Has anyone faced an audit after filing MFS during separation? My ex and I disagreed on everything tax-related and now I'm worried we'll get flagged.

Yes, definitely document those first 3 months! When you file MFS after living together for part of the year, you need to show how you're splitting shared expenses like mortgage interest, property taxes, and other itemized deductions. The IRS wants to see a reasonable allocation method - whether it's 50/50, based on income percentage, or actual payment records. For the months you lived together, gather bank statements, receipts, and any records showing who paid what. Even if your record keeping wasn't perfect, recreate what you can with bank statements and credit card records. The key is having a consistent, logical method for splitting shared expenses that you can explain if questioned. Also make sure you're not both claiming the same deduction - that's a huge red flag. If you paid the mortgage in January but your ex paid it in February, document that clearly. The IRS computers will catch duplicate claims between spouses pretty quickly.

Don't overthink this! Your father-in-law has a HUGE lifetime gift tax exemption (like $13.6 million in 2025). Unless he's already given away millions, he's not going to owe any actual gift tax. He just needs to file a Form 709 if he gives any one person more than $19k in a year. The co-signing trick probably won't work as intended and might actually create more problems. The IRS isn't stupid - they look at intent. If he suddenly becomes a co-signer just to pay off a loan, they'll see right through it.

Another strategy worth considering is making direct payments for qualified expenses that don't count toward gift tax limits at all. Your father-in-law could pay medical expenses or tuition directly to the providers/schools for his children or grandchildren without any gift tax implications whatsoever - these payments are unlimited and don't use up any annual exclusion or lifetime exemption. For example, if any of the children have outstanding medical bills, student loan payments made directly to the lender, or current tuition expenses, he could pay those directly. This could potentially allow him to transfer significantly more than $160k per child without triggering any gift tax reporting requirements. Just make sure the payments go directly to the qualified institution (hospital, school, lender) rather than to the individual first. The IRS is very specific about this - the payment must be made directly to avoid being classified as a gift.

Watch out for state tax differences too! The W9 is federal, but some states treat single-member LLCs differently than the IRS does. Here in California, I still have to file a separate tax return for my LLC and pay an annual $800 fee even though it's disregarded federally.

This is such a common source of confusion! I went through the exact same thing when I started my LLC last year. The key thing to remember is that for tax purposes, how your business is structured legally (LLC) and how it's treated for taxes can be two different things. Since you're a single-member LLC and haven't made any special tax elections, you're what the IRS calls a "disregarded entity" - meaning for tax purposes, you're treated just like a sole proprietor. So you'd check "Individual/sole proprietor or single-member LLC" on box 3. On the form, put your name on the "Name" line and your LLC business name on the "Business name/disregarded entity name" line. You can use either your SSN or your LLC's EIN (if you have one) - both are acceptable for single-member LLCs. Don't stress too much about it - you're definitely not alone in finding this confusing! The IRS could definitely make their forms clearer on this point.

This is such a valuable discussion! I'm a CPA and wanted to add a few technical points that might help clarify the joint ownership situation for the used EV credit. The IRS guidance emphasizes that the credit belongs to the "qualifying buyer" - meaning the person who meets the income requirements AND has genuine ownership interest. Your mom being added just to circumvent income limits would be problematic, but if she's truly a co-purchaser with real financial stake and usage rights, that's legitimate. A few practical tips: 1) Have your mom contribute meaningfully to the down payment or be equally responsible for loan payments, 2) Make sure she's listed as a driver on the insurance policy from day one, 3) Document any agreement about shared usage (even informally), and 4) Keep records showing she genuinely benefits from the purchase. The point-of-sale option makes this much easier since she doesn't need current tax liability, but she WILL need to report the credit transfer on her next tax return. Also remember that if the arrangement is later deemed improper, the IRS can recapture that $4,000 from either party. One last note - make sure your chosen dealer is actually registered with the IRS for credit transfers. Many smaller used car lots still aren't set up for this, which would force you to claim the credit on a tax return instead (where the tax liability issue would become relevant again).

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm actually in a very similar situation with my dad who qualifies for the income requirements. After reading through all these responses, it sounds like the key is establishing genuine joint ownership rather than just adding someone to get around the income limits. From what I'm gathering, the most important factors are: 1) Making sure the qualifying person (your mom) is truly involved in the purchase and ownership, 2) Having proper documentation of shared financial responsibility and usage, 3) Ensuring the dealership is registered with the IRS for point-of-sale transfers, and 4) Understanding that your mom will need to report this on her tax return even though she gets the credit upfront. The dealership perspective from @Ingrid Larsson about requiring physical presence and attestation forms seems like the standard process most legitimate dealers follow. And the CPA advice from @Keisha Taylor about documenting everything upfront is really smart - better to have too much paperwork than not enough if the IRS ever questions it. One question I still have - has anyone dealt with this across state lines? My dad and I live in different states, so I'm wondering if that creates any additional complications for the joint ownership or credit transfer process.

Quick tip from someone who's been through this: Make sure you're including Form 843 specifically for the FICA refund request, not just an amended return. Many international students don't realize these are separate processes. Also, attach a copy of your I-94, visa documentation, passport ID page, and a letter from your international student office confirming your visa/OPT status. I had success when I included a cover letter clearly stating "FICA TAX REFUND REQUEST - NONRESIDENT ALIEN ON F-1 VISA" in bold at the top.

I went through this exact same nightmare last year and want to share what finally worked for me. After my first submission disappeared into the IRS black hole, I took a multi-pronged approach: 1. Used certified mail with return receipt for my second submission (as others mentioned) 2. Called the Taxpayer Advocate Service after 20 weeks of waiting - they were incredibly helpful and actually located my original submission stuck in processing 3. Made sure I had ALL required documents: Form 843, Form 8843, copy of I-94, visa pages, I-20/DS-2019, employer letter confirming FICA withholding, and university letter confirming F-1 status The key thing the Taxpayer Advocate told me was that FICA refunds for nonresident aliens go through a manual review process that's completely separate from regular refunds, which is why it takes so much longer. They also confirmed that having duplicate submissions won't hurt you - they'll just process whichever one they find first. My refund ($2,850) finally came through about 6 weeks after the Taxpayer Advocate got involved. Don't give up - this money is rightfully yours and they will eventually process it correctly!