One thing to consider - if you filed amended returns through a CPA, there may have been a substantial change in your reported income or deductions that triggered additional scrutiny. The certified mail could be related to that. I had this happen with my 2018 taxes when my CPA found significant deductions I'd missed. The IRS sent certified mail requesting documentation to verify those deductions. It wasn't an audit exactly, but they wanted proof before accepting all the changes.

Don't panic! Certified mail from the IRS is concerning but not necessarily catastrophic. The future date you're seeing (12/16 when today is 12/5) is actually normal - their system generates transcript entries before the physical notice is mailed. Given that this relates to your 2019 amended return and shows a $12,350 liability, this is most likely a CP2000 notice or similar correspondence about adjustments they've made based on your amendment. The $90 is probably a small penalty or interest charge. Here's what I'd recommend: First, don't stress too much until you actually receive and read the letter. Second, have all your 2019 tax documents ready along with anything your CPA filed for the amendment. Third, contact your CPA immediately when you get the letter since they're familiar with your situation. Most importantly, whatever the letter says, there are almost always options - payment plans, penalty abatements for first-time issues, or the ability to dispute if there are errors. The key is responding within the timeframe they give you (usually 30-90 days depending on the type of notice).

Has anyone actually been audited for their ERC? I'm worried about amending since the IRS has been cracking down on ERC claims. Don't want to draw attention to myself by filing an amendment.

I went through a similar situation with my construction business last year. The key thing to remember is that there are actually multiple statute of limitations periods at play here, not just one simple deadline. For your income tax amendments related to ERC, you have 3 years from when you filed your original 2020 return (or the due date if you filed early - which was May 17, 2021 for 2020). For employment tax amendments (if you filed 941-X forms), that's 3 years from when you filed each original quarterly 941. Since you mentioned you received the credit payment 8 months after applying, that suggests you filed a 941-X form. The timing of when you received the actual money doesn't affect your amendment deadlines - it's all based on the original filing dates. One thing that caught my attention in your post - you said you're "thinking" you need to amend some things. Before you start the amendment process, make sure you actually need to. The IRS has been scrutinizing ERC claims heavily, and unnecessary amendments can sometimes trigger reviews. If you're unsure about what needs amending, it might be worth consulting with a tax professional who specializes in ERC issues first.

Great question! I went through this exact situation with my elderly father's caregivers last year. The IRS is actually pretty clear on this - if you're controlling when they work, how they do their job, and providing the tools/supplies, they're household employees, not independent contractors. The $2,600 threshold mentioned earlier is key - if you pay any household worker more than that in a year, you need to handle Social Security and Medicare taxes. At $24/hour for 20 hours/week, you'd hit that threshold in just over 5 weeks. One thing that really helped me was keeping detailed records from the start - work schedules, payment amounts, and job duties. The IRS looks at the totality of the working relationship, not just what the worker prefers to be called. Even if your caregivers say they'll "handle their own taxes," that doesn't change your legal obligations as the employer. I'd strongly recommend getting this sorted out sooner rather than later. The penalties for misclassification can be significant, and it's much easier to set up proper payroll from the beginning than to fix it retroactively.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with a similar situation caring for my grandmother. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is the potential liability issues that come with the employee classification decision. When I was researching this for my grandmother's care, I discovered that if your caregivers are household employees (which they likely are based on the control factors everyone's discussed), you may also need to consider workers' compensation insurance. Some states require it for household employees, and even where it's not required, it can protect you from liability if a caregiver gets injured while working in your home. My insurance agent explained that homeowner's insurance doesn't always cover work-related injuries to household employees. So while getting the tax classification right is crucial, don't forget to check your state's requirements for workers' comp and review your insurance coverage. It's another cost to factor in, but the protection is worth it given how physical caregiving work can be. Has anyone else had to navigate the insurance side of hiring household employees?

LPT: if this happens again next year, try accessing the mySocialSecurity site very early in the morning (like 5-6am) or very late at night. Their servers get completely overloaded during tax season during normal hours. I couldn't log in for weeks during business hours, then tried at 5:30am and got right in!

As a tax professional, I want to emphasize that while these alternative solutions like taxr.ai and Claimyr might be helpful, the most important thing is accuracy. The IRS does allow you to report Social Security income without the physical SSA-1099 form, but you need to be absolutely certain of the amounts. If you received only two payments in 2023, you should be able to find the exact amounts on your bank statements or by checking your Social Security account online during off-peak hours (as others mentioned). The key is that whatever you report must match exactly what the SSA reports to the IRS. For future reference, SSA-1099 forms are typically available online by February 1st even if the mailed versions are delayed. But definitely try the early morning login trick - I've recommended this to many clients with success. Don't let a delayed form prevent you from filing on time, especially since you can always file an amended return later if needed.

Great question! The tax year timing can definitely vary by state, which adds to the confusion. In Massachusetts (and many other states), the vehicle excise tax year runs from January 1st to December 31st, just like the regular calendar year. So in your case, since you bought your car in March 2025, you'd be paying excise tax for March through December 2025 - that's 10 months of the 2025 tax year. Some states do it differently though - a few run their vehicle tax year from July to June, or base it on your registration anniversary date. The important thing is to verify with your local tax office what period they're actually charging you for. When you call, ask them to explain exactly what months are covered by your current bill. That way you can make sure you're not being charged for time before you actually owned the vehicle. It's totally normal to feel overwhelmed by all this as a new car owner - I remember being completely baffled by my first excise tax bill too! Once you get through this first one and understand how your state does it, you'll be all set for future years. The good news is that the tax amount usually goes down each year as your car depreciates in value.

Hey Dylan! I totally get the confusion - vehicle excise tax timing is one of those things that seems backwards at first. You're absolutely right that it's charged for the current year (2025), not the previous year. Since you bought your car in March 2025, you should only be paying for the portion of 2025 that you'll actually own the vehicle. For a brand new 2025 model purchased in March, Massachusetts would typically assess it at 90% of MSRP and charge you the $25 per $1000 rate for March through December (10 months). So if your car had an MSRP of around $30k, you'd be looking at roughly $560-675 depending on the exact calculation. I'd definitely recommend calling your local registry office to verify they have your correct purchase date and vehicle specs. Sometimes they get the trim level wrong or use an incorrect registration date, which can inflate the bill. The number should be right on your tax bill. Don't stress too much about it - this kind of confusion is super normal for first-time car owners dealing with MA excise tax. Once you get through this first year, the system will make way more sense!