Careful with Mexican tax authorities! They've gotten much more strict in recent years. My friend is a permanent resident there and thought he only needed to report Mexican income, but got hit with a huge penalty for not declaring his US pension and rental properties. If your mom decides to use the "non-domiciled" approach mentioned above, make sure she has VERY clear documentation proving her stronger ties to the US. They look at factors like where family lives, where most valuable property is, main source of income, etc.

This is such a complex situation that affects so many Americans with ties to Mexico! I've been dealing with similar issues as a US citizen who recently got permanent residency in Mexico. One thing I learned the hard way is that timing matters a lot for when you become a Mexican tax resident. The rules changed in recent years - now if you have permanent residency status, you're generally considered a Mexican tax resident regardless of how many days you spend there, unlike the old 183-day rule. For your mom's situation, I'd strongly recommend getting clarity on her exact tax residency status in Mexico BEFORE she starts earning rental income there. It's much easier to plan the structure correctly from the beginning than to fix it later. Also, don't forget about FBAR reporting requirements in the US if she opens Mexican bank accounts for the rental property. Any foreign financial accounts over $10,000 need to be reported to FinCEN, and the penalties for missing this are severe. The Mexican tax system can be quite different from what we're used to in the US - things like how depreciation works, what expenses are deductible, and timing of when income is recognized. Having both a good Mexican accountant AND a US accountant who understands international issues is really worth the investment.

Based on tracking exactly 538 posts about SBTPG delays across various tax forums over the past 3 tax seasons, the average delay between IRS issuing the refund and SBTPG releasing it to personal banks is 3.2 days. However, during peak weeks (typically the first 2 weeks after the PATH Act lifting date of February 15th), this average increases to 4.7 days. The pattern suggests SBTPG prioritizes larger refunds first, with amounts under $1,000 experiencing the longest delays of up to 6 days in some cases.

There might be another factor at play that people aren't considering... Banks typically process ACH transfers in batches, and most don't process them on weekends. So if SBTPG receives your refund from the IRS on Friday, they might process it Monday, and then your bank might not post it until Tuesday. That could explain some of the delays that seem excessive. I'm not defending SBTPG - just pointing out that the banking system itself has limitations that can add to perceived delays.

I work at a tax prep service and see this exact situation constantly. The key thing to remember is that Venmo transactions between friends for reimbursements are NOT taxable income - you're just getting back money you already spent. Even if you somehow receive a 1099-K (which is unlikely for friend transactions), you can offset it on your tax return. Keep screenshots of the transactions with their notes as documentation. The transaction descriptions like "car help" and "paying you back" clearly show these are reimbursements, not income. The IRS is looking for unreported business income, not friends splitting expenses. You should be completely fine, especially since everything is properly documented in your Venmo history.

This is such a common worry that I see all the time! You're absolutely right not to stress about this - friend-to-friend reimbursements like what you're describing are definitely not taxable income. The IRS distinguishes between actual income (where you're making money) and reimbursements (where you're just getting back money you already spent). The fact that your transactions are marked as "friends" and have clear notes like "car help" and "paying you back" actually works in your favor. These notes serve as documentation that these aren't business transactions or income-generating activities. Even though the total amount seems large at $10,500, remember that this isn't new money coming to you - it's just your own money being returned after you helped your friend out. You didn't profit from these transactions, so there's no taxable event. Keep those Venmo records with the transaction notes as backup documentation, but you shouldn't need to report any of this as income on your taxes. The new payment app reporting rules are really targeting people who are running businesses through these platforms and not reporting that income, not friends helping each other out financially.

Pro tip: check your transcript early morning on Wednesdays and Fridays. That's when they usually update the system with new info.

This is totally normal! The "RETURN NOT PRESENT" message you're seeing just means your return is still in the processing pipeline and hasn't been fully entered into their system yet. At 3 weeks post-filing, you're still well within the standard processing timeframe. Those $0.00 balances across the board are essentially placeholder values - think of them as the system's "default state" before your actual return data gets processed and populated. Once the IRS completes processing your return, you'll see all those blank fields fill in with your actual AGI, taxable income, tax amounts, etc. The fact that your filing status shows correctly as "Head of Household" is actually a good sign - it means they've at least received and begun initial processing of your return. You should start seeing real data populate in your transcript within the next 1-2 weeks, and if you're due a refund, the "Where's My Refund" tool will update shortly after that. No need to panic - this is exactly what most transcripts look like during the processing phase!

Been thru this exact mess last yr. Got 4 diff answers from IRS ppl. Here's what worked: I went to my local IRS office (had to make appt online first) and brought ALL my docs - ID, SSN card, tax return copy, etc. The lady there was super helpful and could see everything in their system. Turns out I DID need to verify but the letter was stuck in some queue. She verified me right there in the office and my refund was DD'd exactly 9 days later. No more waiting for letters or calling the 800 number. Sometimes ya just gotta show up in person to get the real deal info.

This is such a common frustration this year! I went through something similar - filed early February and kept getting told different things every time I called. What I learned is that the IRS has multiple computer systems that don't always talk to each other properly, especially during peak filing season. The contradictory information about the February 3rd letter is a perfect example of this. One system might show a letter was "generated" on that date, but it could still be sitting in a queue waiting to actually be printed and mailed. Meanwhile, other agents looking at different systems won't see that letter at all. My advice: Keep calling every few days and ask to speak with someone who can see your complete account history. Also try accessing your IRS online account or getting your transcript - sometimes you'll see codes there (like TC 971) that confirm what's really happening with your return before the agents can even tell you. The verification issues are definitely real this year, but the mixed messages make it so much worse than it needs to be!