It's only taxable if you both itemized and did not take the full salt deduction at the same time (kind of hard to do, not impossible). I think I read it's like 0.2% of taxpayers. Show your tax person your federal taxes from last year and ask if that applies to you.

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-issues-guidance-on-state-tax-payments-to-help-taxpayers

What I think is great about MassSave, they gave me a $10k rebate for my heatpump, that will use enough energy to pay the state $14,000 in the state fees associated with MassSave. lol.

Certainly the MassSave rebate helps skew supply and demand for both materials and labor which in turn increases the cost in order to meet demand. States outside of New England see our rates on r/hvac or r/heatpumps and they think what we pay is crazy!

If it is the whole-home, you will need an inspection after the insulation work is done. My inspection was done long enough after that the insulation compacted a little bit and the inspector made the team come back and put more in. Then I had trouble getting a modified sign off that the work was done, I tried for weeks, gave up and sent it in anyway.

6 weeks after doing the online rebate form, they claimed I didn't upload the heat pump whole-home verification form from the installer... when you submit the rebate it gives you a receipt and the verification form was listed on the receipt, so I know I sent it. After I sent it again, it was still 8 weeks after that before the check came.

There are a lot of rules at play here, including registering a car from another state which you have owned less than six months and the fact that no sales tax was paid on it in MA or another state. That's a lot of balls flying around, in addition to the business name.

I saw a post in r/solar recently, where a person was signing into a long-term solar agreement, was happy and wanted to sign the agreement, everyone cautioning not to as it was long-term and the person said they wanted it to be short term and said "I'm a lawyer, I know how to work the system to get out of it." And listed a bunch of abusive practices of filing false complaints with the BBB and Attorney General to get the company to cave. So, the poster could have some shady housing issues or had an issue with a tenant abusing the legal system to get their way.

lol, thanks for the validation. I texted and talked to bunch of friends and family when I signed up for the 12.69 and suggested they do too... Only one did; the rest were like blank stares.

Keep in mind Subaru will disable its Starlink because you are buying it in MA. Use that as negotiating leverage against going to Toyota, Tesla, VW, or any other brand.

By the time your new supplier kicks in, we will be back to Summer rates May 1. This is something you should be doing every summer is shopping rates for winter. It is rare that I have seen a supply rate in Summer cheaper than National Grid's, but winter rates you can get a deal if you sign up in Summer for Winter. For this winter, I signed up for 12.69¢ in Summer, when National Grid's rate was 11¢; people thought I was crazy, but I knew that Winter rates are always higher than summer rates, and I'd end up saving. Two winters ago, I signed up at 9.5¢ at the end of summer, and that winter, National Grid's rate was 14¢. Always sign up in Summer to lock in a Winter Rate. Some people who locked in with a contract in December at 18¢ are sorry now seeing 13¢ options, and may be very sorry when National Grid's summer rates are announced.

The pro-tax movement, in their own calculations knew some would leave, so it's either dishonest or just head-in-the-sand to say it's not going to happen. That tax was an extra up-to 4%, this is another 10%. I do know there isn't enough information in this healthcare law to really know it's implications. Right now, everything is great in my and a lot of people's healthcare. I wouldn't give up what we have for a plan that isn't even a real plan, just a few ideas. I'm not afraid of the what if I lose my employer plan, there are safety nets of cobra, mass health, connector, etc. What I am afraid of is a bill that says I have to lose my current coverage and didn't say it I can keep my cancer hospital or medications.

Their FAQs talk more about how the trustees that will oversee the health care fund get appointed (this group pushing the initive left slots for their organization to get Trustee positions), and not enough about the actual care covered. So mlany questions.

• Would you get care out of state? (My cancer doctor is out of state, but what about while traveling too?)
• What is the "streamlining" process they talk about? Some states, this proposal has meant cutting out fraud prevention as a way to mathematically save money; in reality, we all watch American Greed, there is a ton ofl provider-based medical expense fraud, which would increase the costs to the system if not monitored
• What if they aren't able to negotiate with a certain provider or for a certain medication - would we still get the state reimbursement for their portion and we pay the rest, or are we just stuck paying cash for that provider and that medication? Right now, if a doctor doesn't want to negotiate, and you have a PPO, you just pay a higher cost, but the majority is still covered - Same with a Medication, it may just be a higher tier; but if they just completely shut it out, you may have to pay the full price... This isn't answered in their FAQs.
• The providers in MA have very high reimbursement rates in my experience; I pay far more for a dentist or doctor than in other states. Would these doctors keel over, or band together. Would the system just say "we don't need Mass General Brigham and their associated physicians" if they weren't willing to lower their rates? Negotiating is a two way street; maybe the Health Care Trust can hold the line with them, and not negotiate higher; would Mass General and other providers end up lowering wages due to the lower reimbursements? Paying nurses, doctors, technicians, security guards, all less?
• This is adding a tax to a lot of people, I know for my wife and my coverage, our cost of the tax would be significantly higher than our healthcare cost is now; I know that's not necessarily for everyone, but if you have good coverage from work or a spouse who currently carries your coverage, your costs are going up.
• On that topic, how many people will leave the state with an extra 10% tax? Was this factored into their numbers? Just like we saw with the recent millionaire tax bill, the people who put the law together fairly projected that many millionaires would leave the state to avoid the tax and projected a lower tax revenue than if they stayed; has this healthcare proposal factored in the revenue loss from more high-taxpayers leaving?
• It seems like most of the people this is intended to help already can get care with MassHealth or Connector Care. Why don't we just improve Connector Care a tad, rather than uprooting the rest of us - especially with voting for this based on a lacking FAQ; I read the law too, which isn't better.

Can't say I've made the jump, but I've been 1099 for 20 years; I haven't worked a full-time W2. The extra Social Security and Medicare Taxes kind of suck. I'd recommend doing your own taxes; it helps you learn the tax system to make sure you are taking advantage of any credits and deductions available. I'd also recommend when it comes to health insurance, pick one of the HSA-eligible plans and deposit the maximum allowable into your HSA account. An SEP retirement plan allows you to put up to 25% of your income (max $66k), which is a nice benefit. Honestly, let me know if you have questions in the future, I'd be available.

There are some houses with in-laws; of course finding one for rent is few and far between. One of (maybe the) nation's largest home builder, Lennar, they don't build in MA, but in 26 other states, and one of their most popular models is an in-law, with a separate kitchen, garage, everything; My parents live next to one, it's perfect for in-laws. Just mentioning it in case your move ends up being out of state, that's an easy way to find what you are looking for.

You live in MA, and you are asking why our legislature did something and expecting some rational reasoning??? How long have you lived here??? lol, I'm being sarcastic/not sarcastic of course, but we could name endless laws that don't make any sense.

LLCs to have the protection of a C-corp with some tax advantages, so I'm sure it's partially that MA wants their due, maybe encourage you to go with the S-Corp.

S-Corps are for small businesses, usually only one or two owners, but up to a limit of 100. And while youtubbers trying to seem smart preach LLCs, depending on your earnings, S-corps can be more favorable than an LLC for taxation, or even using both in conjunction with each other.

But, your other point, yes, I am not incorporating in MA regardless of entity type.

As much as I love living here, it does remind me of the Kia commercials from a decade or so ago. A family going out to have fun on a weekend in their Kia while others drive their Lexus to work on Saturday. Costs being so much higher here, we could have more of whatever living at a lower cost elsewhere. As someone who has spent a great deal of cash and time trying to live life a little greener, I realized it's much easier to do living further south than it is in MA. I'm not leaving anytime soon, partially thanks to earning a little more than average... But if I were average, I would have been out of here for a more relaxing life within my budget. If I cared about being 100% green and off fossil fuels, I would have been out of here, but I'm okay with just doing my absolute best given the circumstances.

This is the tale of my two brother in laws. Same school system, the same activities, everything. One was challenged by his parents, went on to get a master's at MIT. The other one, the parents gave excuses for his laziness, got high daily in college and flunked out. It's not the school, it's the parents who make the kid.

Two kids I went to school with,(I went to a highly rated school) one graduated top 5, spent all his time in the music suite, went to Julliard; still at 38 years old playing gigs for near quarters in Manhattan. Another kid, graduated in the bottom half, didn't go to college, but had spent all his time in the business wing of the high school, started a concrete business at 18, and a real estate business a few years later; if I had to guess he makes more a day than the top 5 kid makes in a month.

I think the real key is to nurture your kid and find a house within budget; being stressed about money isn't good at all. Being able to save in your retirement plan, 529 plans, etc will pay off better than almost any public school compared to another.

Only 13% of taxpayers itemize, so 87% automatically won't have to pay tax on the refund. Out of the 13%, only those who didn't pay at least $10k in state tax will have to claim the refund as earnings. Since the vast majority of people who itemize are high earners, this is a very small number of people. I'd suspect the percent of people who will have to pay tax on the refund will be in the very low single digits, maybe even 1% or less of the population.

If you used it as a deduction on your tax return, then it wasn't already taxed. It's not taxable if you didn't use it as a deduction.

I would agree, but with heat pumps, people would need to choose between lifetime efficiency and the super cold weather single day comfort. Heat pumps are probably the most "sized to only 5°" type heating system we have, and a larger system would mean higher cost and system cycling all other days of use, maybe even shortening the life of the unit. It may be better to have a supplemental system on standby such as portable electric or indoor propane heaters, a fireplace/pellet stove or something of that nature, rather than an HVAC system larger than you need 729/730 days every 2 years.

It's based on the year, so if you earned money in January you'll put that in. You can also put in that you have no income that current month if that's the case

Go to the connector website, do the application with your income that you have earned this year or will earn (known things like investments, unemployment, separation agreement, etc), the site will tell you what you qualify for.

Apparently not. If people who take the train to work find it uncomfortable, whether the trip there or the trip home, they won't ride it. It's better for the transit system to have those foxboroers paying $20 a day then have the 1A people taking up space on the commuter rail when they otherwise could have taken other forms of transit with the same dollars, not taking money out of the system.

Getting home they all get on at once.

If people in the city chose commuter rails (designed for longer distances) rather than a bus or subway due to the same 1A rate, would those going to Foxboro/Dedham/Norwood/Norfolk still want to ride an overly crowded commuter rail or would they start driving into work?

Perhaps a solution to still achieve Wu's goal without Foxboro people ditching the rail for their car is to leave Readville a zone 2 for the Franklin/Foxboro line, but make the Fairmont line more of a subway with the standard subway fare along it. Essentially two different fares at the same station, but just classifying the trains differently.