Payroll just withholds according to the W4 that you submit to them. If that W4 isn't set to withhold enough, then you won't have enough withheld. So payroll is likely correct in telling you they did everything right. And your CPA is likely also correct....you didn't have enough withheld, so you owe.

That being said, I really don't know why your CPA will need to go through each of your paychecks. All they need to know is your final income numbers, and how much in total was withheld.

This is a common sales tactic. They are trying to get you in the door so they can talk you into buying a new car. Sure....they'll give you extra money on your old car. But then look at how much they mark up the new car to offset it.

If you're planning to purchase this year, then you should put it in a HYSA. Any other reasonably safe option would tie up your money. Or expose it to risk for losses. Which you have no tolerance for, since you're planning to buy in the immediate future.

What exactly did she do that was "terribly hurtful and insensitive?" What did she do to amplify the hurt? When I read the post, it just says OP wasn't invited. What did the bride do that was so wrong?

Severance isn't something that's guaranteed in most places. So there really is no normal or standard amount. Most give nothing. Some give a week or two. I've seen some companies offer something like 2 weeks of pay for every year of service. So it varies. If your company is offering 1 week, then it's one week.

So when you say you will agree to not go after more than you're entitled to.....you're unfortunately not entitled to anything. And if they're firing you, you probably have no leverage here. Review your company handbook/policies to make sure they are complying with any documented termination policies. I guess you could consult a lawyer if you think they may have violated some local law in firing you. But beyond that, I'm not sure what leverage you'd have to ask for more.

I think most everybody has been "left out" at some point in their lives. I'd be willing to bet that most people get left out of things on a regular basis. That's just a part of life. At a certain point, everybody needs to accept that it's a part of everyday life. Very few of us are going to be included in everything for everybody around us. For me, I accept that it will happen, and I move on. I focus on the things I can control. I focus on the people that do want to spend time with me. It's self-destructive to do anything else with it.

What are the rules for personal driving with the company car? Are you free to drive it anytime you want, or only for work travel? That will make a difference on whether or not it makes any sense to sell anything.

Assuming you're free to sell one of the cars, I'd look to sell the escape. I get that she would like AWD, but $650 is a pretty large payment to carry for somebody who only occasionally drives. Or, if you're committed to her having AWD, I'd sell both the cars, and turn around and buy something less expensive. That will help you in your goal to save some money for a future home purchase.

I should have been clearer. I was wondering what you were budgeting for, and how much you were setting aside for each item. Basically trying to rough out a budget to see if there was any way that this would look affordable. Without seeing it all, and just looking at your income and the rent number, I'd guess your best bet is to find a roommate.

No brainer to me. You pay down the 18% interest loan first. You're paying nearly 4x the interest on that debt. Paying the student loan first will free up some monthly cashflow, but will cost you much more in interest in the long run. The only motivation to do that is if you're struggling to make your payments every month.

If you're not particularly close, you shouldn't expect to get invited to her wedding. Whether somebody else was invited or not is irrelevant. It's her wedding. She's not obligated to invite anybody that she doesn't actively want there. Nor does a person need to justify why they didn't invite somebody to their wedding. It's entirely possible that she views you as a work acquaintance, and not a friend who she actively wants at her wedding. There is no justifiable reason for you to feel crushed by this. There is no reason for you to invest any emotional energy into trying to figure out why you weren't invited. The best thing you can do is move past it, and spend time being with people who are close friends with you.

When I take the numbers you've listed above, and add in your annual expenses (spread out over 12 months), I'm getting a total monthly expense of $4696. So most months, it's going to be close. I realize that in your budget, you're considering checks 25 & 26 as extra paychecks in 2 of the months. And you also have your annual bonus that's not in here. But I'm also not sure that you've included all expenses. Cell phone? No number for home maintenance/repair? Clothes? Your budget also doesn't have any line item for savings/vacations/etc. So if we're working off of a regular net income of $5k, you'll probably be right up to the edge of it most months.

It feels like it's going to be really tight most every month, and you'll be reliant on those 2 checks and the bonus to buy back breathing room. So you'll likely run at a slight loss many months, and you'll need those checks to balance it all back out. And what happens when you need to replace a car?

Assuming no loan origination fees, there is no reason to not refinance. The only question is how far you are into the current loan. If you're 24 months in, you don't want to recast things and pay out for a new 60 month term. What I'd do is keep making the current payments, so that you'll still get the loan paid off in the next few years. But you'll save on interest with the lower rate.

It will really come down to your budget. I'd agree with your estimate on a mortgage payment of up to $3300, if you're pushing $450k with the purchase price. You said you have a monthly net income of $7500. So after making a $3300 mortgage payment, you'd have $4200 left. So the question is.....can you cover all your expenses and meet your savings goals with the remaining $4200/month? Without other significant debt, or general spending issues, it seems like you should be able to afford that.

At the age of 26, you're long past the point of separating your finances from your parents. So you make a choice. Create a new account for yourself, or continue the shared one and continue helping out your parents. There's nothing wrong with choosing to support your parents. Just understand that is the choice you're making if you keep the shared account.

I don't think it's a great idea to spend more than 50% of your net income on rent. What are you estimating for each of your other expenses?

Would really need to see a full budget breakdown in order to say if there might be better options for you. You only mention a $1500 rent and $1000 payment towards cards. Your monthly net income is likely in the ballpark of $7200/month, depending on taxes/insurance/etc. If that's the case, where is the remaining $4700 or so going?

Sounds like you know your options (pay the new larger payment of new escrow+mortgage+shortage or come up with the $7700 shortage and pay the somewhat smaller new escrow+mortgage payment monthly).

If it were me, I wouldn't take out an interest bearing loan to pay off the shortage when they'll amortize the amount over the next 12 months interest free, unless you don't have the cashflow to cover that monthly payment. If that's the case, I'm not so sure you can comfortably afford to take out a personal loan to cover it, either. What does your total budget look like? Maybe the new car is the larger issue here? Also, is this a new construction, or have you otherwise verified that the $7700 shortage is accurate?

Depends on what you do, where you live, and how much experience you have. $54k would be a ton for some jobs, and it would be horrible for other jobs. Where I would start if I were you is to figure out your job title/role. Then do some research and see what the market rates are for your job title, with your experience, and where you live. That will give you an idea on whether or not your salary is in line with what others are making, doing what you do, and where you live.

If you pay once a month, you make 12 full payments. If you pay every two weeks, you make 13 full payments. This "extra" payment annually will help pay off the mortgage faster.

With interest rates of 28.99% and 22.24%, it's a no-brainer. Pay off that debt immediately. It's crazy to keep money in your savings while paying out that kind of interest.

What would I do in this situation? Make her refi the home, or sell the home. End of story.

There probably isn't a lot that you can cut there. There's a couple of subscriptions, and you can probably get the grocery bill down a little bit. The real killer for your situation is the debt payments. You should have around $700 extra now, based on what you listed. Get the debt paid off, and you'll have $1400-1500 extra each month.

I'd list out your loan/credit card debts from highest interest rate to lowest. Make the minimum payments on all of them except for the one with the highest rate. Put all your extra money towards that debt. Repeat that monthly until it's paid off, then move on to the next highest rate. Do that until the debts are all paid off. That will save you the most money in terms of interest paid.

You mentioned in one comment that you've lived with your parents for 7 years. I hear all the things you're saying....but it's still alarming that you're carrying a credit card balance after that many years living at home. It's also alarming that you're choosing to carry that high interest debt for no other reason than to have cash on hand. And I strongly disagree with the notion that you made a mistake by trying to pay that debt down before and you "missed out" on favorable buying conditions by paying it down. Sure...you could have spent less on the monthly mortgage payment....and that's immediately offset by having tons of high interest revolving debt on the books.

Beyond that, you really didn't break down any real budget. You mentioned $90 car insurance. You mentioned some other items, but assigned no numbers to any of it. You didn't give any number for gas. I realize you work from home and expect gas to be lower, but surely you drive a bit? You didn't mention how much your cell bill was. You didn't estimate anything for food or utilities if you buy this house. You mention "a few" streaming services. How many? How much? Do your numbers include retirement savings already? You mentioned in another comment that you have $15k saved now, and might be able to save another $5k by the time you'd close on the house. How much of this are you planning on putting down on the home? Surely not all of it, right? It wouldn't be wise to totally burn your entire savings/emergency fund in the purchase up front. And the flip side is....if you're only putting down $10k, your monthly payment is very unlikely be under $2300-2400/month. And just how much will you need to buy to furnish the place?

Saying all that....that doesn't mean you can't afford the house. There just isn't enough info given to say for sure. It feels like you're just very desperate to get out of your parents' place, that you're jumping on the first deal you see. It doesn't sound like you've really drilled down and listed out all the specifics to check your potential budget if you make this purchase. If I pull up a spreadsheet and plug in estimates for the things I believe you'd have to pay for, it feels like the budget is pretty compressed. I can balance it, but there isn't a ton left over after plugging things in. So it'd appear you can make it from a monthly cashflow standpoint, but you'd be equally screwed the minute you have to pay for anything unexpected. Because there isn't a lot there to build/rebuild savings aside from paying the monthly expenses. But that's just guessing, and without seeing your actual numbers and expenses.

Generally, the $282k home would be at the very top end of your search. What does your entire monthly budget look like? It’s concerning that you live with your parents and are carrying credit card debt. It would seem to be foolish to choose to spend 20% interest on the cards if you don’t need to. If you’re already in a spot where you’re running up debt while living rent free….what will your budget look like with a $200k mortgage? How much are you planning on putting down? Unless it’s well more than $20k, I’d assume your payments will be a lot closer to $2200-2300, depending on taxes/insurance/PMI.

You shouldn’t base your entire budget on earning commissions that aren’t guaranteed. But even if you assumed you’d always make at least $2500 in commissions, that apartment is too much for your income. Based on your story, it sounds like you’re making an impulsive decision to rent the “perfect” apartment to fix your life, because you’re unhappy that your boyfriend broke up with you and you still live at home. Renting a fancy apartment isn’t going to start or fix your life.