Remember that even if there's no structures, you're still liable for what happens on your property! My friend had an empty lot and some teens were drinking there, one fell and got hurt, and they sued him! Make sure you have liability insurance on that vacant land. Most regular homeowners policies won't cover empty lots that aren't adjacent to your primary residence.

@Aisha Mahmood - Definitely contact the Wisconsin county assessor's office ASAP! Since you inherited the land, the property taxes are likely still being assessed but might be going to your grandparents' old address or getting held up in the ownership transfer process. Wisconsin has some great programs for forest land - you might qualify for the Managed Forest Land (MFL) program which can reduce your property taxes by up to 80% if you commit to keeping it as forest for at least 25 years. Given that it's 3 acres of forest, this could save you hundreds of dollars annually. You'll need to get the deed properly transferred into your name first, then inquire about MFL enrollment. The Wisconsin DNR website has all the details about eligibility requirements. Don't wait too long though - property taxes accrue even if you're not receiving bills, and you don't want to end up with a big surprise bill later!

Does anyone know if taking the earned income tax credit increases audit risk? I qualify this year but I've heard the IRS targets EITC claims a lot.

This is really helpful information! I'm a freelance graphic designer and have been worried about audit risk since my income has been pretty inconsistent year to year. Some months I make great money on big projects, other months it's really slow. One thing I've learned from my accountant is that keeping detailed contemporaneous records is absolutely critical. I now use a separate business checking account for ALL business expenses and income, and I photograph every receipt immediately using an app that uploads to cloud storage. For anyone who works from home, be really careful with that home office deduction. The IRS is strict about "exclusive use" - that room has to be used ONLY for business, not as a guest bedroom that sometimes has a desk in it. I ended up not claiming it because my home office doubles as my art studio for personal projects. Also, if you're self-employed, consider making quarterly estimated tax payments even if you're not required to. It shows good faith effort to comply and can help avoid penalties if you end up owing at filing time. Plus it's easier to manage cash flow than getting hit with a huge tax bill all at once.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue! Filed in early March, got my refund three weeks ago, but my 2023 transcript is nowhere to be found on the IRS website. I've been checking almost daily because I need it for a student loan income verification. It's reassuring to see I'm not alone in this - I was starting to wonder if something went wrong with my filing. Based on what everyone's saying here, it sounds like this is just the reality of dealing with the IRS during busy season. I'll try to be more patient and check back in a couple weeks. Thanks for posting this question Hannah, you probably helped a lot of us who are in the same boat!

I'm experiencing the exact same thing! Filed in late February, received my refund about 3 weeks ago, but my 2023 transcript is still missing from my IRS account. I need it for a mortgage pre-approval and my lender is getting impatient. It's so frustrating that the IRS can process our returns fast enough to send refunds but then their transcript system lags weeks behind. I've been checking every few days and starting to wonder if I should call them, but based on what others are saying here it sounds like this is just normal processing delays. Has anyone had success getting through to the IRS phone lines recently? The wait times seem brutal from what I'm reading online.

I've dealt with a few of these LTR 324c notices over the years through my tax practice, and I want to reassure you that this is one of the most routine IRS correspondences you can receive. It's definitely not an audit or indication of wrongdoing. The advice everyone has given here is excellent - your PayPal records and client emails will absolutely satisfy their documentation requirements. One small addition I'd make: when you create your response packet, consider adding a brief statement about your record-keeping practices. Something simple like "All income from freelance work was tracked using PayPal and reported accurately on my return" shows the IRS that you maintain organized records. Also, since you mentioned filing through TurboTax, you might want to include a copy of the relevant tax form pages showing where you reported this income (likely Schedule C or Schedule C-EZ). This helps the reviewer quickly see exactly what they're verifying against your supporting documentation. The timeline everyone mentioned (6-8 weeks) is pretty standard in my experience. Once you mail your response with certified mail, try to put it out of your mind. The IRS correspondence system moves slowly but surely, and you've clearly got everything they need to verify your reported income. You're handling this exactly the right way by gathering proper documentation and responding promptly. Your $6,700 refund should come through without any adjustments once they match up your records!

I completely understand that sinking feeling when you first open an IRS letter! I went through the exact same thing with a LTR 324c about 9 months ago for freelance income that wasn't matching their system. Everyone here has given you fantastic advice - your PayPal records and client emails are exactly what the IRS needs to verify your $6,700 in side gig income. I just wanted to add a couple things that helped me feel more confident during the process: When you're putting together your response packet, consider organizing it like you're telling a story. Start with your cover letter explaining the situation, then your summary sheet showing all payments totaling $6,700, followed by the actual documentation in chronological order. I found this narrative approach made everything feel more cohesive. Also, don't be afraid to be slightly over-thorough rather than under-thorough. I included everything I could think of - PayPal exports, bank deposit records, client emails, even screenshots of my original tax filing showing where I reported the income. Better to give them more information than they need than to have them come back asking for additional documentation. One last thing - I set a phone reminder for about 6 weeks after mailing my response to check the "Where's My Refund" tool. Having that date in my calendar helped me not obsess over checking it every day! You've got all the right documentation and a clear path forward. This will be resolved soon and you'll have your car repair money. Hang in there!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm in the exact same boat as you, Malik - second year filing with dependents and that "Override dependent amount" field had me completely confused too. I have a 6-year-old and 10-year-old, and seeing $4,000 made me panic thinking I needed to manually calculate something. After reading through all these amazing responses from tax professionals and people who've been through the same thing, I now understand it's just the software displaying the Child Tax Credit amount it automatically calculated - $2,000 per qualifying child under 17. Since both my kids fit that criteria, the $4,000 total is exactly right. What really helped was seeing how universal this confusion is! The word "override" definitely makes it sound like you need to actively adjust something, but the consistent advice from everyone is to trust the software's automatic calculation unless you have very specific circumstances like shared custody or mixed age dependents. Thanks for starting this discussion - it's been incredibly reassuring to learn that most of us can just leave that amount alone and trust that the software is doing what it's designed to do!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm also dealing with my first year filing with dependents and was completely baffled by that "Override dependent amount" field. I have a 3-year-old son and the software showed $2,000, which I now understand from reading everyone's experiences is the standard Child Tax Credit amount. What really put my mind at ease was seeing how many people had the exact same confusion - it makes the terminology feel less intimidating when you realize it's such a common stumbling block. The consistent advice from all the tax professionals about trusting the software's automatic calculation has given me the confidence to just leave it alone. I was definitely in that camp of wondering if I should try to optimize the number somehow, but understanding that it has to match actual eligibility and that changing it arbitrarily could cause IRS issues was a crucial reality check. Sometimes the best approach really is to trust that the software knows what it's doing for straightforward situations like ours. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and expertise - this discussion has transformed what felt like a major tax roadblock into a clear understanding of how these dependent calculations actually work!