I actually had the exact same question last year! My accountant explained that Line 3 on Form 8879-Corp is basically asking for the corporation's "total income (or loss)" figure. If the corporation made money, you just put the number. If it lost money, you put the number in parentheses. It's pulled from Form 1120, Line 11 (or the equivalent line on other corporate returns).

I went through this exact same confusion when I first encountered Form 8879-Corp! The key thing to remember is that this form is really just a verification tool for e-filing, not a calculation form itself. Line 3 is asking for the corporation's total income or loss from the main tax return. The "(Loss)" notation is just telling you the formatting rule - if it's a positive number (profit), just enter it normally. If it's a negative number (loss), put it in parentheses like (20000). Think of it this way: if your corporation had $100,000 in revenue but $120,000 in expenses, you'd have a $20,000 loss, so you'd enter (20000) on Line 3. If you had $100,000 in revenue and $80,000 in expenses, you'd have $20,000 in income, so you'd just enter 20000. The number comes directly from your main corporate return - no additional calculations needed on your part for the 8879 form!

Another option if you're still having trouble - check if Prudential has sent you any email notifications about tax documents. I was in a similar situation and found that they had sent me an email back in January with a secure link to download my 1099-R. The email was buried in my spam folder. The downloaded PDF had the complete TIN clearly displayed at the top of the form. Sometimes the online portal doesn't show documents properly, but the direct email links work fine. Worth checking your email history for anything from Prudential around tax season!

I've been following this thread and wanted to add one more tip that saved me a lot of headache. If you're still unable to get through to Prudential or find your 1099-R, you can actually request a wage and income transcript directly from the IRS that will show the complete TIN information they received from Prudential. You can get this transcript online at irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript, by phone at 800-908-9946, or by mailing Form 4506-T. The transcript will show all the 1099-R information that was reported to the IRS, including the full TIN. This is especially useful if you're dealing with multiple retirement accounts and need to verify which TIN goes with which distribution. The online transcript is usually available immediately, and it's free. This way you can get the official information directly from the IRS without having to navigate multiple customer service departments. Just make sure to request the "Wage and Income Transcript" for the specific tax year you need.

Does anyone know if these rules are different for independent contractors vs employees? I'm about to start freelancing for companies in multiple states and I'm wondering if I need to worry about all these different state forms.

This is such a common confusion for remote workers! I went through the same thing when I started working from home for a company in a different state. Just to add to what others have said - make sure you also check if your employer's payroll system is set up to handle remote workers correctly. Some companies automatically withhold taxes for their headquarters state until you specifically tell them otherwise. I had to contact HR to make sure they switched my withholding to my home state. Also, keep good records of where you're physically working from each day, especially if you ever work while traveling or visiting family in other states - it can matter come tax time! The good news is that once you get it set up correctly the first time, it's pretty straightforward going forward. Welcome to remote work - it's awesome once you get past the initial paperwork hurdles!

Just a heads up - make sure you're not submitting the ENTIRE grocery receipt with personal items on it. I did that once with a Target receipt that had Tylenol, diapers (FSA eligible) and also candy, soda, and random household items. My FSA administrator flagged it for review and it delayed my reimbursement by weeks. Circle just the FSA eligible items, and write the total for JUST those items. Makes the process go much smoother!!

Great advice from everyone here! I've been using my FSA for years and can confirm that regular store receipts work fine for OTC medications. One thing I'd add is to make sure you keep a copy of the receipt for your records too - not just the photo you submit. Also, @Marcus Marsh, for your specific Kroger receipt, since you mentioned the Claritin was clearly itemized as "Claritin" (not just a product code), you should be totally fine. Just circle it on the receipt and write "$18" next to it to make it crystal clear for the FSA administrator. I've submitted similar receipts from grocery stores dozens of times without any issues. The key is just making sure they can easily identify what you bought and that it's an eligible expense. Allergy medications like Claritin are definitely FSA eligible, so you shouldn't have any problems!

Anyone know if TurboTax actually needs the information from these forms entered manually? Or do they just want to know which forms you have? Last year I remember answering questions about insurance but never entering anything from the actual 1095 forms.

Just to add some clarity for future reference - the key difference is really about WHERE you got your insurance from: - 1095-A: You bought insurance through Healthcare.gov or your state's marketplace - 1095-B: You had insurance from a private company, Medicare, Medicaid, or other qualifying coverage - 1095-C: Your employer (with 50+ employees) offered you health insurance Since you have B and C forms, it sounds like you had employer-sponsored insurance. When TurboTax asks about the 1095-A, just answer "No" - you don't need to hunt for one because you wouldn't have received one with employer coverage. The forms are mainly there to help you answer TurboTax's questions about what months you had coverage. You typically don't need to enter specific details from the forms themselves, just use them to confirm your coverage periods were accurate.