One more point that could apply to your situation - if you're considered a resident alien for tax purposes but a nonresident for USCIS/immigration purposes, make sure to check if there's a tax treaty between the US and Brazil. Many countries have tax treaties with the US that can reduce or eliminate double taxation on certain types of income. As a first-year resident, you might qualify for special provisions under the treaty. For example, I'm from India, and under the US-India tax treaty, there are special provisions for students, teachers, and researchers that can exempt certain income from US taxation for a limited time.

There is indeed a tax treaty between the US and Brazil that could potentially help with your situation! The US-Brazil tax treaty includes provisions that can help prevent double taxation and may provide certain benefits for new residents. To claim treaty benefits, you'll typically need to file Form 8833 (Treaty-Based Return Position Disclosure) if you're taking a position that the treaty overrides or modifies an Internal Revenue Code provision. However, not all treaty benefits require this form - some can be claimed directly on your tax return. Since you were paying taxes in Brazil for part of 2024, you might also be eligible for the Foreign Tax Credit (Form 1116) to offset taxes you paid to Brazil against your US tax liability. This can help reduce the double taxation burden even if specific treaty provisions don't apply. Given the complexity of your situation - being a dual-status alien with foreign income and potential treaty benefits - I'd strongly recommend consulting with a tax professional who specializes in international taxation. They can help you navigate both the residency determination and any available treaty benefits to ensure you're not overpaying taxes to either country.

The withholding tables were updated recently too, and sometimes that causes issues. I'm a payroll specialist (not for your company obviously) and we've had several employees come to us with similar concerns this year. Another thing to check: did they withhold for a full pay period, or could this first check be for just part of a pay period? Sometimes that first check can look weird if you didn't start exactly at the beginning of a pay cycle.

Why don't you just claim exempt? I did that when I was making $16/hr and got way more in my checks. You can always pay what you owe at the end of the year if needed.

I'm confused about something related to this... if I have both W-2 income from my main job AND 1099 income from side gigs, do I combine them or file separately? My 1099 is only like $900 but my W-2 job pays over $45k.

Just to add one more important point that might help you feel less overwhelmed - even though you need to file, the good news is that with only $1,924 in DoorDash income, your actual tax burden will likely be pretty small after deductions. Don't forget you can deduct business expenses like: - Mileage (probably your biggest deduction - 67¢ per business mile for 2024) - Phone bill percentage (if you use it for deliveries) - Insulated delivery bags - Car phone mounts or other equipment - Even parking fees or tolls during deliveries Many gig workers find that after legitimate business deductions, their net profit drops significantly, which reduces both their income tax and self-employment tax. The self-employment tax on your net earnings will be around 15.3%, but you also get to deduct half of that self-employment tax when calculating your income tax. Since this is your first time with 1099 income, consider using tax software that handles Schedule C and Schedule SE, or consult with a tax professional to make sure you're claiming all eligible deductions.

Just for my own clarity on this gift tax thing - so if someone gives me $20,000 cash as a gift in 2025, they would have to report that to the IRS since it's over the $18,000 limit, but I still don't pay any taxes on it as the recipient? Is that right?

This is such a smart way to save money over the years! You're absolutely right not to worry about taxes on this. As others have mentioned, gift recipients don't pay taxes on the money they receive - that responsibility falls on the gift giver, and since these were small amounts given over many years by different family members, they were almost certainly all under the annual exclusion limits. Just wanted to add one practical tip for your bank deposit: consider calling ahead to let them know you'll be making a large cash deposit. Some banks appreciate the heads up, and you can briefly explain it's accumulated gift money you've been saving. This can make the process smoother and shows you're being transparent about the source. Good luck with your car repairs - it must feel great to have that emergency fund paying off exactly when you need it!

One tip about filing these old returns - don't e-file! The IRS only accepts electronic filing for the current tax year and 2 years prior. For anything older than that, you have to mail paper returns. Also, be sure to mail each tax year in a separate envelope. If you send multiple years together, it increases the chances of processing errors.

Just wanted to add something that might help with your peace of mind - even though you can't recover that 2017 overpayment, filing both returns will at least give you a complete picture of your tax situation from those years. I was in a similar boat with unfiled returns and kept putting it off because I was overwhelmed by all the unknowns. Once I finally bit the bullet and filed everything, it was honestly such a relief to have it done and know exactly where I stood with the IRS. One thing that helped me was creating a simple spreadsheet tracking what I owed for each year including estimated penalties, so I could budget for the payments. The uncertainty was actually worse than the reality of what I ended up owing. Good luck getting everything sorted out - you're already taking the right steps by researching this and planning to file!