When I got a CP80 last year, I also found out that sometimes the IRS cashes your check but your return gets routed to a different processing center because of something unusual on it (in my case it was claiming a special tax credit). Could explain why they have your payment but not your return.

This exact thing happened to my neighbor last year! The CP80 notice can be really scary but it's usually just a processing mix-up. Here's what worked for her: She called her bank and got a copy of the front and back of the cashed check - the back showed it was endorsed by the IRS Treasury, which proved they definitely received her payment. Then she made copies of her entire tax return and wrote a cover letter explaining the situation. The key thing is to respond quickly to the CP80 notice. Don't wait thinking it will resolve itself. Include: - Copy of your complete tax return (mark it "DUPLICATE - CP80 RESPONSE") - Copy of the cashed check or bank statement - Brief letter explaining you filed and paid on time Send everything certified mail to the address on the CP80 notice. My neighbor got a letter back in about 6 weeks confirming everything was straightened out. The IRS even apologized for the confusion! Also, definitely keep trying to call the IRS. Early morning (around 7 AM) seems to have shorter wait times. You might get through eventually and they can sometimes resolve it over the phone if you have your documentation ready.

Are these capital gains long-term or short-term? Makes a huge difference in how much tax you'll owe.

Great question! With your income level ($175-210k), you'll definitely want to be proactive about this. Since you're over $150k AGI, you need to pay 110% of last year's total tax to avoid penalties under the safe harbor rule. A few quick calculations to help you decide: - Your $25k in capital gains will likely result in $3,750 in additional federal tax (assuming long-term gains at 15% rate) - Check your last year's tax return total tax line, multiply by 1.10 - Compare that to your current year-to-date withholding plus projected withholding for the rest of the year If your withholding won't cover the safe harbor amount, you have two good options: 1. Make an estimated payment for the shortfall 2. Increase your W-4 withholding for remaining paychecks (this is often easier and the IRS treats it as if you paid evenly all year) Since it's still relatively early in the year, you have flexibility with either approach. The key is not to wait until December to figure this out!

Has anyone dealt with refinancing separate property within an LLC? We're in Washington (community property) and my husband transferred his pre-marriage rental into our LLC, but now we want to cash-out refinance it to buy another property. Would using that money for a new property in the same LLC automatically make the new property community even though the source funds came from separate property?

This is a complex area where federal tax law and state property law intersect in tricky ways. Since you're in Arizona, I'd recommend getting familiar with A.R.S. § 25-213 and § 25-214 which govern transmutation of property between separate and community status. The key issue with your wife's pre-marital properties is whether transferring them to a jointly-owned LLC constituted a gift to the marital community. Arizona courts look at several factors: the intent at time of transfer, how the LLC is managed, how profits/losses are shared, and whether community funds were used for improvements or debt service. For basis step-up planning, this distinction is crucial. If those 4 properties are now community property, both spouses' interests get stepped-up basis at the first death. If they remained separate property, only the deceased spouse's portion gets the adjustment. One practical tip: consider having your LLC operating agreement amended to clearly state the separate vs community character of each property's contributed basis, even if you don't change the actual ownership percentages. This creates better documentation for future tax purposes while preserving your options for estate planning strategies. You might also want to explore whether a spousal property agreement could clarify the status of these properties going forward, especially if you're doing broader estate planning.

I'm dealing with a similar situation - got married in Japan in 2020 but never registered anything here in the US. Reading through all these comments has been super reassuring! I was stressed about whether I was filing correctly. One thing I'd add is that if you're ever unsure, you can also reference IRS Publication 501 which covers filing status requirements. It specifically addresses foreign marriages and confirms what everyone is saying here - valid foreign marriages are recognized for US tax purposes. Your accountant definitely gave you the right advice. Keep filing as married and don't let your friends' confusion stress you out. It sounds like they might be mixing up tax requirements with immigration or state-level marriage recognition issues, which are completely different things.

I'm also new to this community and dealing with a very similar situation! My husband and I got married in the Philippines in 2021, and I've been so anxious about whether we're filing our taxes correctly. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful and reassuring. What really stands out to me is how consistent everyone's advice is - whether you got married in the Dominican Republic, Italy, Japan, Mexico, or anywhere else, the rule seems to be the same: if your marriage was legally valid where it was performed, the IRS recognizes it for tax purposes. No special US registration required. I think what might be confusing some people (like your friends who gave you conflicting advice) is that there are different requirements for different purposes. Immigration has its own rules, some states might have different recognition requirements, but for federal taxes, it's straightforward - legal foreign marriage equals married filing status with the IRS. Your accountant was definitely right, and it sounds like you should stick with filing as married. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and resources like the IRS publications and various services - this community is so helpful for navigating these confusing situations!

I just want to echo what everyone else has said here - you're definitely on the right track! I went through this exact same confusion with ADP's portal about 6 months ago and was really frustrated by the disconnect between the IRS calculator and the actual fields in my company's system. After reading through all the responses here and doing some research of my own, I put the full calculator amount ($820 in my case) into the "Child Tax Credit related to dependents" field even though I'm single with no kids. I was nervous about it at first, but it worked perfectly. My withholding has been spot-on ever since - I'm tracking to get back less than $30 this year, which is exactly what I was aiming for. The key insight that helped me was understanding that these payroll systems are just poorly labeled, but they're still doing the same calculations as the standard W-4 form behind the scenes. One small tip: when you make the change, ask your payroll department when it will take effect. At my company, W-4 changes don't kick in until the pay period after next, so there was about a 3-week delay before I saw the new withholding amount on my paystub. Good luck! You're definitely going to get a much more accurate result than just claiming exemptions.

I just want to add my voice to this thread since I literally just went through this exact same situation last week! The confusion between the IRS calculator and ADP's portal is so real, and I'm glad to see so many people sharing their successful experiences. I was in the same boat - the IRS calculator told me to put $650 on Line 3, but then I got to my company's ADP portal and saw that "Child Tax Credit related to dependents" field and had no idea what to do. After reading through experiences like these online and calling my company's benefits hotline twice, I finally got confirmation that this is indeed where the calculator amount goes. What really sealed it for me was talking to someone in my company's payroll department who explained that ADP's labeling is just outdated - they haven't updated their field names since the W-4 changes a few years ago, but the underlying calculation is the same as Line 3 on the standard form. I put my full calculator amount in that field three weeks ago, and my withholding is now exactly where I wanted it to be. It's such a relief to finally have this figured out after years of just guessing and ending up with huge refunds. The one thing I'd add is to screenshot your ADP settings after you make the changes, just so you have a record of what you entered. That way if something seems off later in the year, you can easily reference what you set it to.