after 5 months of my transcript being blank and the as of date changing multiple times, i finally broke down and spent money on claimyr.com to actually talk to a human at the IRS. turns out they flagged my return because my 2022 return hadn't fully processed yet due to a clerical error on their end. the agent fixed it right away and I got both refunds within 2 weeks. sometimes you just need to talk to a real person to fix these issues.

I'm going through almost the exact same thing! Filed in March 2023 and my transcript has been blank forever. Just like you, I've had to verify my identity multiple times (twice online and once by phone). My "as of" date also recently changed to a future date in 2025. It's so frustrating because you feel completely in the dark about what's happening. I've been checking my transcript obsessively too, hoping to see some kind of update or code that would give me a clue about the status. From what I'm reading in the other comments, it sounds like the date change might actually be a positive sign that things are moving forward. I really hope that's the case for both of us! Let me know if you see any other updates on your transcript.

Speaking from experience (3 years running a US-based online marketing business while traveling), the technical/practical aspects were actually harder than the legal/tax aspects. Time zone challenges when clients expect meetings during US business hours but you're in Asia was brutal. Internet reliability is another huge factor - I learned to always have backup internet options (local SIM with hotspot capability + regular wifi). Also recommend setting up a good VoIP phone service that lets you maintain a US number. I use Google Voice which lets me make/receive US calls from anywhere. Clients never knew I was responding from a beach in Bali at 11pm my time.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is visa requirements and how they might affect your tax situation. While you can absolutely run your US business from abroad, some countries have strict rules about working on tourist visas, even if it's remote work for a US company. Countries like Thailand, Vietnam, and several European nations are cracking down on "digital nomads" working on tourist visas. Getting caught could result in deportation and future visa denials. Consider looking into digital nomad visas that several countries now offer - Portugal, Estonia, and Barbados have legitimate remote work visas. Also, be aware that spending too much time in certain countries (usually 183+ days) can trigger tax residency there, which could complicate your US tax situation even with the FEIE. Each country has different thresholds and rules. I'd strongly recommend consulting with both a US international tax attorney AND researching the work visa requirements for each country you plan to visit. The $500-1000 you spend on proper legal advice upfront could save you from major legal and tax headaches down the road.

This is absolutely infuriating and highlights just how broken our tax system is when it comes to gambling. I'm dealing with something similar - made about $500 in actual profit from online casinos but have to report over $8,000 in "winnings" because of how they classify every single transaction. The most ridiculous part is that the IRS basically forces you to become an accountant just to gamble legally. I've been tracking every spin, every hand, every bet - it's insane. And then you're penalized for taking promotions that are specifically designed to attract customers. What really gets me is that traditional investments get much more favorable tax treatment. If I buy and sell stocks 1000 times and end up with a $500 profit, I only pay taxes on the $500. But with gambling, somehow every winning transaction is taxable income even when you're just getting your own money back. The system is designed to discourage gambling while simultaneously maximizing tax revenue from it. It's a complete mess that punishes people for following the law and trying to report everything correctly.

This entire thread perfectly captures why I've completely stopped gambling online despite enjoying it recreationally. The tax compliance burden is absolutely insane relative to the entertainment value. I went through something similar a few years ago - won about $3,000 total but had to report nearly $25,000 in "winnings" because of bonus rollover requirements and the IRS's ridiculous definition of what constitutes a win. Spent more on tax preparation software and my own time than I actually profited from gambling. The worst part is that casinos KNOW this creates a nightmare for players but they don't care because they're not the ones dealing with the tax consequences. They happily promote these deposit bonuses and rollover requirements that create thousands of taxable "wins" for what amounts to small actual profits. What really sealed it for me was realizing that even if I won big, a significant portion would go to taxes on phantom income I never actually received. Meanwhile, if I lose, I get limited deduction benefits that often don't even help unless I have other itemizable expenses. The system is fundamentally broken when following the law correctly requires more work than most people's actual jobs. I'll stick to Vegas where at least the wins and losses are more straightforward to track.

I've been dealing with this exact same Form 5695 rejection issue! My wife and I jointly own our home and installed a geothermal heat pump system last year. Got the same "Joint Occupancy" error message when trying to e-file through FreeTaxUSA. After reading through all these responses, I'm feeling much better about just waiting until March 17th. I was initially panicking thinking I had messed up the energy credit calculation or ownership percentage somehow. It's reassuring to know this is a widespread IRS system bug affecting multiple tax software platforms. One thing I'll add - if anyone is considering the paper filing route, remember that your state return might also need to wait until your federal return is processed. My state (Virginia) requires the federal AGI to match before they'll accept an e-filed state return, so I'd probably end up paper filing both anyway. Might as well wait for the electronic fix at this point.

I'm dealing with the same Form 5695 joint occupancy rejection! My partner and I co-own our condo and installed new windows and a heat pump water heater last year. Got rejected through TaxAct with the identical error message about processing being corrected on March 17th. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful - I was worried I had calculated the energy credit wrong or misunderstood the joint ownership rules. It's reassuring to know this is a widespread IRS system issue affecting all the major tax software platforms. I think I'm going to wait for the March 17th fix rather than paper filing. Between the 6-8 week processing time for paper returns and the potential complications with my state return, it seems like waiting a couple more weeks for the electronic fix is the smarter move. Plus, based on what others have shared, we shouldn't need to change anything on our forms - just resubmit once the IRS resolves their processing error.

Has anyone actually done the math here? At $32/hr full-time, that's about $66k annually. The 2023 standard deduction for HOH is $20,800, leaving about $45k taxable. That puts some income in the 22% bracket. Child tax credits are $4k total ($2k per kid), which wouldn't completely eliminate tax liability that's well over $4k. Something doesn't add up with the employer's calculations. I'd double-check that your W-4 was processed correctly.

You're absolutely right to question those calculations, Chloe. Let me break down the math more precisely: At $66k with HOH filing status: - Standard deduction: $20,800 - Taxable income: ~$45,200 - Tax liability before credits: roughly $4,800-5,200 With two kids: - Child Tax Credit: $4,000 ($2k each) - Earned Income Credit at that income level with 2 kids: approximately $1,500-2,000 So total credits could be around $5,500-6,000, which would indeed cover or exceed the tax liability. However, I agree something seems off with the employer's system showing zero withholding. Most payroll systems are conservative and would still withhold something as a buffer. Oliver, I'd definitely verify that your W-4 information was entered correctly - especially the number of dependents and filing status. It's also worth checking if there are any other factors like pre-tax deductions (health insurance, 401k contributions) that might be reducing your taxable wages further than expected. The safest approach might be to request modest additional withholding just to avoid any surprises, even if the math suggests you'll break even.