I'm a tax professional who works with a lot of international students, and I want to emphasize something important that hasn't been fully addressed here: landlords generally should NOT be requesting W-8 forms from tenants at all, regardless of whether it's W-8ECI or W-8BEN. These forms are specifically for entities that need to report payments to foreign persons to the IRS. When you're paying rent TO the landlord, they're not making payments TO you that would require IRS reporting. The confusion likely stems from the landlord using a generic application packet or misunderstanding the purpose of these forms. If your landlord absolutely insists on some form of tax documentation, here's what I'd suggest: 1. Ask them to specify exactly what they need it for and what they plan to do with it 2. Offer to provide a letter from your university's international office instead 3. If they still insist, the W-8BEN would be less inappropriate than W-8ECI, but it's still not really the right form for this situation The real issue here might be that the landlord wants to verify your legal status to work/study in the US, which would be better addressed with your I-20 form and visa documentation rather than tax forms. Don't let them pressure you into filling out forms that don't apply to your situation!

I went through this exact same confusion when I was applying for apartments as an international graduate student! The key thing to understand is that you're absolutely right to question this - W-8ECI is completely inappropriate for your situation. Here's the breakdown: - **W-8ECI**: For foreign persons receiving income from US business activities (like if you owned rental property or ran a business in the US) - **W-8BEN**: For foreign persons receiving certain types of US-source income (interest, dividends, etc.) - **Your situation**: You're PAYING rent, not receiving any income from the landlord Honestly, your landlord probably grabbed this from a standard packet without understanding what it's for. Most residential rentals don't require any W-8 forms at all since you're the one making payments to them, not the other way around. My advice: Contact your university's international student office first - they deal with this constantly and often have template letters explaining F-1 student status that satisfy landlords' verification needs. If the landlord still insists on a form, ask them to explain exactly what they need it for. Once they realize these are IRS reporting forms for payments TO foreign persons, they'll usually drop the request. Your I-20 and visa documentation are much more relevant for proving your legal status to rent than any tax forms. Don't let them pressure you into inappropriate paperwork!

Has anyone tried using TurboTax for this? I'm in the same situation and wondering if it automatically sorts out which SSN goes where.

I went through this exact same confusion last year! The key thing to remember is that when you're married filing jointly, you're essentially filing one combined return. Think of it this way: Schedule C and SE are like "individual worksheets" that need to match the specific person who received the 1099-NEC (so your wife's SSN goes there). But Schedules 1 and 2 are more like "summary sheets" that roll up into your main 1040 form - they should always use the primary taxpayer's SSN regardless of who earned the income being reported. I made the mistake of putting my husband's SSN on Schedule 1 the first time because all the income came from his freelance work, and the IRS sent us a letter asking for clarification. Once I corrected it to use my SSN (as the primary filer), everything processed smoothly. The IRS computer systems are looking for consistency across the return, not necessarily matching the SSN to who earned each specific dollar.

Has anyone else noticed that these "empty" W2s with only retirement contributions seem to be happening more frequently? My husband and I both got them this year from companies we left in 2019.

This is actually a really common scenario that confuses a lot of people! The $4000 in Box 12a with code D is definitely related to her 401(k) plan from that employer. What likely happened is that the company made their final employer matching contribution or profit-sharing contribution for 2019 after she had already left in November. Many companies don't finalize their retirement plan contributions until after the year ends, so even though she quit in late 2019, they may have processed matching contributions or other employer contributions in early 2020 that were attributable to her 2019 work. This is completely normal and legal. The good news is that this W2 doesn't represent new taxable income for 2020. It's just documenting retirement account activity. She doesn't need to amend her 2019 return or report this as income on her 2020 return. The company is required by law to send this W2 to report the retirement plan activity, even though no wages were paid. I'd still recommend she contact the company's HR department to confirm exactly what the $4000 represents, but she can rest easy knowing this likely won't affect her tax filing at all.

This is a perfect example of why you should always verify tax advice you see on social media! As others have correctly pointed out, paying off your mortgage absolutely does NOT trigger capital gains taxes. A capital gain only occurs when you sell an asset (like your home) for more than you originally paid for it. When you pay off your mortgage, you're simply completing a loan agreement - you're not selling anything or realizing any gain. Think of it this way: the house was always yours (you held the title), the bank just had a lien against it as security for the loan. Paying off the mortgage removes that lien, but doesn't change the ownership or create any taxable event. The only potential tax change is that you'll lose your mortgage interest deduction going forward, but that's completely separate from capital gains and is just because you're no longer paying deductible interest. Always be skeptical of tax advice from Instagram or other social media platforms - there's unfortunately a lot of misinformation out there that can lead people to make costly mistakes!

Social media is absolutely terrible for tax advice! I've seen so many of these completely false claims spreading around - from the mortgage capital gains myth to people saying you get taxed when you pay off student loans. It's really dangerous because people might make financial decisions based on this misinformation. The basic rule is simple: you only have capital gains when you SELL something for more than you paid for it. Paying off any kind of loan - mortgage, car loan, student loan, whatever - is just completing a debt obligation. No sale = no capital gain. I always tell people to stick to official IRS publications or consult with actual tax professionals rather than trusting random Instagram posts. The IRS website has clear explanations of what actually constitutes a taxable event, and paying off debt isn't one of them!

Has anyone figured out a good system for tracking labor hours anyway, even if they don't count for tax purposes? I'm renovating to flip the house and want to calculate my actual ROI including my time investment.

Great question! I went through this same frustration when I renovated my kitchen last year. You're absolutely right that only actual out-of-pocket expenses count toward your cost basis - no labor value for DIY work, unfortunately. Here's what I learned works well for documentation: 1. Create a dedicated folder (physical or digital) for each renovation project 2. Photograph every receipt immediately and store digitally as backup 3. Keep a simple log with date, vendor, amount, and what the expense was for 4. Don't forget about the smaller stuff - screws, sandpaper, drop cloths, etc. all add up 5. If you rent tools (like a tile saw), those receipts count too 6. Any professional consultations, even if just for advice, can be included The key is being thorough with documentation. I ended up adding about $23,000 to my home's basis from my kitchen reno, which will definitely help with capital gains when I sell. Even though our sweat equity doesn't count dollar-wise, at least we're saving money upfront while still building basis through materials and other legitimate expenses. Keep grinding on that renovation - sounds like you're doing great work!