Just be super careful about claiming 100% business use. The IRS scrutinizes this heavily, especially with vans that could potentially be used personally. Keep a detailed mileage log with the purpose of each trip. There's apps that can track this automatically. If you slip up and use it even once for personal purposes, you technically need to reduce your deduction by that percentage of personal use.

For a videographer using a Transit 100% for business, I'd lean toward purchasing if you plan to keep it long-term. Here's why: Transit cargo vans typically have a GVWR over 6,000 lbs, qualifying them as "heavy vehicles" with better depreciation rules. You can potentially deduct $30,200 in year one through Section 179, plus bonus depreciation on the remaining amount. The cash flow consideration is important though - leasing gives you lower monthly payments which might be better when you're building your client base. But if you have steady income and plan to keep the van 5+ years, the total tax savings from purchasing usually outweigh leasing. One practical tip: Get the exact GVWR specs for any Transit model you're considering. The base Transit-150 might be under 6,000 lbs, but the Transit-250/350 cargo vans are definitely over, which makes a huge difference for your deductions. Also factor in that cargo vans hold their value well in the current market, so you'll have equity if you buy versus nothing if you lease.

Tax preparer here (but not yours!) - one thing no one has mentioned yet is that you might want to look into filing amended returns BEFORE the IRS comes after you. If you voluntarily correct errors before being audited, it can sometimes reduce penalties. This does mean you'll need to figure out what's wrong with your returns though. Common issues with fraudulent preparers include fake Schedule C businesses, inflated charitable donations, and bogus education credits. The preparer was probably getting you larger refunds by making up these deductions.

I'm going through something very similar right now and wanted to share what I've learned so far. Got the same type of letter about my preparer being under investigation about 3 weeks ago. The first thing I did was immediately request my IRS account transcripts online (irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript) to see exactly what was filed under my SSN. What I found was shocking - there were business expenses totaling over $8,000 that I never discussed with the preparer, plus charitable donations I never made. I've already contacted the IRS agent mentioned in the letter and scheduled my interview. She was actually pretty helpful and explained that they're mainly trying to build a case against the preparer, not go after us individually (unless there's evidence we knowingly participated in fraud). My advice: Don't wait. Get your transcripts now, document any discrepancies between what was filed and your actual financial situation, and be proactive about contacting the IRS. The agent told me that cooperation and transparency usually work in your favor when it comes to penalty assessments. Also, keep records of any communications you had with this preparer - texts, emails, receipts for their services, etc. This can help show your good faith efforts and lack of knowledge about any fraudulent activity. The stress is real, but from what I've been told, most people in our situation end up having to pay back taxes and interest but avoid the worst penalties if they cooperate fully.

This exact same thing happened to me last year! Code 846 showed up on my transcript but no deposit for almost 3 weeks. Turned out my bank (Wells Fargo) had some internal flag on my account that was blocking the IRS deposit - something about "unusual large deposit detection" even though I'd been getting refunds there for years. The IRS kept trying to send it but it kept bouncing back to them. I only found out when I finally got through to someone at the IRS who told me they had multiple failed deposit attempts. Had to get a paper check issued instead which took another 2 weeks. Definitely call your bank first to make sure they're not blocking it on their end before spending hours trying to reach the IRS!

I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation right now! Filed on April 30th, got approved on May 15th with code 846 dated May 20th, and it's been radio silence ever since. My transcript hasn't updated with any new codes either. I've been checking my bank account obsessively and called the IRS line about 8 times with no luck getting through. Based on what everyone's saying here, it sounds like there might be some kind of system glitch or bank issue that's preventing the deposits from going through properly. I'm going to try calling my bank first like Sofia suggested to see if there's any kind of block on their end. If that doesn't work, I might have to bite the bullet and try one of those callback services people are mentioning. It's so frustrating because you'd think once they approve it and give you a deposit date, that would be it! But apparently there's a whole other layer of things that can go wrong. Keep us posted on what you find out - hoping we both get this resolved soon!

You're absolutely right to be excited about discovering QBI - it can make a real difference! Since you mentioned being comfortable with tax forms, I'd suggest starting with the 2021-2023 amendments yourself first. The QBI calculation is straightforward at your income level, and Form 8995 really does walk you through it step by step. One thing to double-check: if you were filing as a partnership with K-1s during some of those years, make sure you understand how QBI flows through on those returns versus your sole proprietor years. The deduction might be calculated differently depending on your filing structure for each year. Also, consider batching your amendments strategically. File one year first to get familiar with the process, then do the others. This way if the IRS has any questions about your first amendment, you can apply those lessons to the remaining years. And definitely keep detailed records of everything you send - make copies and use certified mail if filing paper returns. The potential refunds plus interest could really help with your financial situation, so it's worth the effort to get these filed properly!

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that you should double-check whether your business activities actually qualify for QBI. The deduction applies to qualified trade or business income, but there are some exceptions. Most sole proprietorship activities qualify, but things like performing services as an employee or certain investment activities might not. Also, since you mentioned your income has been around $17,500 annually, you're well below the taxable income thresholds where QBI gets limited by W-2 wages or basis of property, so the calculation should indeed be straightforward - just 20% of your qualified business income. For the partnership years, the QBI would have flowed through to your personal return via the K-1, so you'd still claim it on your individual 1040 using Form 8995. The partnership itself doesn't claim the QBI deduction. Given the amounts involved and your comfort level with taxes, I'd definitely try doing the amendments yourself first. At your income level, you're looking at roughly $3,500 per year in QBI deductions (20% of $17,500), which could mean significant refunds especially if you were in the 12% or 22% tax brackets. That's potentially over $1,000 in refunds for the three years you can still amend, plus interest!

Has anyone successfully deducted the costs of medications for egg freezing? The hormones alone cost me almost $4,000 and I'm not sure if I need special documentation for those or if regular receipts are enough?

One thing to keep in mind that I don't see mentioned yet - if you're planning to use the frozen eggs in the future, you'll want to keep all your documentation from the freezing procedure for when you eventually do IVF or other fertility treatments. The IRS allows you to deduct the costs when you incur them, but having that paper trail will be important if you ever get audited. Also, make sure you're tracking mileage to and from all your appointments (monitoring visits, retrieval procedure, etc.). Medical travel is deductible at the standard mileage rate, and with all the monitoring required for egg freezing, those miles can really add up. I probably had 15+ appointments during my cycle and didn't think to track the mileage until it was too late. The consultation fees with the reproductive endocrinologist are also fully deductible, even if you decide not to proceed with the procedure after the consultation.