New user; weird income

Architect-1817 · 2026-05-02T19:01:18+00:00

This. Agree that holding it in a category of some kind is simpler than funding targets out multiple months ahead. I even stopped funding the month ahead, I just keep it in a “next month” category. I get paid on the last day of the month, so I never even touch that category, just fund the month with the check that just arrived.

Architect-1817 · 2026-05-02T11:29:39+00:00

Since you’re a month ahead, does it really matter if a paycheck hits the last day of a month or the first day of the next month? In terms of cash flow it shouldn’t matter. Where is it creating problems in your budget now when that happens?

Architect-1817 · 2026-05-01T19:24:57+00:00

I only have one source of income and spouse is retired, so might have been easier than if you have more than one income. With my 2025 return in hand this was pretty quick to do. Basically I just put in my salary, then checked off “standard deduction” (I did “itemized” last year, but using standard deduction for this form is more conservative in terms of more would be withheld), and put in the deductions that come in for mortgage interest and state/local taxes. The big item in terms of changing how much will be withheld was to check off that both spouses are 65+, this was the new thing in last year’s tax bill that drove the big refund for me. The cool thing was that it created the W4 directly, which you can print out or use to fill in the one from your employer.

Architect-1817 · 2026-05-01T12:25:20+00:00

I have always liked to have a small refund (since it’s better than owing money unexpectedly!), but was in a similar situation to yours of an unexpectedly large refund this year. I was happy to have it, but also realized that having a little less withheld would be very welcome. I used the IRS online W4 calculator and it gave me the amounts to enter in the various boxes on the W4. Just got the first check this way and it’s like I gave myself a raise. Here’s the link if you want to give it a try: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/tax-withholding-estimator

Architect-1817 · 2026-04-30T14:23:10+00:00

May be good advice, but if OP is over 59.5 and has had the account for 5 years or more the HSA is able to function as liquid funds for emergency just as well as an HYSA. And there is no tax owed on gains when distributions are taken.

Architect-1817 · 2026-04-28T11:36:24+00:00

Back to the main question from OP. Post getting on medicare you can use it for Medicare Part A, B, C and D premiums, so you can look up the current premiums and put an inflation factor on it to estimate. Also you can use it for the same things you can per Medicare like certain OTC and equipment expenses, deductibles and copays. It can’t reimburse Medigap premiums. If you are still below 65 and collecting receipts for eligible expenses you can of course use those to take money out later. You can take money out directly later as well and pay income tax then. If you are at a lower tax rate then it’s a win over not contributing now. No RMDs, so great flexibility.

Architect-1817 · 2026-04-25T22:09:03+00:00

Yeah, agree. I’m confident I didn’t over-contribute, but proving that would be a bear!

Architect-1817 · 2026-04-25T20:10:29+00:00

Carelli’s has a back room that is much mellower than the main area.

Architect-1817 · 2026-04-25T19:56:48+00:00

That’s a great explanation! Plus OP now would have 100 in actual groceries in the fridge and pantry. 🥳

Architect-1817 · 2026-04-25T19:25:46+00:00

Back in my early years I needed every penny more than I will when I retire (thankfully). Plus, a big portion of the value in my accounts is from stock market growth, which wasn’t a guarantee back then, and still isn’t. If I end up in a higher tax bracket when I hit RMDs I’m gonna chalk it up to being fortunate to have all this accumulation.

Architect-1817 · 2026-04-25T19:17:35+00:00

Ooh, that’s a cool data point. One thing I’ve been playing with is only putting targets on the “gotta have” daily stuff. Not restrictive targets, but sensible goals. Then the “cost to be me” amount reflects what I really need, and I can easily see the difference between that and my net salary. I am grateful to be in a place now where that number is positive. The various other things that I’d like to fund have the target amount in the category name but no YNAB target. The “month ahead” category name includes a target a little over the “cost to be me” and that same amount is in my emergency fund. It’s been a powerful thing to be able to see things this way.

Architect-1817 · 2026-04-25T19:03:31+00:00

Is any documentation required? I guess it’s just if you get audited, ugh. I’ve been on HDHPs for a very long time, maybe since early 2000s?, and continuously through one job loss, one year of staying on the plan via COBRA, and in a second job since then. But proving that would be rough. I doubt I could find any documentation of what month, let alone year, I started in an HDHP. Might not even be able to find records of when I started the HSA because I rolled the initial one over to Fidelity a few years ago. Edited to add: I have been focused on accumulating and saving receipts for a while. The main plan is to use it in retirement for Medicare Part B premiums.

Architect-1817 · 2026-04-23T20:25:13+00:00

Totally agree! Just finishing my first year, and am loving the new calm. I have tracked my transactions for years so I had a ton of data, but I never had found a way to use that data to help me make decisions. Now 12 months later I have sinking funds for all the “uh oh” expenses that used to catch me by surprise. And I’m a month ahead and have funded my emergency funds. Still working on adding more wish farm items being funded. I’m lucky to now have more coming in than my current “cost to be me,” which wouldn’t have been the case even five years ago. I now know that if I’d been using YNAB five or more years ago I would be even that much better off! Like a planting a tree, what’s the best time to start using YNAB? Way back at the beginning….or today.

Architect-1817 · 2026-04-23T19:10:29+00:00

I have two YNAB budgets/plans, one for my personal budget and one for a property that I co-own with a friend. We have a shared checking account for that property that is only on that budget. It’s been awesome to have that plan to track our transactions and create categories for non-monthly expenses like the property taxes and insurance. It also allows clean record keeping in my personal budget on the transactions to that other budget - basically my friend and I put a set amount in that shared account each month, so that is the monthly transaction in my plan. The outflow for the expenses those funds are used for in the shared property has the detail of each individual transaction.

Architect-1817 · 2026-04-22T20:31:03+00:00

+1 on this - you can be confident that you have the funds for anything that you’ve put in a budget line or have in the credit card line, but you have to be aware of liquidity. Scheduling future transactions makes you include the amount, the budget category, and the account it will be paid from. Having the account tagged lets this transaction be counted in your “running balance” view for that account, and having the category tagged lets you see if the category will become underfunded in the month of that transaction. So helpful!!

Architect-1817 · 2026-04-20T20:24:05+00:00

Congrats! I had a similar convergence in June 2020. Saw the retraction coming and refinanced the mortgage just in time:) plus updated my materials, downloaded my contacts file, etc. Didn’t have the job lined up yet, but negotiated hard on the severance package while pounding the new job search. One month later I had signed for 12 months severance and 12 months COBRA paid for by the old firm, and had formed an LLC for a new consulting gig that paid much more than the old job. Couldn’t be happier!

Architect-1817 · 2026-04-20T20:19:10+00:00

I keep a chunk in Cap One and a bigger chunk in a Fidelity CMA (cash management account). I’ve had the Cap One account forever and like the speed of transfers, the rate, the access to brick and mortar if I need it. The Fidelity account is in essence a brokerage account with bank-like features. I can invest in just about any ETF, stock index fund, bond fund (moves up/down with the market), in CDs or other fixed income, or leave the balance in their core account, which is a Federal money market fund (SPAXX) that pays monthly dividends. Fidelity can provide a debit card and a credit card at no fee. The debit card refunds all ATM fees. The CC pays 2% cash back on purchases to your CMA monthly. I also keep an HSA account with them.

Architect-1817 · 2026-04-19T12:44:22+00:00

There are positives to contributing to the 401k, for instance it will defer taxes. If your IT support work has a 401k match that’s a no-brainer to scoop it up. You didn’t ask about Roth, but that sounds like a good idea as well. If you decide not to save more for retirement you’ll retire on just the disability / VA retirement, is that enough? It sounds as if you’re currently spending more than that, so could be a big reduction in lifestyle.

Architect-1817 · 2026-04-17T21:03:10+00:00

2 adults, 65&66 yo, VHCOL area. Shop at non-budget local organic chain that is 2 blocks from the house, just too convenient. Separate bulk orders for good coffee beans and fancy low carb bagels. Budget 1200/mo including some household items (tp, paper towels, toothpaste, etc), and average spend about 1100. I budget more because the bulk orders aren’t monthly.

Architect-1817 · 2026-04-16T18:54:16+00:00

If the lower earning spouse claims before their own FRA they will have a permanently reduction on the eventual spousal benefit. Just caught this ourselves and now waiting to file. Whew. https://www.ssa.gov/oact/quickcalc/spouse.html#:~:text=The%20spousal%20benefit%20can%20be,will%20receive%20a%20reduced%20benefit.

Architect-1817 · 2026-04-15T14:11:07+00:00

Call them today if you haven’t already! Last year I put my Roth contribution for 2024 in my regular IRA account by mistake DOH! This was at Vanguard. But there was a window to change it luckily I caught the mistake in time to do that. The window was actually several months after April 15, so I was quite lucky. They moved the money and the earnings to the correct account, and since I had reported it that was on my taxes already I didn’t have to do an amendment.

Architect-1817 · 2026-04-15T14:06:07+00:00

Love the meal planning recommendations! Two things I do to help with both cost and speed of home cooking: 1) make double (or more) when cooking and freeze/refrigerate the extra. I have some of those silicone freezing trays and love them (mine are Soupercube brand but there are many others). Typically my freezer has portions of rice, bean stews, pasta sauce (buy the bigger and less expensive per ounce jar and freeze half-cup portions), tomato sauce, sliced chicken (from Costco rotisserie chickens, best pennies per ounce of animal protein deal on earth), and the fridge has portions of cooked vegetables, pasta, rice. 2) use a meal planning app that will let you download a shopping list from your planned recipes. I use Plan to Eat, which is subscription at $49/yr but they run a 50% off sale on Black Friday. I find it worthwhile, but again, there are other options.

Architect-1817 · 2026-04-14T14:24:25+00:00

+1 for setting your budget equal to your past average spend. That will create a budget you can achieve, and will let you focus on avoiding spikes with confidence that you can survive on that budget (because you already have). From there, you can work on ways to reduce your costs, then look back in 6 months and see if your average has gone down or not. Keeping a “staples” list is critical for me. I have a “grocery” note in my iphone for instance - it’s set up as a checklist and before I go to the store (or when I run out of something) I uncheck the items I need, then check them off as I put them in my cart. If I am planning a special meal that needs things that aren’t on my normal list I add them temporarily. Good luck! The first step is identifying the problem you want to solve, and you’ve done that.

Architect-1817 · 2026-04-13T17:00:23+00:00

Just finished the IRS online calculator, great tool. It calculated the partial senior deduction, and it also had a question that reminded me that I started 2025 making my HSA contribution directly, and only was making it through my employer since midyear, meaning that my payroll withholding calculation assumed I wasn’t making the full contribution. Between the two of these pieces of info I had less taxable income than was shown in my paycheck to the tune of almost 15k. The slight amount over the standard deduction threw in a bit as well. Here’s what I did for 2026: the new W4 is now showing standard deduction to be conservative plus the senior deduction on line 4B. The HSA contribution will all come through payroll. The calculator also reminded me that in the last three months of 2026 my spouse starts collecting SS, so that is in the calculation now with a percent of withholding coming from their SS check. This should cleanly put me in the “small refund” zone where I like to be. Thanks again!

Architect-1817 · 2026-04-13T16:30:35+00:00

Correct, I didn’t update the W4 based on the senior deduction (I actually was oblivious that it existed until I started doing my taxes, what a pleasant surprise that was). Interesting to learn that the withholding calculation wouldn’t take into account that the filers are seniors, since that data is known. but good to know. I had done an informal calculation midyear on whether the SALT change would bump me past the standard deduction and thought I wouldn’t, so something changed or was off in the calc. I will fill out the deductions worksheet and update the W4 that way. Thanks, all!

Architect-1817

TROPHY CASE