One thing nobody's mentioned - check if your parents are paying the accountant. If they're footing the bill, the accountant might consider them the primary client. Doesn't make sharing your info right, but might explain why it's happening. Might be time to just get your own accountant or file yourself so there's no confusion about who the client is.

This is a really important privacy issue that more young adults should know about! Even if your parents are paying the accountant's fees, that doesn't give them automatic rights to your tax information. The accountant-client privilege belongs to YOU as the taxpayer, not to whoever writes the check. I'd suggest having a direct conversation with the accountant about establishing your own separate professional relationship going forward. You can either pay them directly for your return or find your own tax preparer. This eliminates any ambiguity about who the client is and ensures your privacy is protected. Also, with your income level and just W-2 wages, you likely qualify for free filing through the IRS Free File program or could easily handle it yourself with basic tax software. Taking control of your own taxes is a great step toward full financial independence from your parents.

Just to clarify one thing that others haven't mentioned - the Earned Income Credit (EIC) also has the residency requirement. So whoever qualifies for the CTC would likely also be the only one who could claim the EIC for that child (assuming they meet the income requirements). The bigger issue here is that MFS filers cannot claim the EIC at all! That's a restriction many people don't realize. If you're MFS, you're completely ineligible for the Earned Income Credit regardless of whether you have qualifying children. This is why some separated couples should explore whether one might qualify for Head of Household status instead, which would allow EIC claims if eligible.

Something nobody's mentioned yet - if you're planning to get divorced and will have a formal agreement, you could address this for future years. A divorce decree or separation agreement can specify which parent gets to claim the child for tax purposes, regardless of the residency test. But for your current situation, it's like everyone is saying - only one of you can claim the child as a qualifying child, and usually that's the custodial parent (who the child lived with more). Also, look into the child and dependent care credit if either of you paid for childcare while working or looking for work. That's separate and has its own rules.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with a similar situation where our family trust owns multiple LLCs, and I've been going in circles trying to figure out the Section 179 implications. One thing I'd add for anyone reading this - make sure you understand the annual Section 179 limits too. For 2024, the maximum deduction is $1,220,000 with a phase-out starting at $3,050,000 of qualifying purchases. But these limits apply at the individual level, so if you have multiple entities owned by the same grantor trust, you need to coordinate across all of them. Also, don't forget about the "taxable income limitation" - you can't claim more Section 179 than the taxable income from all your businesses combined. This caught us last year when we had a big equipment purchase but lower profits than expected. The combination of using taxr.ai for document analysis and Claimyr to actually talk to the IRS sounds like a solid approach. Sometimes you need that official confirmation from the horse's mouth, especially with complex trust structures.

This has been an incredibly informative discussion! As someone new to this community but dealing with a similar trust/Section 179 situation, I wanted to share my recent experience. I had been struggling with this exact issue - our revocable trust owns an S-Corp that manufactures custom furniture, and we were looking at a major equipment purchase. After reading through this thread, I decided to try both services mentioned. First, I used taxr.ai to analyze our trust documents. Within 48 hours, I had a comprehensive report confirming that our grantor trust structure would allow the Section 179 deduction to flow through. The analysis was thorough and included specific tax code references. Then I used Claimyr to get official IRS confirmation. After weeks of failed attempts to reach the IRS on my own, I was connected to an agent in about 40 minutes. The agent confirmed the analysis and even provided additional guidance on proper documentation. One thing I'd add to this discussion - make sure your trust documents explicitly identify it as a grantor trust. The IRS agent mentioned that unclear language in trust documents can sometimes create complications during audits. Our attorney had to amend one provision to make the grantor status crystal clear. Total cost for both services was under $500, but it potentially saved us from losing out on a $75,000+ deduction. Sometimes the peace of mind and speed is worth paying for professional analysis rather than spending weeks researching on your own.

Word of advice: Use taxr.ai to check your transcript. Its WAY better than trying to figure this out yourself. Shows exactly whats happening and when youll get paid. Worth every penny imo

I'm in a similar situation - got the 570/971 codes on my transcript last week and have been stressing about it constantly. Your refund amount looks solid with all the proper credits showing up, which is a good sign. The fact that your account balance is showing the full -$11,652.00 with no penalties or interest accruing means the IRS isn't questioning the refund amount itself, just doing their standard verification process. With EIC claims, they're required by law to hold refunds until mid-February anyway, so you're not really behind schedule yet. Keep checking that transcript every Thursday night/Friday morning for updates - that's when most movement happens for weekly cycle accounts like yours. The waiting is brutal but try to stay positive! 🤞

Does anyone know if using TurboTax or H&R Block online helps with this situation? I moved states too and still have my old license.

I was in a similar situation last year when I moved from Texas to Colorado and was worried about the same thing! Here's what I learned: for federal taxes, your driver's license number isn't even required - the IRS only cares about your SSN. For state taxes, most states have workarounds for people who haven't updated their licenses yet. However, I'd strongly recommend getting your new state license ASAP regardless of taxes. I got pulled over for a minor traffic violation about 8 months after moving and the officer was not happy that I hadn't updated my license within the required 30-day window. Ended up with an additional fine on top of the original ticket. The tax filing worked out fine with my old license, but the DMV compliance issue was definitely a headache I could have avoided!