Does anyone know if those donation value calculators online are actually accurate? Like when it says a used men's shirt is worth $5-7 for tax purposes? I always worry I'm either claiming too little or too much.

As someone who's been through this exact situation, I can tell you that unfortunately without proper documentation for a $1200+ donation, you're in a tough spot. The IRS is pretty strict about the written acknowledgment requirement for donations over $250. However, here's what you might still be able to do: Try to identify which veterans organization owned that donation bin. Many of these bins have small labels or contact information somewhere on them. You could drive back to the location and check, or call the grocery store to ask if they know which charity uses that bin. If you can identify the organization, contact them directly and explain your situation. Some charities will work with you to provide retroactive documentation if you can provide details about when and where you made the donation. It's not guaranteed, but worth trying. For future reference, I always take a photo of the donation bin (showing the charity name) and photos of what I'm donating before I drop it off. This creates a paper trail that makes getting documentation much easier later. The good news is that even if you can't claim this year's donation, you'll be better prepared for next time!

I completely understand your frustration! I went through this exact same confusion when I started my current job last year. Fed MWT EE stands for Federal Withholding Tax - Employee portion, which is basically your federal income tax being withheld from each paycheck based on what you filled out on your W-4 form. The reason you're seeing both FED MED EE and references to FICA is that FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act) is actually made up of two separate taxes: Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%). Some payroll systems show these combined as just "FICA," while others break them out separately. When you see "FED MED EE," that's specifically just the Medicare portion of FICA being itemized on its own line. So no, you're definitely not being double-charged! It's honestly ridiculous how every payroll company seems to use their own cryptic abbreviation system instead of just saying "Federal Income Tax" and "Medicare Tax" in plain English. Makes it so much harder than it needs to be to understand where our money is going. Your HR department's response of "look it up" is unfortunately pretty typical - most HR folks handle benefits and policies but aren't really trained on the detailed tax stuff.

I had the same exact confusion when I started at my current company! Fed MWT EE is just their way of saying "Federal Withholding Tax - Employee portion" - basically the federal income tax they take out of your paycheck every pay period based on your W-4 form. The whole FED MED EE situation threw me off too until I realized that FICA is actually two separate taxes bundled together: Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%). Some companies show them as one "FICA" deduction, while others break them out separately. When you see "FED MED EE," that's just the Medicare portion being shown on its own line. You're definitely not paying twice! It's honestly frustrating how every payroll system uses these cryptic abbreviations instead of just saying "Federal Income Tax" and "Medicare Tax" in plain English. Would save all of us so much confusion! The IRS has a pretty decent withholding calculator on their website if you want to double-check that the right amount is being withheld based on your situation.

I've been through this exact situation with my family restaurant LLC. What worked best for us was setting up clear independent contractor agreements with each family member based on their specific roles and level of involvement. For my mom who helps with bookkeeping twice a week, we created a 1099 arrangement with defined deliverables and hourly rates. For my brother who only helps during busy seasons, we structured it as project-based contractor work. The key things that helped us stay audit-proof: 1. Written contracts specifying exactly what work they'll do 2. Separate invoicing from them to the business (even though they're family) 3. Market-rate compensation - we researched what we'd pay non-family for the same work 4. Clear documentation that they control how/when the work gets done We've been doing this for 3 years now with no issues. The IRS agent I spoke with said family businesses get scrutinized more, so having everything documented properly from the start is crucial. One thing to avoid - don't try to disguise what are essentially wages as "consulting fees" if they're working regular hours under your direction. That's a red flag that can trigger an audit.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is the self-employment tax implications for your family members. If you pay them as independent contractors (1099), they'll owe self-employment tax on those payments, which is about 15.3% on top of regular income tax. If you hire them as W-2 employees instead, you'd split the employment taxes with them (you pay half, they pay half through payroll withholding). Depending on how much you're planning to pay them, this could make a significant difference in their take-home amount. Also, make sure you're not inadvertently creating a "reasonable compensation" issue for yourself. The IRS expects single-member LLC owners who elect S-corp treatment to pay themselves reasonable wages before taking distributions. If you're paying family members but not taking a salary yourself, that could raise questions. Have you considered what election your LLC has made for tax purposes? That might influence the best approach for structuring these payments.

I just wanted to share another potential solution that worked for me after trying several of the methods mentioned here. I was having the same registration issues and while waiting to hear back from my local VITA coordinator, I tried accessing the registration page through the IRS's main Volunteer page instead of going directly to the Link & Learn portal. From the main IRS.gov homepage, I searched for "volunteer income tax assistance" and clicked on the official VITA page. From there, there's a "Become a Volunteer" section that has a different registration link than what's usually shared in emails or other resources. This alternate path took me to a working registration form where I was able to create my account successfully. It might be worth trying this route before going through third-party services or waiting for coordinator callbacks. The training materials look current from what I can see so far, though I'm still working through the basic modules. Hope this helps someone else who's stuck!

Thank you everyone for all these helpful suggestions! As someone who's been trying to register for VITA training for over a month now, this thread has been incredibly valuable. I've tried the standard registration link multiple times with no success, so I'm going to work through these solutions systematically. First, I'll try @Demi Lagos's suggestion about going through the main IRS volunteer page since that seems like the most straightforward approach. If that doesn't work, I'll reach out to my local VITA site coordinator using the locator tool that @Ethan Brown mentioned. It's really reassuring to know that this is a widespread issue and not just something wrong with my setup. The fact that so many people have found workarounds gives me hope that I'll be able to get registered soon. I'm determined to get certified before the 2025 tax season starts - our community really needs more volunteers to help with free tax preparation. I'll report back once I successfully get through the registration process to let others know which method worked for me. Thanks again for creating such a helpful resource thread!

I'm confused about something... if OP's Box 5 ($39,560) is higher than Box 1 ($31,250), doesn't that mean they have about $8,310 in taxable scholarship income? Seems like a lot for a student who probably doesn't have much other income.

Just to add some clarity for future reference - when you're claimed as a dependent, you generally can't claim education credits on your own return, but you ARE still required to report any taxable scholarship income. This is a common source of confusion. The key thing to remember is that Box 1 on your 1098-T typically shows tuition and required fees, while Box 5 shows total scholarships/grants. If Box 5 is higher than Box 1, that difference often represents money that went toward non-qualified expenses like room and board, which becomes taxable income to you. However, as others mentioned, with the standard deduction being $13,850 for 2023, many students won't actually owe tax on that scholarship income unless they have significant other income sources. You should still report it correctly though - the IRS does cross-reference 1098-T forms with tax returns. Make sure to coordinate with your dad so he knows to claim your education expenses for the credits, and you properly report any taxable scholarship portion on your return. Getting it right the first time saves headaches later!