One thing nobody's mentioned - make sure you're calculating your income correctly for healthcare.gov purposes. It's based on Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI), which is different from your gross business income. For self-employed people, you subtract your business expenses from your gross receipts first. So that $18,000 project might actually add a lot less to your MAGI once you factor in the expenses associated with earning that income.

Don't panic - this is actually a pretty common situation for self-employed folks! The key thing to understand is that this isn't considered "tax fraud" or anything like that since it was unintentional. The system is designed to handle these income fluctuations through the reconciliation process on Form 8962. A few immediate steps you should take: 1. **Update your marketplace application NOW** - Even though it's after the fact, updating your current income will help prevent this from happening again and may reduce future repayments. 2. **Gather all your business records** - You'll want to calculate your actual net self-employment income (gross income minus business expenses) for the reconciliation. 3. **Consider estimated tax payments** - Since you had higher income than expected, you might also owe additional income tax beyond just the premium tax credit repayment. The silver lining is that repayment caps exist to prevent people from owing back massive amounts. Even in a worst-case scenario, there are limits based on your income level. And remember, you're not the first person this has happened to - tax professionals and the IRS deal with marketplace reconciliations all the time. Start by updating your marketplace info and then consider consulting with a tax professional who can walk you through exactly what to expect when you file.

Make sure your dad knows he might qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit for those years, especially if his income was under $20k. I helped my brother file 6 years of back taxes and he actually got REFUNDS for 4 of those years because of EITC, even with self-employment. The IRS has a "lookback" ability to claim refunds for up to 3 years, so at minimum he should file for the last three tax years ASAP to claim any potential refunds before they expire!

I went through almost the exact same situation with my uncle two years ago - 7 years of unfiled returns, all self-employment handyman work, zero documentation. Here's what I learned that might help: First, don't let him ignore this any longer. The IRS has been cracking down on unfiled returns, and at 64, this could seriously impact his Social Security credits. Self-employment tax contributes to his SS benefits, so those missing years might be costing him money in retirement. We started by gathering every bank statement we could find and used a simple spreadsheet to track deposits that looked like business income. Then we estimated his expenses - vehicle mileage, tools, supplies, etc. Even rough estimates are better than nothing, and the IRS expects some reconstruction for older years. The key thing that saved us was filing voluntarily before the IRS contacted him. When you come to them proactively, they're much more willing to work with you on payment plans and penalty reductions. We ended up owing about $8,000 total for all years, but got it reduced to $3,500 through the Fresh Start program. Start with the most recent 3 years first since those have refund potential, then work backwards. And definitely hire a tax pro who specializes in unfiled returns - it's worth every penny for the peace of mind and expertise.

Does anyone know if the ITIN numbers ever expire? I got mine about 8 years ago and haven't used it for the past 3 years since I moved back to my home country. Now I'm returning to the US next month and wondering if I need to apply for a new one or if my old one is still valid.

I went through the exact same frustrating experience with my ITIN application last year! The "missing information" rejection letters are so vague and unhelpful. What worked for me was calling the IRS ITIN unit at 1-800-908-9982 first thing in the morning (around 7 AM) when the lines weren't as busy. It took a few tries, but I eventually got through to someone who could look up my specific case and tell me exactly what was missing. In my case, it turned out to be two issues: 1) I had used a regular notary instead of getting my passport certified by the issuing embassy, and 2) I hadn't filled out the treaty benefit section completely on the W-7 form. After fixing those specific issues and resubmitting, my ITIN was approved in about 6 weeks. The key is getting that specific feedback from the IRS rather than guessing what might be wrong. Don't give up - you can definitely get this sorted out!

Make sure you're tracking inventory correctly if you're selling any clubs or repair parts! This tripped me up my first year. If you purchase items for resale, they're not immediately deductible expenses - they're inventory. You only deduct the cost when you sell the item. But tools and supplies used up during repairs are immediate deductions.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is quarterly estimated tax payments. Since you're making "decent money" after 8 months, you'll likely need to make quarterly payments to avoid underpayment penalties. The IRS expects you to pay as you earn, not just at year-end. For 2025, if you expect to owe $1,000 or more in taxes on your golf business income, you should be making quarterly payments. The deadlines are January 15, April 15, June 16, and September 15. You can use Form 1040ES to calculate what you owe. Also consider opening a separate business checking account if you haven't already. It makes tracking so much easier and looks more professional if you ever get audited. You can deduct the monthly fees as a business expense too. Keep up the great work with the side business - sounds like you're really building something solid!

I feel your pain! I went through this exact same nightmare last year. The 800-830-5084 number you mentioned isn't a standard IRS line - you might have gotten that from a third-party website or outdated source. Stick with 800-829-1040 as others have confirmed. Here's what worked for me after weeks of failed attempts: Call exactly at 7:00 AM Eastern on a Tuesday or Wednesday (avoid Mondays at all costs). Have your SSN, filing status, and tax year ready. Most importantly, when you do get through to the automated system, don't hang up if it says high call volume - sometimes it will still put you in the queue after a few minutes. For your joint filing status letter, you might also want to try accessing your IRS online account transcript - sometimes the information you need is already available there digitally while you're waiting for the physical letter. Worth checking before spending more hours on hold! The 2-month wait is unfortunately normal for correspondence this year. Hang in there - you'll get through eventually!

I've been dealing with a similar situation and wanted to share what finally worked for me after reading through all these great suggestions. The key combination that got me through was: calling 800-829-1040 at exactly 7:00 AM Eastern on Wednesday, using @Emma Bianchi's phone tree navigation steps (especially the part about NOT entering your SSN when first prompted), and having patience when the system says high call volume. I also want to echo what @Giovanni Greco said about checking your IRS online account transcript - I found mine had been updated with the information I was waiting for in the mail, which saved me from having to wait for the physical letter. You can access it at irs.gov under "Get Your Tax Record." One thing that helped my sanity during this process: I kept a log of when I called and what happened each time. It helped me identify that Tuesday-Thursday mornings really do have better success rates than Mondays or Fridays. Don't give up - the system is definitely broken, but persistence does pay off eventually!