Has anyone successfully used their ITIN instead of an SSN for the TikTok verification? I'm not a US citizen but live here on a visa, and I'm stuck on the verification page.

As someone who works in tax preparation, I want to emphasize that using your SSN for TikTok's Creator Fund verification is completely legitimate for minors. The key thing to understand is that a TIN (Tax Identification Number) is just the umbrella term that includes SSNs, ITINs, and EINs. For your 17-year-old brother, he should use his SSN as his TIN. When he starts earning from the Creator Fund, he'll need to track that income and report it on his tax return if it exceeds the filing threshold. Even if it doesn't, it's good practice to file anyway since TikTok will likely send him a 1099 form. One important consideration: if he expects to earn over $400 from TikTok this year, he'll owe self-employment tax on that income, which means he should consider making quarterly estimated tax payments to avoid penalties. This is something many young creators don't realize until tax time. The Montana LLC idea is definitely unnecessary and creates more complexity than it solves. Keep it simple and legitimate with his SSN!

Has anyone used an online service like Zillow or local property tax records to figure out the historical value? I inherited a house from my grandmother in 2012 and the lawyer handling the estate didn't get an appraisal at the time. Now I'm selling and have no idea how to document what it was worth back then.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that you might want to consider the timing of your sale carefully. If this puts you into a higher income bracket for the year, you could end up paying the 20% long-term capital gains rate instead of 15%. Also, since you mentioned this is for your kid's college, look into whether your state offers any tax advantages for education expenses that might offset some of the capital gains. Some states allow you to contribute to 529 plans and get state tax deductions, which could help reduce your overall tax burden. Make sure you keep detailed records of all the property taxes you've paid over the 20 years too - while these don't add to your basis, they can sometimes be deducted in the year of sale depending on how the closing is structured.

Has anyone here actually upgraded from a normal SUV to one over 6,000 lbs GVWR specifically for the tax advantages? I'm considering trading my Ford Edge (business use about 70%) for a Ford Expedition or similar just to take advantage of the Section 179 expensing and bonus depreciation. Is it worth the extra gas and higher purchase price just for the tax benefits? My CPA says absolutely yes but I'm not convinced.

I've been through this exact situation with my construction business vehicles. The key thing to understand is that the IRS requires you to maintain consistent records of your business use percentage throughout the vehicle's life, not just calculate it once at purchase. For your varying business use percentages (60-70% annually), you need to track this each year because it affects both your annual depreciation deduction and the final disposition calculation. When you traded in that first SUV, if your business use in the final year was different from previous years, the IRS requires you to "true up" the depreciation based on the actual business use over the vehicle's entire life in your hands. The inflated basis on your second SUV ($49K vs $41K) is correct - that's the deferred depreciation recapture from your first vehicle rolled into the new basis under the pre-2018 like-kind exchange rules. You're not losing anything, just spreading the tax impact over a longer period. One crucial point: since you mentioned retiring, be very careful about suddenly dropping business use to zero on a vehicle with remaining basis. The IRS may require you to recapture excess depreciation taken in prior years. Consider gradually reducing business use as you approach retirement rather than an abrupt change. For your GVWR question - the total lifetime deduction is generally the same whether you buy a heavy vehicle or not. The advantage is timing: you can accelerate deductions into earlier tax years when you might be in higher tax brackets, versus spreading them out over the vehicle's depreciation life.

Has anyone else noticed that this seems to be happening more often lately? I returned something to HomeGoods last week and they tried to keep the tax too. When I questioned it, they suddenly "found a way" to refund the full amount. I think some retailers are trying this as a sneaky profit tactic hoping people don't notice or complain.

This is really concerning if retailers are systematically doing this. I work in tax compliance and can tell you that what BigTech Store told you is absolutely incorrect. Sales tax refunds on returned merchandise are governed by state law, not store policy. When you return an item, the original transaction is essentially being reversed. The store collected that tax as an agent of the state - they don't get to keep it when the underlying sale is canceled. Most states have specific provisions requiring retailers to refund sales tax on returned items, and failure to do so can result in penalties for the retailer. I'd recommend going back with your receipt and asking to speak with a manager. If they refuse, you can file a complaint with your state's department of revenue. They take sales tax compliance seriously and will investigate retailers who aren't following proper refund procedures. The fact that some commenters are seeing this happen more frequently suggests this might be a deliberate policy at some chains, which is even more problematic from a regulatory standpoint.

Don't forget about condition when determining FMV! The IRS expects the value to reflect the actual condition of your item. New in box > excellent > good > fair > poor. Since your dad's wheelchair is in "great working condition" as you mentioned, you'd probably be in the "excellent" or "good" category which would justify using a more favorable depreciation rate. Take detailed photos showing the condition in case you're ever questioned. Also remember the IRS threshold for requiring Form 8283 is only $500 total for all non-cash donations for the year. And if your donation exceeds $250, make sure the charity's receipt includes the proper language stating no goods or services were provided in exchange.

As someone who works in healthcare administration, I wanted to add that specialized wheelchairs like tilt chairs often have better resale value than standard wheelchairs due to their specific features. The tilt mechanism and specialized seating systems are expensive components that retain value well if they're still functioning properly. Since you mentioned it's barely used, I'd lean toward the higher end of the depreciation calculations others have provided. You might also want to check with local durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers - they sometimes buy or consign used specialized equipment and could give you insight into current market values, even if they can't provide a formal appraisal. Also, don't overlook checking completed sales on eBay rather than just current listings. The "sold" listings will show what similar chairs actually sold for recently, which is better data than asking prices on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace.