I completely understand your stress about this - FBAR errors can feel overwhelming, especially on your first filing! The good news is that selecting the wrong "Type of Filer" box is definitely something you should and can easily fix with an amended filing. Since all your actual account information and financial data are correct, this falls into the category of a non-material error that you're voluntarily correcting. The IRS and FinCEN much prefer when taxpayers proactively fix mistakes rather than hoping they won't be noticed. Here's what I'd recommend: log back into the BSA E-Filing System and prepare an amended FBAR. When you get to the filing type section, select "Amended" and briefly explain in the text field something like "Correcting Type of Filer selection in Box 2." Make sure to reference your original BSA ID number so they can link the filings. The sooner you file the amendment, the better - there's no benefit to waiting. This type of voluntary correction of a form error (as opposed to hiding unreported accounts) is exactly the kind of compliance behavior they want to see. You're doing the right thing by fixing it!

I can relate to the anxiety you're feeling about this FBAR mistake - it's completely normal to be nervous about getting everything right, especially on your first filing! The consensus from everyone here is spot on: filing an amended FBAR is definitely the right approach for correcting the "Type of Filer" error. What might help ease your mind is knowing that the BSA E-Filing System is designed to handle these exact situations. When you log in to file the amendment, the system will guide you through indicating it's a correction to your previous filing. The fact that all your account information and financial data are accurate is the most important part - that shows you're making a good faith effort to comply properly. One small addition to the great advice already given: when you do file the amendment, you might want to save a copy of the confirmation screen or any reference numbers for your records. Having documentation that you proactively corrected the error can be helpful if any questions ever arise down the road. You're handling this exactly the right way by addressing it promptly rather than ignoring it. Take a deep breath - this is a very fixable situation!

Check your bank statement from when you got your refund. It should show the original refund amount minus the advance amount = what was deposited

You can also check your 1099-MISC or other tax documents from H&R Block - they should show any fees or advance amounts that were deducted. If you're still unsure, you can always call H&R Block customer service directly with your account info and they can confirm the advance was paid off. Don't stress too much though - these advances are designed to be automatically deducted from your refund, so if you received money back, you're almost certainly good to go!

Has anyone tried using TurboTax for this situation? I've got a similar issue with a joint account but I'm worried the software won't handle it correctly.

I've been through a similar situation with my spouse when we filed separately due to some business complications. One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is that you should also consider the timing of when you made contributions to the joint account relative to when you purchased those specific stocks. If you can trace which contributions were used to buy the stocks you sold, that might give you a more accurate ownership split than just looking at overall account contributions. For example, if your wife contributed $20k in 2019 and that money was specifically used to buy the stocks you sold in November, she might have a stronger claim to those particular gains. Also, don't forget about any reinvested dividends over the years - those should be allocated proportionally as well. The IRS is pretty thorough when they audit investment accounts, so the more detailed your documentation, the better. I kept a simple Excel file tracking contributions by source and it saved me a lot of headaches during my audit two years ago.

For the charitable donation part, just a heads up - if the donation is coming out pre-tax through a payroll deduction, your W-2 will already reflect the reduced income (Box 1 will show your income after the donation was taken out). In this case, you DON'T separately claim these donations as charitable contributions on Schedule A since you already got the tax benefit. However, if they're taking the donation after taxes, then your full income shows on the W-2, and you would need to itemize deductions (Schedule A) to claim the charitable contribution. Most company-sponsored giving programs are pre-tax though.

Just want to emphasize something important about timing - since you cashed out your 401k in 2023, you should have already received your 1099-R by January 31st, 2024 for that tax year. If you're referring to the upcoming 2025 tax season for your 2024 returns, that would be a different situation. If you haven't filed your 2023 taxes yet and are missing the 1099-R from your 2023 distribution, you definitely need to contact Fidelity (or whoever your plan administrator was) immediately. You can usually log into their website and download a copy even if your account is closed. Don't file without it - the IRS gets a copy too and will notice if you don't report the distribution. Also worth noting that if you had federal taxes withheld from your distribution (which is common), that withholding will show up on your 1099-R and can be applied toward your total tax liability for the year, similar to how W-2 withholdings work.

Have you considered just adjusting the "extra withholding" line on your W-4s instead? My husband and I file jointly with 4 kids, and we found it easier to each claim 2 kids but then have an extra $50 per paycheck withheld on my form. Way simpler than trying to calculate the perfect split.

One thing that helped us tremendously was running a mock tax return halfway through the year to see how our withholding was tracking. We use tax software to estimate our liability based on our year-to-date income and withholding, then adjust our W-4s if needed. Since you mentioned you and your wife have similar incomes, you might find that splitting the kids 2-1 works better than 1-2, depending on who has slightly higher income. The person with higher income should probably claim fewer dependents since they're in a higher tax bracket on that extra income. Also worth noting - if either of you gets bonuses or overtime that varies year to year, that can throw off your withholding calculations. We learned to be a bit more conservative with our dependent claims when we expect variable income.