I've been dealing with this exact same issue! What worked for me was being very systematic about it. I started taking photos of my receipts immediately after checkout and created a simple spreadsheet tracking which stores, what items, and how much incorrect tax I was charged. After collecting about 6 weeks of data, I had solid evidence showing a clear pattern. I took this documentation to each store's customer service desk during non-busy hours and calmly explained the situation. Having the organized data made a huge difference - managers took me seriously instead of brushing it off. For the one store that refused to help, I filed a complaint with my state's Department of Revenue online. They actually followed up within 2 weeks and the store called me directly to resolve it. The key is being persistent but professional, and having good documentation. Don't let them tell you "it's just how the system works" - incorrect tax collection is a real issue that they're required to fix. You're not being difficult by expecting them to follow tax laws correctly!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I just want to add that if you're dealing with multiple stores in your area having the same issue, it might be worth checking if they all use the same point-of-sale system provider. Sometimes the problem isn't with individual stores but with how their POS vendor has configured tax rules for your state. I discovered this when three different local businesses were all incorrectly taxing the same exempt items. Turns out they all used the same POS system, and the vendor had misconfigured the state tax tables. Once I reported it to the state tax office, they were able to contact the POS vendor directly and get it fixed for all their clients at once. Also, don't forget that you can usually request a detailed receipt that shows the tax calculation breakdown. This makes it much easier to identify exactly which items were incorrectly taxed rather than trying to figure it out from a standard receipt. Just ask customer service to print a "detailed tax receipt" - most modern systems can generate this. Keep pushing on this issue - you're not just helping yourself but potentially hundreds of other customers who shop at these stores!

One consideration that hasn't been fully explored is the timing of when you actually realize the tax benefit from gifting stocks with losses. While the dual basis rules have been explained well, it's important to understand that the loss deduction timing depends entirely on when the recipient sells. If you gift stock with embedded losses to Dave and he decides to hold onto them for years, you've essentially given up your ability to claim those losses now when they might be most valuable to you. Meanwhile, Dave gets the potential future benefit, but only if he sells at a price that triggers the loss calculation under the dual basis rules. This creates a strategic timing issue - if you're in a high-income year where capital losses would offset significant gains, it might make more sense to realize the losses yourself rather than gift the stock. The recipient's tax situation and their timeline for selling becomes a crucial part of the equation. Also worth noting: if you're considering this strategy with multiple family members or across several tax years, you'll want to track the cumulative impact on everyone's tax situations to make sure the overall family tax burden is actually being minimized, not just shifted around.

This is a really comprehensive discussion that touches on most of the key considerations for gifting stocks with embedded gains or losses. As someone who's navigated this recently, I wanted to add a perspective on the practical implementation side. One thing that tripped me up initially was understanding that the "dual basis" rule for gifted loss stocks creates three possible outcomes when the recipient sells: 1) If they sell above your original basis, they have a gain based on your original cost, 2) If they sell below the fair market value at gift date, they have a loss based on that lower value, and 3) If they sell in between those two numbers, there's no gain or loss to report at all. This middle "no gain, no loss" zone can actually be quite large if there's a big difference between your original basis and the current value, which makes the timing and pricing strategy even more critical than I initially realized. Also, regarding the documentation requirements others mentioned - I found it helpful to create a formal gift letter that includes all the relevant dates, values, and cost basis information, even though it's not technically required. Having everything clearly documented upfront made the eventual tax reporting much smoother for both parties and provides good protection if the IRS ever has questions about the transaction timing or intent. The state tax complications mentioned are definitely real - I ended up consulting with a CPA who specializes in multi-state tax issues because the interaction between federal gift rules and state income tax rules can create unexpected consequences that aren't obvious when you're just looking at the federal side of things.

Have you considered just sending a certified letter to her address stating you need her tax info for your filing? That way you have proof you tried to contact her if the IRS ever asks. I did this last year when my son's after-school program administrator wouldn't respond to emails.

I went through this exact situation two years ago and wanted to share what actually happened with my refund timing. I filed with the "provider refuses to provide information" option checked, claiming about $4,800 in childcare expenses. My refund was processed normally and came through in the expected timeframe (about 3 weeks for direct deposit). The IRS didn't hold it up at all. About 6 months later, I did receive a letter asking me to verify the childcare expenses, but by then I already had my refund. For the verification, I provided copies of my payment records (bank statements showing the payments, text messages arranging payment, etc.) and a brief explanation of my attempts to get the provider's tax info. The IRS accepted my documentation and that was the end of it. The key thing is to keep really good records of all your payments and any attempts you made to contact the provider. Take screenshots of unanswered texts, keep copies of emails, etc. This will protect you if questions come up later. Don't let the missing tax ID stop you from claiming a legitimate credit you're entitled to!

This is such a comprehensive thread! As someone who just started their EIN application process for a small woodworking business, I'm relieved to learn that the initial industry classification isn't set in stone for tax purposes. I was stressing about whether to pick "manufacturing" vs "retail" since I both make custom furniture and sell pre-made items at farmers markets. One thing I'm curious about - for those of you who switched your Schedule C business classification to better reflect your actual activities, did you notice any difference in how the IRS processed your returns or triggered any additional scrutiny? I want to make sure I classify correctly from the start but don't want to overthink it if it really doesn't matter much practically speaking.

As someone who's been running a small laser engraving business for about two years now, I can confirm what others have said about the EIN industry classification being mainly for statistical purposes. I initially selected "retail" when I first got my EIN because I was primarily selling finished products, but when I started doing more custom work and buying raw materials in bulk, my accountant helped me switch to "manufacturing" on my Schedule C. The real game-changer for me was getting organized with expense tracking early on. I wish I'd known about proper inventory management from the start - it would have saved me hours during tax season trying to reconstruct my material costs. For anyone just starting out, I'd recommend setting up a simple system to track your raw material purchases and usage from day one, regardless of which industry classification you choose initially. Also, don't forget about indirect expenses like electricity for running your equipment, storage costs for materials, and even vehicle expenses if you're delivering products to customers or picking up supplies. These can add up to significant deductions that are easy to overlook!

Something to watch out for - make sure your state taxes are handled correctly with the solar credit too! I had a similar situation where the federal part worked fine but my state return got messed up. Some states have their own solar incentives that work differently than the federal credit. My tax software didn't automatically adjust my state return correctly and I almost missed out on additional state incentives. Also double check if your utility company offers any additional rebates or credits - those are typically separate from the tax stuff but can be substantial!

Another thing to keep in mind is that your federal tax withholding on your W-2 might need adjustment after installing solar panels because of the credit. Once you get the credit, you might be getting a much bigger refund than normal, which essentially means you've been giving the government an interest-free loan. You could adjust your W-4 to have less tax withheld from each paycheck, essentially giving yourself a "raise" throughout the year instead of waiting for the big refund. My solar installer actually mentioned this, but I didn't think much of it until I saw my massive refund this year!