was fully paid by scholarships, there may be no credit to claim even though your child is in college.

🎓 Going to college ≠ automatic tax benefit
💰 Credits are based on what was actually paid, not attendance
🚫 Filing it wrong can cause audits, delays, or credit reversals

This is exactly why:
✔️ Knowing the rules matters
✔️ Filing correctly matters
✔️ Assuming costs you money

Every situation is different. Education credits are not “one size fits all.” If you’re unsure ask before filing. Guessing is expensive.

01/02/2026

01/02/2026

🚨 TAX MYTH #2: “If I’m self-employed, I can write off everything I paid for.”

❌ False.

Deductions must be:
• Ordinary
• Necessary
• Directly related to business income

Personal expenses don’t magically become business write-offs because you’re self-employed. Improper deductions are one of the top reasons Schedule C returns get reviewed.

💎 Write-offs reduce taxes, but wrong write-offs create audits.

12/22/2025

🚨 TAX CREDIT CONFUSION LET’S CLEAR IT UP 🚨

A lot of y’all mix these two up every single year 👀

EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit)
➡️ Maxes out at 3 qualifying children
You can have 4, 5, or 6 kids EITC still only counts 3.

CTC (Child Tax Credit)
➡️ Applies to ALL qualifying children under age 17
No 3-child cap here. Every eligible child counts.

🧠 Read that again. Slowly.

This is why two families with the same number of kids can get very different refunds.

If your tax pro can’t explain this in plain language, that’s a red flag 🚩

Education > guesswork.

12/22/2025

🚨 PARENTS READ THIS BEFORE YOU FILE 🚨

Claiming a child on your taxes is NOT based on:

❌ who “needs the money more”
❌ who has the child support order
❌ who claimed the child last year
❌ who filed first

The IRS uses very specific rules 👇🏾

✅ IRS QUALIFYING CHILD RULES

A child must:
• Live with you more than 6 months of the year
• Be under 19 (or under 24 if a full-time student)
• Not provide more than half of their own support
• Be related to you (child, stepchild, sibling, etc.)

🚨 THE TIE-BREAKER RULE (THIS IS THE BIG ONE)

If two people try to claim the same child, the IRS decides not you.

Here’s the order the IRS uses:

1️⃣ Parent beats non-parent
A parent has priority over grandparents, relatives, or anyone else.

2️⃣ If both are parents → the one with MORE NIGHTS wins
Not months. Actual nights the child slept in the home.

3️⃣ If nights are equal → highest AGI wins
The parent with the higher Adjusted Gross Income gets the claim.

4️⃣ If no parent qualifies → highest AGI wins
Among eligible non-parents.

💡 Important:
• Child support does NOT control tax rights
• Divorce decrees do NOT override IRS rules
• Filing first does NOT guarantee approval

If two people claim the same child:
➡️ One return will be rejected or
➡️ Both will be flagged and letters will go out

📣 This is why refunds get delayed every year.

💬 Comment “PARENT” if this helped or “SAVE” this post because this comes up EVERY tax season.