Just wanted to add one more suggestion that worked for a friend of mine in a similar situation - check if the company had any business licenses or permits that might still be searchable online. Many cities and counties maintain databases of business licenses, contractor permits, or professional licenses that include the business's federal tax ID. For example, if it was a restaurant, they would have had health department permits. If it was a construction company, they'd have contractor licenses. Even something like a business license or sales tax permit from the city/county might include the EIN in the records. These local government databases are often overlooked but can be goldmines of information. The permits usually stay in the system even after a business closes, and they're typically searchable by business name. Worth checking your local city and county websites to see what business databases they maintain. Also, one thing I learned from my own experience - don't forget to check if they had any professional licenses or certifications specific to their industry. These are often maintained at the state level and require accurate tax information for renewal and reporting purposes.

Great question about timing! In my experience, it really depends on which method you try first. Some approaches are much faster than others: **Quick options (1-3 days):** - Checking your own old tax returns (if you can access them digitally) - Searching through old emails and documents you already have - Contacting former coworkers who might have kept paperwork - Online state business registry searches **Medium timeframe (1-2 weeks):** - Contacting banks, insurance companies, or benefits providers - Reaching out to the company's former CPA or bookkeeper - Using callback services to get through to the IRS - Third-party document analysis services **Slower options (3-6 weeks):** - Requesting detailed records from Social Security Administration - Standard IRS phone support (if you can even get through) - Waiting for responses from state agencies My advice? Start with the quick options first - check your old tax returns, search your emails, and try the state business database. If you worked there recently, one of these will probably work within a few days. Save the slower methods as backup options. But honestly, don't wait until tax season if you know you'll need this info! Start the process in late fall so you have plenty of time to try multiple approaches without the stress of tax deadlines. I learned this lesson the hard way!

This is totally normal! I went through the exact same thing last year with TurboTax and SBTPG. The IRS sends your refund to SBTPG first on your deposit date, then SBTPG takes out the filing fees and forwards what's left to your bank account. Their website is notorious for not updating until the very last minute - sometimes not even until the day before or day of your deposit date. If WMR shows 2/26, you should still get your money on time even if SBTPG hasn't updated yet. I'd only start worrying if 2/26 comes and goes with no deposit. Keep checking SBTPG daily but don't stress too much - their system just lags behind the IRS updates!

Same exact situation here! Filed through TurboTax in January with fees taken from refund, WMR shows 2/26 deposit date, but SBTPG has zero info when I check. Based on everyone's comments it sounds like this is totally normal and their system just updates super late. I'm trying not to stress about it but it's hard when you're waiting for that money! Going to keep checking SBTPG daily and hope it updates by tomorrow. Thanks for posting this - makes me feel way better knowing I'm not the only one dealing with this lag between WMR and SBTPG!

One thing I'd add about your 23.5% calculation - make sure you're measuring the garage square footage accurately. The IRS expects you to use the actual usable business space, not including things like structural walls or areas you can't practically use for business purposes. Also, since you mentioned you've been using it exclusively for business since early 2023, you can actually claim this deduction for both your 2023 and 2024 tax returns. For 2023, you'll want to calculate it from when you started using it exclusively for business (not the full year unless you started January 1st). Regarding categorization - this goes on Form 8829 (Expenses for Business Use of Your Home) which then flows to Schedule C if you're a sole proprietor. It's not rental income/expense since you own and live on the property. The form will walk you through whether to use the simplified method ($5 per sq ft, max $1,500) or the actual expense method with your 23.5% calculation. Given the size of your space, the actual expense method will likely give you a much larger deduction than the simplified method, but remember what others mentioned about depreciation recapture if you sell your home later.

Great question about measuring usable space! Yes, you should exclude areas like where the water heater is located, as well as any built-in storage that you can't reasonably use for business purposes. The IRS wants the actual square footage that's available for your business activities. For the timing on your 2023 taxes, you do need to prorate based on the actual months of exclusive business use. So if you started using the garage exclusively for business in March 2023, you'd calculate 10/12 of your annual expenses for that year. Don't use the full year unless you truly started January 1st - the IRS is pretty strict about this timing requirement. I'd recommend measuring your garage carefully and creating a simple floor plan showing the business-use area versus any excluded spaces. This documentation could be helpful if you ever face questions about your calculation. Also keep records of exactly when you transitioned to exclusive business use in 2023 - bank records showing when you moved business inventory there, lease termination if you had previous business space, etc. The prorated calculation for partial 2023 plus your full 2024 deduction should still result in significant tax savings given the size of your space!

I completely understand your confusion - this is such a common issue for new car owners! Vehicle excise tax is indeed charged for the current year (2025), not the previous year, so you're thinking about it correctly. Since you bought your car in March 2025, you should only be paying excise tax for the period you'll actually own the vehicle during 2025. In Massachusetts, this would typically be March through December (10 months), not the full year. Here's what I'd recommend checking on your bill: - Verify they have your correct purchase/registration date (March 2025) - Make sure the vehicle specifications and trim level are accurate - Confirm the calculation is only for the months you'll own the car in 2025 Massachusetts calculates excise tax at $25 per $1,000 of assessed value, and for new cars they typically use 90% of MSRP (not what you actually paid). So if your car's MSRP was around $30,000, you'd be looking at roughly $675 for the full year, prorated down to about $560 for 10 months. I'd definitely call your local tax assessor's office to walk through the calculation with them. They're usually pretty helpful in explaining how they arrived at the amount. Don't worry - this kind of confusion is completely normal for first-time car owners dealing with MA's excise tax system!

I completely understand your confusion Dylan! As a new Massachusetts resident myself, I went through this exact same bewilderment with my first excise tax bill. You're absolutely right - excise tax is charged for the current year (2025), not the previous year. Since you bought your car in March 2025, you should only be paying for March through December 2025 (10 months of ownership). Massachusetts has some specific quirks in how they calculate this. They use $25 per $1,000 of assessed value, and for brand new 2025 models, they typically assess at 90% of the MSRP (not what you actually paid). So if your car had an MSRP of $30,000, you'd be looking at about $675 for a full year, prorated to roughly $560 for your 10 months of ownership. Before paying, I'd definitely recommend calling your local tax assessor's office to verify: - They have your correct March 2025 purchase date - The vehicle specs and trim level are accurate (they sometimes get this wrong) - You're only being charged for the months you actually owned the car Don't stress - this confusion is incredibly common for first-time car owners in MA! The system has some unique aspects that aren't intuitive. Once you get through this first year, future bills will make much more sense.

Had this exact same issue last month! Turned out I had been using "Jr." on my tax return but my actual SS card doesn't have the suffix on it. The IRS system is super picky about matching character-for-character. Also worth noting - if you've been married/divorced recently and haven't updated your name with SSA yet, you'll need to do that first and wait about 2 weeks before the IRS system updates. You can also try calling the IRS Practitioner Priority Service at 1-866-860-4259 to verify what name they have on file for your SSN.

Pro tip from someone who's dealt with this multiple times - if you're still having issues after checking your name exactly matches your SS card, try paper filing instead of e-filing. Sometimes the electronic system is more sensitive to formatting differences that wouldn't be an issue on paper. I've had clients where adding or removing a middle initial solved it, even when they swore it was exactly right. Also, if you have a hyphenated last name or apostrophes (like O'Connor), make sure you're including those special characters exactly as they appear on your card. The IRS matching system is notoriously finicky about punctuation!