Has anyone considered using a fiscal sponsor instead? When I was 16 and making money from YouTube, I worked with a fiscal sponsor organization that essentially acted as my business entity. They had their own TIN, handled the tax reporting, and then paid me as a contractor. The benefit was that I didn't need to set up any business structures or use my parents' information. The downside is they took about 7-10% of my earnings as their fee. But for someone just starting out, it might be easier than the LLC route.

I went through a similar situation when I was 16 and needed to monetize my YouTube channel. What worked for me was having my dad set up a simple sole proprietorship using his SSN. It's actually the most straightforward approach for minors. Here's what we did: My dad reported the income on Schedule C of his tax return as a sole proprietor, with me listed as an employee/contractor. TikTok accepted his SSN for verification, and we kept detailed records of all income and expenses related to my content creation. The key is making sure your parent understands they'll be responsible for paying taxes on the income (though you can obviously contribute to those payments from your earnings). We also opened a separate bank account just for the content income to keep everything organized. This approach avoided the complexity and costs of setting up an LLC while still being completely legitimate. Plus, it gave me good experience with business record-keeping that helped when I eventually started my own company at 18.

Could you possibly open a new account with a US bank that offers international services? I know Capital One and some others let you manage everything online. You could then do a mobile deposit to your own account and transfer the money internationally.

I went through this exact situation last year when I moved to Canada! Treasury checks definitely have stricter rules than regular checks. Your girlfriend won't be able to mobile deposit it into her account - the banks have systems that flag when the name on the check doesn't match the account holder, especially for government-issued checks. Here's what worked for me: I had to mail the check back to the IRS with Form 8822 (Change of Address) and request they reissue it to my new international address, then I deposited it through my Canadian bank's USD account. It took about 6-8 weeks total but was the most legitimate route. Another option is to have your girlfriend try depositing it in-person at a BOA branch with your signed endorsement and a copy of your ID, but success varies by branch and teller. Some are more flexible than others with government checks when you have proper documentation. Whatever you do, don't let the check expire! Treasury checks are typically valid for one year from issue date, but it's better to act sooner rather than later.

I believe the Maryland Comptroller's office might be prioritizing processing based on several factors, not just filing date. From what I've gathered, they may be expediting smaller refunds while subjecting larger refunds to additional scrutiny. There also appears to be some correlation between claiming certain credits (particularly the Earned Income Tax Credit) and longer processing times. It might be worth noting that the Comptroller's website has a notice about "increased identity theft protection measures" which could potentially explain some of the delays we're experiencing this year.

I'm in the exact same situation! Filed my Maryland return on February 20th and still showing "being processed" status. What's really frustrating is that I moved from DC to Maryland last year, so this is my first time dealing with MD state taxes. I called the comptroller's office last week and they basically told me the same thing - massive backlog due to fraud prevention measures. The representative mentioned they're running about 4-6 weeks behind their normal processing times. I'm hoping to see something in my account soon since it sounds like many February filers are finally getting theirs. Thanks for starting this thread - it's reassuring to know I'm not alone in this wait!

Has anyone used TurboTax to handle something like this? I'm in a similar situation but worried it won't handle the home sale loss correctly.

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now - bought my house 10 months ago and need to sell due to my company relocating me. The advice here about primary residence losses not being deductible is spot on, but I wanted to add something that might help with your basis calculation. Make sure you're including ALL the costs that can be added to your basis, not just the obvious closing costs. Things like title insurance, recording fees, transfer taxes, and even some of the loan origination fees can be added to your purchase basis. On the selling side, realtor commissions, title fees, and other selling expenses reduce your realized gain (or increase your loss). Since you mentioned you're at around a $25k total loss after all expenses, you're definitely in personal loss territory that won't be deductible. But at least documenting everything properly will ensure you're not accidentally creating a taxable gain when you shouldn't have one. The job transfer angle mentioned by others is definitely worth exploring for the partial exclusion, even though you probably won't need it given your situation.

Has anyone used TurboTax for reporting these CD penalties? Does it handle this situation well or should I be looking at other tax software options?

Just went through this exact situation last month! I had to break my CD early in 2023 for emergency home repairs. Here's what I learned from my research and talking to my tax preparer: The penalty will definitely show up on your 2023 1099-INT (which you'll receive in January/February 2024), not on any amended 2022 form. The bank reports penalties in the year they actually charge them, not when the CD was originally opened. One thing that really helped me was keeping detailed records of the CD closure. I took screenshots of my online banking showing the penalty amount because I wanted to verify it against the 1099-INT when I receive it. The silver lining is that early withdrawal penalties are "above-the-line" deductions, meaning they reduce your adjusted gross income dollar-for-dollar. So if you paid a $500 penalty, that's $500 less in taxable income, which could save you $100+ in taxes depending on your tax bracket. Don't stress too much about it - this is a pretty common situation and the tax treatment is straightforward once you get that 2023 1099-INT!