One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned yet - if you're going to claim therapy expenses as medical deductions, make sure your therapist is properly licensed. The IRS requires that mental health services be provided by a licensed professional for them to qualify as deductible medical expenses. Also, keep in mind that if your employer offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that covers some therapy sessions, you should subtract any benefits you received from your total out-of-pocket costs when calculating your deduction. Only the amount you actually paid out of pocket can be deducted. Given that you spent $19K, it's definitely worth exploring all these options! That's a substantial amount that could potentially provide significant tax relief if you can meet the AGI threshold for itemizing.

This is such helpful information! As someone who also spent a significant amount on therapy last year (around $12K), I really appreciate seeing all the different perspectives and resources shared here. One additional consideration I'd mention is timing - if you're planning to claim therapy expenses for this tax year, it might be worth front-loading some of your 2025 therapy payments into late 2024 if that helps you cross the 7.5% AGI threshold for medical deductions. You can prepay for sessions or pay outstanding balances before December 31st and still claim them for the current tax year. Also, don't forget that travel expenses to and from therapy appointments can also count as deductible medical expenses! If you're driving a significant distance to see your therapist, you can deduct either the actual costs (gas, parking) or use the standard medical mileage rate, which is 22 cents per mile for 2024. Every bit helps when you're trying to reach that threshold. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences with the various tax services and tools - definitely going to look into some of these options myself!

I'm new to this community and this international tax situation, but I wanted to share something I discovered that might help others in similar circumstances. I recently moved to Sweden and was facing the same confusion about IRA and HSA withdrawals as a non-resident alien. The conflicting information online was overwhelming, and I was particularly concerned about the Swedish tax implications on top of the US requirements. After reading through this thread, I decided to try both taxr.ai and Claimyr that were mentioned earlier. The taxr.ai service was incredibly helpful for understanding how the US-Sweden tax treaty (Article 18) applied to my specific situation. They identified that Sweden has a unique provision that could actually eliminate double taxation on retirement distributions in certain circumstances. What really impressed me was how they explained the interaction between US withholding taxes and Sweden's foreign tax credit system. Turns out the timing of when I make withdrawals relative to my Swedish tax residency status could make a significant difference in my overall tax burden. For anyone else in Scandininavian countries, I'd definitely recommend getting specialized advice because the tax treaties here have some unique features that general US expat information doesn't cover. The investment in professional guidance has already saved me from making some costly mistakes. Has anyone else dealt with Nordic country tax treaties? I'm curious about experiences in Norway or Denmark specifically.

Welcome to the community! As someone who's new to international tax complexities, I've been following this discussion with great interest and wanted to add a perspective from another country. I'm currently preparing for a move to Japan and have been researching how my IRA and HSA withdrawals would be treated there. What I've discovered is that Japan has some unique aspects to their tax treaty with the US that might be relevant to others in similar situations. Under Article 17 of the US-Japan tax treaty, pension distributions (including IRA withdrawals) are generally taxable only in the country where you're a resident. This means that as a Japanese tax resident, I might not owe US taxes on IRA distributions at all - though I'd still need to file the appropriate US forms to claim this treaty benefit. However, Japan's treatment of HSAs is where it gets tricky. Japan doesn't recognize HSAs as retirement accounts, so withdrawals might be treated as regular income rather than pension distributions, potentially falling outside the treaty protection. The timing aspect that NebulaNomad mentioned for Sweden resonates with my research on Japan too. The Japanese tax year runs from January to December, but the determination of tax residency has specific rules about the 183-day test and "center of vital interests" that could affect which country has primary taxing rights in the year you relocate. Has anyone dealt specifically with the US-Japan treaty for retirement account withdrawals? I'd love to hear about practical experiences, especially regarding the documentation required to establish treaty benefits with both countries' tax authorities.

Don't forget about the QBI deduction (Qualified Business Income)! As a self-employed person, you can deduct up to 20% of your net business income. So if you made $14,800 and had $2,800 in expenses, your net would be $12,000, and you could potentially deduct another $2,400 (20% of $12,000) on top of that. This is separate from your standard or itemized deductions. It's basically free money that a lot of people miss!

The QBI deduction does have income limits, but they're pretty generous for most people. For 2025, the phase-out starts at $191,950 for single filers and $383,900 for married filing jointly. Below those thresholds, you can generally take the full 20% deduction on your qualified business income. Above those limits, the deduction gets more complicated and depends on factors like W-2 wages paid by the business and the type of business you're in. Some service businesses (like consulting, law, accounting) face additional restrictions at higher income levels. But with your current income levels, you're well below the phase-out thresholds, so you should be able to take the full 20% QBI deduction on your net self-employment income from your graphic design work. It's definitely worth claiming - it's one of the biggest tax benefits for small business owners that was added in recent years!

One thing nobody mentioned - have you looked into whether you qualify as a "public charity" rather than just a general non-profit? For our community sports complex, we emphasize the scholarships we provide to underprivileged youth and our free community programs. This helped us get 501(c)(3) status.

As someone who's worked with several recreational facilities on their non-profit applications, I'd strongly recommend documenting everything you're already doing that serves the community. Keep detailed records of your junior golf programs - how many kids participate, what their family income levels are, how many receive reduced fees or scholarships. The IRS wants to see quantifiable community benefit, not just good intentions. Track things like: number of community events hosted, charitable tournaments and funds raised, partnerships with local schools, accessibility accommodations you provide, and any environmental conservation efforts on the course. Also, make sure your governing documents (articles of incorporation, bylaws) clearly state your charitable purposes and include the required dissolution clause that assets go to another 501(c)(3) if you ever dissolve. Many applications get rejected simply because the paperwork doesn't match what the organization actually does. The disconnect between your state recognition and federal issues might be exactly this - different standards for documentation and proof of charitable purpose.

This thread has been incredibly reassuring! I'm actually in a very similar situation - filed an SS-8 about 7 months ago for a worker classification issue and just received an "APA Treas 310 Misc" deposit yesterday that had me completely baffled until I found this discussion. The timeline and circumstances everyone's describing match my situation almost perfectly. The deposit amount is roughly what I'd expect for the employer portion of FICA taxes on the income in question, and the timing aligns with what others have experienced - SS-8 processing taking 4-6 months, then the refund appearing about a month later. Reading through all these experiences has given me so much confidence that this is legitimate and related to my SS-8 determination. I was honestly worried it might be some kind of error that I'd eventually have to pay back, but seeing how consistently the IRS has handled these cases for everyone else is really comforting. Like others have mentioned, I'm keeping the money in a separate account until I get the official explanation letter, which sounds like should arrive in the next 2-3 weeks based on everyone's timelines. I'm also going to start gathering all my documentation from that contractor relationship now so I'm ready to file amended returns for other years if needed. Thanks so much for starting this discussion - it's amazing how many people are going through this exact same confusing experience. The IRS really should improve their communication around these refunds!

This entire thread has been such a lifesaver! I'm dealing with the exact same situation right now - got an "APA Treas 310 Misc" deposit three days ago that completely threw me off. I filed an SS-8 about 6 months ago for a contractor classification issue, and reading everyone's experiences here has finally put the pieces together. The timing and amount match perfectly with what everyone else is describing. My deposit amount is almost exactly what 7.65% (employer portion of FICA) would be for the income I reported from that contractor relationship. I was honestly starting to worry this was some kind of error that would come back to haunt me! Based on all the consistent experiences shared here, I'm confident this is my SS-8 determination finally coming through. I've moved the money to a separate account and I'm gathering all my documentation from that contractor relationship (1099s, payment records, original returns) so I'll be ready to file amended returns for other years if needed. The waiting for the explanation letter is definitely nerve-wracking, but seeing how systematically the IRS has handled these cases for everyone gives me a lot of confidence. Thanks for starting this discussion - it's amazing how many of us are going through this identical confusing experience. The IRS really needs to send explanation letters WITH the deposits to save everyone this stress!