Something nobody mentioned yet - if you're performing outside your "tax home" area and need to stay overnight, meals and lodging become travel expenses and different rules apply. In that case, you can definitely deduct transportation, hotel, and meals (100% for 2022 tax year).

As someone who's been working as a session musician for over a decade, I can add some perspective on the "regular vs. temporary" venue distinction that's been discussed here. The IRS actually looks at this more nuancefully than just "same venue = regular workplace." What matters is the nature and expected duration of your work arrangement. For example, if you have a 6-month contract to play at a specific restaurant every Friday night, that's still considered temporary work since it has a defined end date of less than a year. However, if you've been playing at the same jazz club every Tuesday for 3 years with no end date in sight, that would likely be considered a regular work location, making transportation there non-deductible commuting. The gray area comes with ongoing but irregular bookings - like when a venue calls you sporadically for fill-in gigs. In my experience, I treat these as temporary locations since there's no regular schedule or long-term commitment, just individual contracts for specific dates. Also worth noting: if you travel from one temporary work location to another on the same day (say, from a recording session to a performance venue), that transportation between work locations is definitely deductible regardless of whether either location is "regular" for you. Documentation is everything - I keep a simple spreadsheet noting the venue, date, nature of the gig (one-off vs. ongoing contract), and business purpose for each trip.

Hey y'all, I work in financial aid (not for either company tho). The easiest way to figure this out is to just call MOHELA directly. When loans transfer, the new servicer gets all your history and account info, not just current status. If you made payments but they were all applied to principal due to the interest freeze, you probably won't get a 1098-E at all since that form is specifically for reporting interest paid of $600 or more. No interest paid = no form needed.

As someone who just went through this exact situation, I can confirm what others have said - you likely won't receive a 1098-E for 2024 if all your payments went to principal during the interest freeze. However, don't forget to check if you made any interest payments in early 2024 before the freeze ended or if there were any capitalized interest amounts when your loans transferred. One tip that saved me time: create accounts on both FedLoan AND MOHELA websites if you haven't already. Even though FedLoan transferred your loans, they might still have historical tax documents available in your old account. MOHELA should have your complete payment history now, but sometimes there are gaps during the transfer period. Also, keep detailed records of all payments you made during this transition period. Even if you don't get a 1098-E this year, having that documentation will be helpful when interest resumes and for future tax filings.

FWIW I was in the same boat. E-filed on Feb 2. Got accepted same day. Transcript showed N/A until Mar 12. Was freaking out tbh. Called IRS twice (nightmare). Finally got thru. They confirmed my return was in the system. Just backlogged. Transcript updated suddenly one day. DD hit my acct 6 days later. Hang in there. System's overwhelmed rn.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Filed on March 5th, got accepted the same day, but my transcript still shows "N/A" for 2024. It's so frustrating because I really need that refund for some home repairs that can't wait much longer. Reading through everyone's experiences here is actually really reassuring though - sounds like this is just how the system is working (or not working) this year. I guess I'll stop checking my transcript obsessively and just wait it out. Thanks for posting this question, @Dmitry Volkov - at least now I know I'm not alone in this situation!

Has anyone successfully done a 1031 exchange from a rental property into something that's not traditional real estate? I heard there are DST investments (Delaware Statutory Trust) that qualify but still give you passive income without being a landlord.

Don't panic! This is actually a pretty common situation. While the depreciation recapture can't be avoided (you're correct that the IRS requires it even if you didn't claim it), there are definitely strategies to minimize your overall tax burden. First, make absolutely sure you're calculating your cost basis correctly. Start with your original purchase price, add ALL capital improvements (not just major ones - think new appliances, flooring, windows, landscaping, etc.), and add your closing costs from when you bought it. Many people forget smaller improvements that can add up significantly over 15 years. Since you lived in the house for the first couple years, you might qualify for a partial Section 121 exclusion on the gain (up to $250k single/$500k married). Even though it was later a rental, the IRS has specific rules about partial exclusions based on the time you lived there versus rented it out. Consider timing your sale strategically. If this will be a high-income year for you, maybe delay closing until January to spread the tax impact. Also, if you have any capital losses from other investments, now would be the time to realize them to offset some of the gain. Definitely work with a CPA who specializes in real estate transactions - the money you spend on professional advice will likely save you much more in taxes!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with a similar situation where my account number has both letters and numbers. Reading everyone's experiences has convinced me that I need to get the proper ACH format from my bank before filing my 2024 taxes. One thing I'm curious about - for those who had to wait for paper checks after the direct deposit failed, did the IRS send any notification that the electronic deposit was rejected? Or did you just have to figure it out when the money never showed up in your account? I want to know what signs to watch for so I don't spend weeks wondering if something went wrong. Also, has anyone tried updating their direct deposit info mid-processing if they realize they made a mistake? Or once you file with the wrong format, are you stuck waiting for the paper check?

This is such valuable information! I actually work in banking operations and can confirm what others have said - the IRS ACH system is very strict about numeric-only formatting for account numbers. We see customers run into this issue frequently, especially with credit unions and smaller banks that use alphanumeric account numbering systems. One thing I'd add is that you should also verify your routing number format. While routing numbers are standardized as 9 digits, sometimes they appear with dashes or spaces on statements that need to be removed for electronic transactions. If you're still missing that $1,400 stimulus payment, I'd recommend checking the IRS "Get My Payment" tool online first to see the status before trying to call them. It might show whether the payment was sent to an invalid account number, which would confirm this was the issue. For your 2024 tax filing, definitely use the numeric substitute your bank provided. And like someone else suggested, consider doing a small test deposit first if possible to verify the account information works properly with government systems.