One thing no one has mentioned - if you're gambling on sites that aren't legal in the US, reporting those winnings doesn't make the gambling itself legal. You still have to pay taxes on illegal income (IRS doesn't care where money comes from, they just want their cut), but reporting it doesn't protect you from other legal issues related to using those platforms. Most people don't run into problems, but just something to be aware of since you mentioned the platform isn't regulated in the US.

Great question! I went through something similar last year with about $8K in crypto gambling profits. Here's what I learned after consulting with a tax professional: The key thing is that you need to report the fair market value in USD at the time you received each winning, not when you eventually cash out. So if you won 0.5 ETH when ETH was $2,000, that's $1,000 of taxable gambling income even if ETH later drops to $1,500. For your situation with $13.5K in profits, you'll report this as "Other Income" on Form 1040 Schedule 1. Since you haven't converted to USD yet, you're not dealing with capital gains/losses on the crypto holdings themselves - that only comes into play when you sell. One practical tip: start documenting everything now while it's still relatively fresh in your memory. Create a spreadsheet with dates, amounts won in crypto, and the USD value at that time. You can use sites like CoinGecko or CoinMarketCap to get historical pricing data. The IRS expects you to use "reasonable methods" to determine fair market value, so using widely-accepted pricing sources should be fine. Also remember that if you have gambling losses, you can potentially deduct them against your winnings if you itemize deductions, but only up to the amount of your winnings.

I completely understand your confusion - I had the exact same reaction when I received Form 13873-E last year! It's such an official-looking document that immediately makes you think something serious is wrong. Based on everything shared in this thread, your situation is textbook normal. The timing of your HELOC application (3 weeks ago) aligns perfectly with typical IRS processing times for transcript requests. What likely happened is your lender included Form 4506-C in your loan paperwork - it's usually buried among all the other forms you sign - and they made a small clerical error when submitting it. I went through this same panic last year when my mortgage company submitted an incorrect form. In my case, they had transposed a digit in my SSN. Once I contacted my loan officer with the 13873-E notice, they identified the error within minutes and resubmitted the corrected form. The whole thing was resolved in under a week. The silver lining here is that this notice actually shows the system is working properly - the IRS is protecting your tax information by requiring everything to be accurate before releasing transcripts to third parties. Call your loan officer Monday morning with the form in hand. They've definitely seen this before and will know exactly what to fix. This shouldn't impact your HELOC closing timeline at all!

I've been following this thread and wanted to add my perspective as someone who recently went through this exact situation. I received Form 13873-E about two months ago and had the same initial panic - the form looks so official and intimidating! Like many others here, it turned out to be related to a loan application I had submitted (in my case, an auto loan refinance). The dealership's finance office had submitted Form 4506-C to verify my income but had made an error with my address - they used the address on my driver's license instead of the address I had on file with the IRS. What really helped me was understanding that this form is actually the IRS being protective of your information, not a sign that something bad happened. They're essentially saying "we got a request for your tax info, but something doesn't match up, so we're not releasing it until everything is correct." The resolution was incredibly straightforward once I contacted my loan officer. They resubmitted the corrected form within 24 hours, and I had my loan approved within the week. No delays, no complications - just a minor paperwork hiccup that gets resolved routinely. Given your HELOC timeline, I'm confident this is exactly what happened in your case. Don't stress about it over the weekend - your loan officer will have this sorted out quickly on Monday!

I went through this exact same situation two years ago as a J-1 researcher married to a US citizen! The confusion you're experiencing is totally normal because there's a big difference between your immigration status and your tax status. Here's what I learned: As a J-1 visa holder, you're typically considered an "exempt individual" for the substantial presence test, which means those days don't count toward establishing tax residency. However, you can still choose to file jointly with your US citizen spouse by making what's called a Section 6013(g) election. This election allows you to be treated as a US resident for tax purposes only (it doesn't change your immigration status at all). You'll need to attach a signed statement to your tax return making this election - it's not just a checkbox you can mark. The pros of filing jointly usually include lower tax rates and higher standard deductions. The main con is that you'll need to report your worldwide income and may have additional reporting requirements for foreign accounts. I'd strongly recommend getting professional help for your first year doing this, especially since you mentioned the green card process. A tax professional who understands international taxation can ensure you're doing everything correctly and won't create any issues for your immigration case. Don't let the conflicting advice stress you out too much - this is a common situation and there are established procedures to handle it properly!

As someone who works in tax compliance, I want to emphasize that the conflicting advice you're getting is unfortunately very common with international tax situations. The key thing to understand is that your immigration status (J-1 visa holder) is completely separate from your tax filing status. You absolutely CAN file jointly with your US citizen spouse, but you'll need to make the Section 6013(g) election that others have mentioned. This treats you as a US resident for tax purposes only - it doesn't change your immigration status or affect your green card application. The reason your university's Workday system only shows "single" or "married filing separately" is likely because their payroll system doesn't recognize the nuances of international tax elections. HR departments often aren't equipped to handle these specialized situations. Before making the decision, consider that filing jointly means: - Your worldwide income becomes subject to US tax - You may need to file additional forms like FBAR if you have foreign accounts over $10,000 - You'll generally get better tax rates and deductions I'd strongly recommend consulting with a tax professional who specializes in nonresident/resident alien issues for your first year. They can help you complete the election properly and ensure you're meeting all requirements. The cost is usually worth it to avoid potential problems down the road.

Has anyone actually successfully deducted dental implants specifically? My dentist said they might be considered "cosmetic" and not medically necessary even though I literally couldn't eat properly without them.

I went through this exact situation last year with a $7,500 implant after losing a tooth in an accident. Here's what I learned: The IRS considers dental implants medically deductible when they're necessary to restore normal function - eating, speaking, preventing bone loss, etc. The key is having proper documentation from your dentist explaining the medical necessity, not just cosmetic improvement. For your situation with $23k income and a $9k expense, you'd definitely exceed the 7.5% AGI threshold ($1,725), so you could potentially deduct about $7,275. However, as others mentioned, you'd need to itemize to claim this. One thing that helped me was keeping detailed records of ALL related expenses - not just the implant itself, but any preparatory work, follow-up visits, medications, and even mileage to/from dental appointments. These smaller expenses add up and can help push your total itemized deductions closer to making itemizing worthwhile. Also consider if you have other potential itemized deductions like charitable donations, state/local taxes, or student loan interest that combined with the dental expense might make itemizing beneficial overall.

Just adding my experience for others searching: My housekeeper is definitely an independent contractor. She has her own business name "Spotless Spaces", sets her rates, decides which cleaning products to use, and has her own liability insurance. She even has employees of her own sometimes! The IRS would never consider that an employer-employee relationship with me. Don't overthink it - if someone is clearly operating an independent cleaning business with multiple clients, they're a contractor. Just make sure to issue a 1099-NEC if you pay them $600+ in a year. I use tax software that makes this super easy.

I've been dealing with a similar situation and wanted to share what I learned from my tax preparer. The key distinction is whether your housekeeper is operating as a business or working as your personal employee. From what you've described - 20 different clients, setting her own schedule, bringing supplies, and determining methods - she's clearly running her own cleaning business. The IRS looks at the degree of control you have over the worker. If she's making her own business decisions and serving multiple clients, that screams independent contractor. One thing that helped me was keeping records of our arrangement: copies of her business cards if she has them, text messages showing she sets the schedule, receipts showing she buys her own supplies, etc. This documentation supports the independent contractor classification if you ever need to justify it. Don't let the "household employee" rules confuse you - those apply when someone works primarily in your home under your direction. Your housekeeper is running her own enterprise. Just get her W-9 filled out and issue a 1099-NEC if you pay over $600 annually.