This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with a very similar situation as a software developer working from Brazil for a US startup. The information about foreign-sourced income not being subject to US withholding has been eye-opening. One thing I'd like to add for other Brazilian contractors: make sure you understand how this affects your tax situation with Receita Federal. Since you'll be receiving the full payment without US withholding, you'll need to declare this as foreign income on your DIRPF and pay Brazilian taxes on it. The good news is that you can often claim this as "rendimentos recebidos do exterior" which sometimes has more favorable tax treatment. Also, for those mentioning the W-8BEN form - in my experience, most US companies' accounting software automatically flags foreign contractors for 30% withholding until they have a properly completed W-8BEN on file. Even though you'll leave Part II blank (no treaty benefits), having that form completed and submitted promptly is crucial to avoid any withholding delays. Has anyone here dealt with the situation where a US client initially withholds taxes by mistake and then needs to refund them? I'm curious about the process for getting those funds back if it happens.

This has been such an informative discussion! As someone who's been working as a remote contractor from various countries over the past few years, I can confirm that the guidance here about foreign-sourced income is spot-on. One additional resource that might be helpful: if you're still getting pushback from your US client about withholding requirements, you can direct them to IRS Revenue Ruling 87-4, which specifically addresses the sourcing rules for personal services. It clearly states that compensation for personal services is sourced where the services are performed, not where the payor is located. I've also found that many US companies have automated payroll systems that default to withholding for any foreign contractor, regardless of the actual tax requirements. Sometimes you need to work directly with their tax department or external accountant rather than just HR or payroll to get the proper exemption set up. For those dealing with treaty vs non-treaty countries, remember that the lack of a tax treaty doesn't change the fundamental sourcing rules - it just means you can't claim reduced withholding rates that might be available under treaty provisions. But if your income is foreign-sourced to begin with, the treaty status is irrelevant for withholding purposes.

Make sure you coordinate with siblings BEFORE filing! My brother and I both claimed our dad using Multiple Support Declarations last year because of miscommunication, and we both got audited! Total nightmare sorting it out with the IRS. Also check if your mom qualifies for the new $2,000 family caregiver credit - it's separate from dependent status.

This is such a comprehensive discussion! As someone who went through this exact situation with my father-in-law two years ago, I wanted to add a few practical tips that really helped us: 1. **Document everything meticulously** - Keep receipts for ALL expenses, even small ones like toiletries or food. We used a shared Google Sheet where each sibling could log their contributions monthly. This made calculating the support percentages much easier at tax time. 2. **Get the agreements signed early** - Don't wait until tax season to discuss who will claim the dependent. We had our family meeting in November and got all the Form 2120s signed by December. This prevented any last-minute disputes or delays. 3. **Consider the "fairness factor"** - Even though the person claiming gets all the tax benefits, we worked out an informal agreement where I (as the claimant) helped cover some unexpected medical expenses throughout the year since I was getting the tax advantage. 4. **Medical expenses are tricky** - If you're paying medical bills directly to providers, make sure those receipts clearly show the patient's name and your payment. The IRS may want to see this documentation if they audit the support calculation. The Multiple Support Declaration really is a lifesaver for families sharing elder care costs. Just make sure everyone's on the same page from the beginning!

Just wanted to chime in as someone who's been through this process twice in the past few years. The 4-6 week timeline everyone's mentioning is pretty accurate, but here are a few additional things that might help: 1. If you have access to your tax transcript (which you can get for free on IRS.gov), look for these specific codes: - TC846 with a "DD" indicator = original direct deposit - TC841 = direct deposit returned/rejected - TC846 with "C" indicator = paper check issued 2. The IRS typically batches these rejected refund reissues, so your check might come faster if you're lucky enough to get into an earlier batch cycle. 3. One thing I learned the hard way: if you've recently moved OR changed banks, definitely call to verify both your mailing address AND remove the old direct deposit info from your account. Even though you can't use that bank anymore, having outdated info in their system can sometimes cause additional processing delays. The whole process is frustrating but fairly predictable once you know what to expect. Hang in there - your check will definitely arrive, it's just a matter of patience at this point!

As someone who just joined this community, I'm finding this thread incredibly informative! I'm actually expecting to face this exact situation myself since I recently closed my bank account after a job change and forgot to update my direct deposit info before filing. Reading through everyone's experiences, it seems like the 4-6 week timeline is pretty consistent, which is both reassuring and frustrating at the same time. The transcript code information that several people have shared (TC841 for rejection, TC846 with "C" for check issuance) is something I never would have known to look for - that's going to be so helpful for tracking progress instead of just staring at the "still processing" message on Where's My Refund. I'm definitely taking notes on calling to verify my address, especially since I moved twice in the past year. Better to deal with the hold time now than wait an extra month for a check to get lost in the mail! Thanks to everyone who shared their timelines and tips - this community is already proving to be way more helpful than trying to navigate the IRS website alone.

I've been dealing with IRS delays myself and found that persistence with the phone system really does pay off eventually. One thing that helped me was calling the IRS Collections line at 800-829-7650 instead of the main number - it sounds counterintuitive, but when they answer, you can explain that you're calling about a refund delay and they'll often transfer you to the right department. The wait times seemed shorter on this line in my experience. Also, if you're comfortable with it, try reaching out to your local IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center. Even though they're not taking walk-ins right now, some locations will take calls and can sometimes provide more detailed information than the national hotlines. One more tip - when you do get through to someone, ask them to put detailed notes in your account about what they find and what they tell you. That way if you need to call again, the next agent can see the history instead of starting from scratch. I learned this the hard way after having to explain my situation multiple times to different agents. The 3-month delay you're experiencing is unfortunately pretty common right now, but don't give up. Your refund will come through!

I went through this exact same nightmare last year and finally got results using a multi-pronged approach. Here's what worked for me: **Phone Strategy:** Call 800-829-1040 at exactly 7:00 AM EST on Tuesday or Wednesday. Press 1 for English, then immediately press 2-1-3-2 without waiting for the prompts to finish completely. When it asks about forms, don't say anything - just wait in complete silence for about 20 seconds and it should transfer you to a live agent. **Documentation Tip:** Before calling, gather your filing confirmation, any IRS notices you've received, and write down your exact filing date. When you do reach an agent, be very specific: "I filed on [date], it's been X days, and I need to know the specific reason for the delay." This gets much better results than just asking "where's my refund?" **Backup Options:** - Try the Taxpayer Advocate Service at 877-777-4778 (mention if the delay is causing any financial hardship) - Call the Collections line at 800-829-7650 and ask to be transferred to refund inquiry - Contact your Congressional representative's office - they have caseworkers who deal with IRS issues **What to Expect:** 3-month delays are unfortunately common right now, especially if your return has certain credits or needs manual review. The agents can see much more detail than the "Where's My Refund" tool shows. Don't give up - persistence really does pay off with the IRS phone system!

idk why they make this stuff so complicated fr

Actually, there's one more thing to check - make sure you're looking at your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI), not your total gross income. After deductions like health insurance premiums, retirement contributions, etc., your AGI might be lower than that $65k. Also, the income limits I see others mentioning look right for 2024 tax year. If you're really close to the threshold, definitely consider maxing out any pre-tax deductions you can still make for 2024!