ur supposed to mobile deposit these now its 2025 fam 👀

Check the back of your check too - sometimes the endorsement area gets damaged during mailing which can cause banks to reject it. If the MICR line looks fine, it might be worth calling the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040 to verify the check status before going to more banks. They can tell you if there's a stop payment or other issue on their end.

Another way to maximize your tax benefits from charitable giving is to make direct donations yourself in addition to your volunteer work. My financial advisor suggested I set up a Donor Advised Fund - basically I contribute to the fund, get the tax deduction immediately, and then recommend grants to charities over time. This works especially well if you're close to the threshold between taking the standard deduction vs itemizing.

Slightly off topic but since you're in Washington state like me - remember that while we don't have state income tax, so these deductions only matter for federal taxes. But some municipalities have special programs for volunteers that can save you money in other ways. My city gives property tax breaks for residents who volunteer a certain number of hours with approved charities. Might be worth looking into if your city has something similar!

One thing no one has mentioned - you should also check if this state ID error affected any quarterly filings you've already submitted this year. Sometimes these errors carry forward if you're using the same system for everything.

I went through this exact same situation two years ago and can confirm that yes, you absolutely need to issue W2C forms. The state employer ID is crucial for state tax processing, and even though your employees might not notice right away, it will likely cause issues when they file their state returns. Here's what I learned from my experience: Send the W2C forms ASAP with a clear cover letter explaining the error. Make sure to mark the corrected forms prominently as "CORRECTED" and include both the incorrect and correct state ID numbers on the W2C so there's no confusion. Also, double-check that this error didn't affect any of your quarterly state filings throughout the year. In my case, I had been using the wrong ID on those too and had to file amended quarterly reports. The whole process was actually less painful than I expected once I got started. Your employees will appreciate the proactive correction rather than discovering the error when they try to file their taxes!

I'm facing a similar situation right now! My tax preparer is also wanting to charge me almost the full fee again for an amended return. Reading through these responses has been really helpful - I didn't realize that amended returns require essentially preparing everything from scratch again. One question I have is about the self-employment tax aspect that was mentioned. If I forgot to include some freelance income (around $3,000), will I definitely owe self-employment tax on that, or does it depend on how much total self-employment income I had for the year? I'm trying to figure out the full financial impact before I decide whether to pay my current preparer or try one of the alternative services mentioned here. Also, has anyone had experience with amended returns that involve both adding income AND claiming additional deductions that were missed? I think I might have some business expenses related to that freelance work that I could deduct.

I'm in a very similar boat! My tax preparer is charging me $325 for an amendment when my original return was $375. I was initially frustrated about the cost, but after reading through all these responses, I'm starting to understand why amendments are priced similarly to original returns. One thing I'm curious about - has anyone dealt with amended returns where you're switching from standard deduction to itemized deductions? I realized after filing that I had enough medical expenses to itemize, but I'm not sure if that makes the amendment more complex or affects the cost. My preparer mentioned something about having to recalculate everything, but I want to understand what I'm paying for. Also, for those who used the alternative services mentioned here (like taxr.ai), did they provide any kind of guarantee or review process? I'm nervous about making a mistake on an amendment since I've heard the IRS scrutinizes them more carefully. The peace of mind might be worth paying my regular preparer, but I'm trying to weigh all my options.

You might want to look into Treasury Direct accounts and I-bonds as an alternative. Instead of having extra money withheld that the IRS keeps interest-free, you could set up automatic transfers to buy I-bonds throughout the year. Current rates are decent and they're backed by the government. Then when tax time comes, you just withhold the minimum needed to cover your taxes. You get interest on your money AND it's available when you need it.

FYI - the IRS interest rate for underpayments is currently 8% (as of July 2025). That's what they charge when you pay late. But most savings accounts are paying under 3%, and even 1-year CDs are around 4-5%. So the IRS is definitely making money by charging higher interest than what average Americans can earn.