u/Particular-Emu-5084

My sister is offering me a rent-to-own home, and I’m trying to figure out if the numbers make sense. She currently owes about $298,000 on the house and the mortgage payment is around $2,200/month. She wants the purchase price to be $500,000.

I would pay the $2,200 mortgage payment plus an additional $1,300 every month, so $3,500 total. The extra $1,300 does not go toward the $500,000 purchase price.

Over 18 years, that extra $1,300 alone would equal $280,800.
The house also has earthquake damage, plumbing issues, and damage from the current tenants, so it will need repairs.
I’m interested because it’s my sister and I’d like to make it work, but the numbers don’t seem right to me. Would you agree to this? Should the extra $1,300 be credited toward the purchase price?

Edit: She originally said I could pay $298,000 which is what she owes. 10 minutes later she’s like $400,000. A few hours later I’m firm on $500,000. The house didn’t sell for 2 years!!!

I’m looking for advice on how to handle an issue with H&R Block and an IRS late-filing penalty.

I had an LLC that elected to be taxed as an S-Corp for the 2025 tax year. The business did not make any money during 2025, but the S-Corp election was still in effect, so a 2025 S-Corp return was required.

My H&R Block tax preparer did not want to file the return because the business had no income. I repeatedly asked her for months to please file it because I knew the 2025 return still needed to be completed.

An extension was mailed, and I did see both the extension and the mailing receipt.

However, even after I repeatedly asked for the actual S-Corp return to be filed, it still was not filed. Then, after months of me asking, the preparer suddenly filed the return without any real explanation as to why it had been delayed for so long.

I later revoked the S-Corp election, but the revocation applies to the 2026 tax year, not 2025.

I have now received an IRS notice assessing a $2,555 late-filing penalty for the 2025 S-Corp return, and the amount is due by August 30.

What is frustrating is that I was actively trying to get the return filed. I was not ignoring the filing requirement or refusing to provide information. I was repeatedly asking the tax professional I hired to file it, and she delayed doing so because the business had no income.

I also do not qualify for IRS penalty abatement.

H&R Block states that it covers penalties and interest when an error is made by one of its tax professionals, so I am trying to determine the best way to handle this.

Should I give the preparer an opportunity to address the IRS notice first, or should I immediately escalate this to H&R Block corporate and open a formal claim?

Has anyone dealt with H&R Block paying an IRS penalty caused by a preparer delaying a return?

I have emails and other documentation showing that I repeatedly asked for the return to be filed for months before it was finally submitted.

My husband (35M) adopted younger sister (21F), just gave birth a week ago. During her pregnancy, she was actively using meth, and the pregnancy was only discovered while she was incarcerated for about a week. The baby’s father is also using meth and is abusive.

My husband and I have decided that we will not take in the baby. We’re already stretched thin—we have one biological child and four foster children we’ve been caring for long-term. Taking on a newborn, especially one who may have medical or developmental needs, is something we realistically do not have the capacity for.

There’s also a lot of complicated family history. My husband’s relationship with his mom has been strained since his dad passed away unexpectedly. After his death, she received about $3.1 million. She has given money to his adopted sisters—one of them (the one struggling with meth) even said she received $50k—but my husband didn’t receive anything. That has understandably been very hurtful for him.

His mom has also said she can’t take the baby because she’s already overwhelmed helping another adopted sister (20F) who recently had a baby with significant challenges. However, the 20 year is married with a mental delay and neither her or husband can hold a job down. She got married within 9 months of dating. He’s also abusive and uses meth! My problem is his Mom begged him not to marry me. She wanted him to be a stay at home son. He was making $14 an hour and living at home when he met me. I helped him get started on a career. He is doing really good.

On top of everything, I don’t have a good relationship with his family. I’m worried about boundaries and safety. His sister could show up at any time demanding access to the baby, and her abusive boyfriend is unstable, which honestly makes me feel unsafe. His mom also lives over an hour away and rarely checks in on our son, which adds to my husband’s hurt.

We feel like we’ve already taken on a lot, and at the end of the day, they are adults and this situation isn’t something we created. Still, there’s pressure and guilt being put on us for not stepping in.

So… AITA for saying not taking the baby in?