Can the substantial presence test be affected by COVID exceptions? i was stuck in the US for 4 extra months in 2020 when borders closed. now im back for work and worried those extra days might affect my current status calculation.

The substantial presence test can definitely be tricky to navigate, especially with all the different scenarios people face! One thing I'd add to the great advice already given here is to keep detailed records of your travel dates - entry and exit stamps, flight receipts, hotel bookings, etc. I learned this the hard way when the IRS questioned my substantial presence calculation during an audit a few years back. Having proper documentation made all the difference in proving exactly how many days I was physically present in the US versus traveling for business. Also, @Javier Hernandez, since you mentioned you're on an E-3 visa and have been here about 8 months continuously, you'll almost certainly be filing as a resident alien this year. Make sure to understand the implications - you'll need to report your worldwide income, including any Australian bank account interest, rental income from properties back home, etc. It's not just about US-source income anymore once you pass that test.

Be careful about the state residency issue. My cousin filed for my aunt using the wrong state and ended up with penalties from both states! State B will probably consider your uncle a resident if that's where he actually lived, especially if he had utility bills, a driver's license, or was registered to vote there. If possible, look for these documents to determine his legal domicile: - Driver's license - Voter registration - Utility bills - Property tax statements - Car registration The state where most of these documents point to is likely his legal residence for tax purposes.

I went through something very similar with my father's estate last year. A few additional points that might help: First, regarding the state residency - if your uncle owned the house in State B, that's usually the strongest indicator of legal domicile regardless of where his mail went. Property ownership typically trumps work location for residency purposes. Second, since you mentioned you're not the official executor, you really need to figure out who has legal authority here before proceeding. Filing tax returns for someone else without proper authorization can create legal issues for you personally. If there's no will or formal probate, someone in the family likely needs to petition the court to become the administrator, even for small estates. Third, don't stress too much about the missing investment documentation if we're talking about small amounts. The IRS computer systems will match any 1099s that were issued against what you file. If there are discrepancies, they'll send a notice, but it's usually just a matter of paying any additional tax owed plus minimal interest - not criminal penalties. One last tip: keep detailed records of all your efforts to locate documents and communicate with financial institutions. If the IRS ever questions anything, showing good faith effort goes a long way.

I can relate to this frustration! I went through the exact same thing last year and spent weeks worrying that something was wrong with my filing. What I learned is that the wage and income transcript is basically the last piece of the puzzle to update - it shows what third parties (employers, banks, etc.) reported about you to the IRS, not what you reported to them. The fact that your account and return transcripts are complete and you received your refund means the IRS was able to verify your income internally, even though it hasn't appeared in the public-facing transcript system yet. I'd recommend checking again in a few weeks, but honestly, mine didn't show up until almost July last year. It's annoying when you're trying to be thorough, but it's completely normal IRS timing!

I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! Filed my return in early February, got my refund within 3 weeks, and my account transcript shows everything processed normally. But when I try to pull my wage and income transcript, it's like it doesn't exist. I've been checking weekly thinking maybe there's a glitch in the system or something went wrong with my employer's W-2 submission. Reading through everyone's experiences here is such a relief - I had no idea this was just a normal IRS processing delay. It's frustrating when you're trying to be proactive about organizing your tax records and half the information just isn't available yet. Guess I'll stop stressing about it and check back in a few months!

Make sure you look into any potential penalties for failure to file. Even if your in-laws didn't owe taxes due to their income types, there can still be penalties for not filing required returns. However, the IRS can sometimes waive these penalties for reasonable cause. Also, check if your state has separate estate tax requirements - some states have their own processes apart from federal.

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now with my grandmother's estate. One thing that really helped was requesting Form 4506-T from the IRS to get tax transcripts for the years in question. This will show you exactly what (if anything) was filed and what the IRS has on record. Since your in-laws were primarily on Social Security and VA benefits, there's a good chance they weren't required to file in many of those years. For 2020, for example, if their only income was Social Security and VA benefits under certain thresholds, they might not have had any filing requirement at all. The key is to tackle this systematically: 1) Get the tax transcripts to see what's actually missing, 2) Determine if filing was even required for those years, and 3) If it was required, gather whatever documentation you can (banks often keep records for 7+ years even if you don't have them). Don't let this consume you with worry - most of these situations end up being far less scary than they initially appear, especially when the primary income sources weren't taxable.

One thing nobody's mentioned is that being eligible for the American Opportunity Credit doesn't guarantee you'll get the refundable portion. The AOTC has two parts - up to $1,500 is non-refundable (only reduces tax you owe) and up to $1,000 is refundable (you get it even if you owe no tax). To get the refundable part, you need to meet additional requirements like not filing as MFS and having earned income. Make sure you have some income from a job to qualify for the refundable portion. Grants and loans don't count as earned income!

Warning - be careful claiming the refundable portion of the AOTC! It's one of the most audited tax credits. Make sure your 1098-T supports your claim and you have records of ALL your qualified education expenses. I got audited last year over this and had to provide every receipt for books and supplies.