Does anyone know if there's a way to see what your tax bill might be before getting all the official forms? I've got a similar situation but want to start budgeting for what I'll owe.

Just wanted to add something that might help ease your anxiety - the IRS has a "safe harbor" rule that protects you from underpayment penalties if you pay at least 100% of last year's tax liability (or 110% if your prior year AGI was over $150k). So even if you end up owing a decent amount on your capital gains, as long as your withholdings from your regular job or other estimated payments cover what you owed in 2022, you won't get hit with penalties. Your tax preparer will check this when you meet in February. The key thing is you realized these gains in December 2023, so they're part of your 2023 return. You have until April 15, 2024 to pay without any late payment issues. Try not to stress too much about it!

11 I'm in the same boat with Fidelity! Did anyone actually try calling Vanguard the old-fashioned way? What number did you use? The main customer service line has kept me on hold for ages.

I've been dealing with a similar issue with my Schwab account - turns out there can be several reasons why tax forms don't show up online even when they should. One thing that helped me was checking if there were any unresolved account issues or if I had any pending transactions that might be holding up form generation. Also, if you had any dividend reinvestments or automatic investments during the year, sometimes those can complicate the form processing timeline. Vanguard might be waiting for final cost basis adjustments before releasing your forms. I'd definitely recommend calling that tax support line someone mentioned - the regular customer service reps often don't have access to the same information as the tax document specialists. When you do call, have your account number ready and ask specifically about "form generation status" rather than just asking about missing forms.

19 I'm in the same boat and was panicking about taxes! Has anyone used TurboTax Self-Employed for this situation? Worth the extra cost?

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet - make sure you're tracking ALL your business expenses throughout the year, not just at tax time! I learned this the hard way my first year with 1099 income. Keep receipts for everything: business meals (50% deductible), travel expenses, equipment purchases, even small stuff like office supplies. I use a simple spreadsheet or app like Expensify to track as I go. Also, if you use your car for any business purposes (client meetings, supply runs), track those miles - the standard mileage deduction can add up quickly. And here's something most people don't realize - you can deduct health insurance premiums if you're self-employed, even if you have coverage through your W2 job's spouse. The rules are tricky but worth looking into. These deductions directly reduce your 1099 income before calculating self-employment tax, which saves you money on both income tax AND the 15.3% SE tax.

I'm going through something very similar right now! Filed on February 15th and my transcript finally updated with an 846 code three days ago, but WMR is still stuck on "being processed" with no bars filled. It's been driving me absolutely crazy refreshing it every few hours. Reading through everyone's experiences here is actually really reassuring - sounds like this lag between transcript updates and WMR is totally normal, just frustrating. I had no idea about the 24-72 hour delay being so common. For the ID.me verification nightmare with your son, I went through the same thing with my younger brother last month. What finally worked was using a different browser (switched from Chrome to Firefox), clearing everything completely, and trying during early morning hours like others mentioned. The facial recognition kept failing until we realized the lighting in his room was too dim - moved to a spot with natural light coming from a window and it worked on the first try. Also, if he's still having trouble, the phone verification option might be worth trying. My brother had to wait about 45 minutes for a video call with an ID.me agent, but they were able to verify him manually after the automated system kept failing. Just make sure he has his ID, Social Security card, and a utility bill or bank statement ready. Hang in there! That 846 code means your money is definitely coming, even if WMR is being stubborn about updating.

I'm going through the exact same frustrating situation! Filed in mid-February and just got my 846 code on my transcript two days ago, but WMR is still showing the generic "your return is being processed" message with zero progress bars filled. The ID.me verification struggle is real - I helped my college-age nephew get through it last week after multiple failed attempts. What finally worked was using the desktop site (not mobile), making sure he was in a well-lit room with a plain background, and trying during early morning hours when the system wasn't as overloaded. The facial recognition seems super finicky about lighting and image quality. One thing that might help your son is the alternative verification methods within ID.me. If he has any credit history (even just a student loan or credit card), the financial verification path often works better than the facial recognition. Also, if all else fails, he can request transcripts by mail using Form 4506-T - it takes longer but bypasses ID.me entirely. Reading through everyone's experiences here is actually reassuring that the WMR lag is totally normal, even if incredibly annoying. That 846 code is the real confirmation your refund is scheduled, so try not to stress too much about WMR catching up. Easier said than done, I know!

17 Has anyone actually had the IRS contact them over a wrong address on a W2? I've had this happen twice (once my employer put the wrong apt number, once they used my old address) and filed with my correct address both times. Never heard a peep from the IRS about it.

I'm a tax preparer and can confirm what others have said - address discrepancies on W-2s are extremely common and won't cause any issues with your tax filing. The IRS uses your SSN as the primary identifier, and the financial data (wages, withholdings) is what matters for processing your return. When you file your 2024 tax return, just use your correct current address. This automatically updates your address of record with the IRS. I've prepared thousands of returns over the years with similar situations and have never seen the IRS flag or delay a return due to a W-2 address mismatch. Your concern about missing correspondence is understandable, but since you'll be filing with your correct address, any future IRS communications will go to the right place. The only time address issues become problematic is if there are discrepancies in the actual tax data (income amounts, withholdings, etc.), which isn't your situation.