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If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
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An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls β which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
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Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
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I made the switch from TurboTax to FreeTaxUSA two years ago for exactly this reason - they were trying to charge me $59 just for having an HSA! FreeTaxUSA has been fantastic and completely legitimate. The interface is definitely more no-frills compared to TurboTax's flashy design, but it walks you through everything you need and includes all the necessary forms in their free version. I actually prefer it now because there's no constant pestering to upgrade or buy additional services. One thing I really appreciate is their transparent pricing - what you see is what you get. No surprise fees at the end. The $15 state filing fee (if you need it) is clearly stated upfront, unlike TurboTax's habit of revealing costs at the last minute. Your tax situation sounds perfect for FreeTaxUSA's free tier. With just W-2 income, standard deduction, and an HSA, you'll have everything you need without paying a dime for federal filing. I've recommended it to several friends in similar situations and they've all been happy with the switch.
This is exactly what I needed to hear! I've been going back and forth on this decision for weeks. The transparent pricing aspect really appeals to me - I'm so tired of TurboTax's bait-and-switch tactics. Did you notice any difference in accuracy or refund amounts when you switched? I want to make sure I'm not missing out on any deductions or credits that TurboTax might have caught.
FreeTaxUSA is absolutely legit! I switched from TurboTax last year for the exact same reason - they wanted to charge me $59 just because I had an HSA contribution to report. It felt like such a scam since my taxes are otherwise super simple. I was nervous about making the switch too, but FreeTaxUSA handled my HSA form (8889) perfectly in their free tier. The interface is definitely less polished than TurboTax, but honestly that was kind of refreshing? No constant pop-ups trying to sell me additional services or "maximize my refund" for extra fees. The only real downside is that you'll need to manually enter your info the first year since they can't import from TurboTax, but it's worth the one-time hassle to escape their predatory pricing model. I ended up getting the exact same refund amount and saved myself $59 in the process. Will definitely be using FreeTaxUSA again this year!
Thanks for sharing your experience! I'm definitely leaning towards making the switch now. One quick question - when you say the interface is "less polished," does that mean it's harder to navigate or just less flashy? I'm not super tech-savvy so I want to make sure I won't get lost trying to find the right forms or sections.
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Does anyone know if theres special requirements for filing 1120S if you started the scorp mid year? My accountant wants to charge me extra for a "short year return" but im wondering if the software can handle this?
Yes, a short-year return is definitely a thing and most tax software can handle it. You just enter the actual start and end dates of your business year. The premium versions of TurboTax and H&R Block both support this. It does make the return slightly more complex which is probably why your accountant is charging more.
Just wanted to chime in as someone who's been through this exact situation. I started with an S-corp last year and initially tried to find free options but quickly learned that business returns are a whole different beast from personal taxes. After reading through these comments, I think the key takeaway is that while free options don't exist for 1120S filings, there are definitely cost-effective alternatives to paying $800+ to an accountant. The mid-tier software options mentioned here (TaxAct, TaxSlayer) or newer AI-powered solutions seem like reasonable compromises between cost and complexity. One thing I'd add is to make sure whatever software you choose can handle things like shareholder basis calculations and K-1 preparation - these are crucial for S-corps and where a lot of DIY filers mess up. If your business is really simple with just you as the sole shareholder, the learning curve isn't too bad. But if you have multiple shareholders or complex transactions, might be worth biting the bullet on professional help at least for the first year.
This is really helpful advice! I'm in a similar boat - just formed an S-corp this year and feeling overwhelmed by all the tax implications. The shareholder basis tracking you mentioned sounds particularly important but also confusing. Do you happen to remember which software did the best job of explaining those calculations in plain English? I'm the sole shareholder so hopefully that simplifies things, but I want to make sure I don't mess up something critical that could cause problems down the road.
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Anna Stewart
I was in EXACTLY your situation last month. After weeks of stress, I finally broke down and tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here. It actually explained everything that was happening behind the scenes with my return and gave me an accurate timeline. Turns out my return was flagged for a simple discrepancy between what my employer reported and what I filed. Saved me so much anxiety knowing exactly what was happening! https://taxr.ai
This seems like an ad π
Anna Stewart
β’I promise it's not! I was just as frustrated as OP and it genuinely helped me. Take it or leave it but I wish I'd known about it weeks earlier instead of stressing every day checking for updates.
Ana ErdoΔan
I'm going through the exact same thing! Filed March 1st, accepted March 2nd, and my transcript has been completely blank for over a month now. The "as of" date keeps changing but nothing else updates. I've called three times and each agent tells me something different - first it was "normal processing delays," then "possible identity verification needed," and last week they said there was no issue at all and to just keep waiting. It's so frustrating not knowing what's actually happening. At least it sounds like we're not alone in this mess!
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Mateo Warren
Has anyone actually gone through an IRS audit with this situation? I'm worried about taking this approach and then getting flagged for audit because the IRS system doesn't understand what I'm trying to do. I mean, technically we're following the rules, but it seems like we're doing something the forms weren't designed for. Just wondering if anyone has real experience with how the IRS handles this in practice.
Sofia Price
β’I went through something similar (not an audit, but a notice/inquiry) after filing with a statement preserving capital losses when I had no income for a year I was outside the US. The IRS initially sent a notice questioning my handling of Schedule D, but after I responded with a detailed explanation and references to the tax code, they accepted my approach. The key was extremely clear documentation of my loss tracking and explicit statements about preserving the tax benefit. I basically created my own spreadsheet showing the original loss, carryforward amounts by year, and explanations of when I was using the deduction vs. when I was preserving it. I attached this to every return. Worked fine in my case!
Mateo Warren
β’Thanks for sharing your experience! That's really helpful. Did you prepare this documentation yourself or use a tax professional? I'm thinking I should probably get some professional help with this since it sounds pretty complicated.
Caesar Grant
I've been following this discussion with great interest since I'm in a very similar situation as an expat with capital loss carryforwards. Based on what I'm reading here, it sounds like there are multiple valid approaches, but they all require very careful documentation. One thing I'm noticing is that everyone seems to agree on the importance of creating a clear paper trail with detailed statements attached to your returns. Whether you use the tax benefit rule approach that Lydia mentioned, or preserve the full loss with an explanatory statement like others have suggested, the key seems to be transparency with the IRS about what you're doing and why. I'm leaning toward calling the IRS directly using that Claimyr service several people mentioned to get official guidance for my specific situation. It seems like getting confirmation directly from an IRS agent would give me the most confidence in whatever approach I choose. Has anyone found specific IRS publications or guidance documents that address this scenario? I'd love to have some official written guidance to reference in addition to the verbal confirmation from phone calls.
Amina Diop
β’Great summary of the discussion! For official written guidance, you'll want to look at IRS Publication 550 (Investment Income and Expenses), which covers capital gains and losses in detail. Section 4 specifically addresses capital loss carryovers and the $3,000 annual limitation. Also check out Revenue Ruling 77-230, which discusses situations where capital loss deductions provide no current tax benefit. While it's an older ruling, the principles still apply to your situation. The IRS Instructions for Schedule D also have some helpful language about capital loss carryovers, though they don't explicitly address the zero-income scenario. Having these official sources to reference in your documentation will definitely strengthen your position if you ever need to explain your approach to the IRS. I'd definitely recommend the phone call approach too - having both written guidance and verbal confirmation from an agent creates the strongest possible documentation for your tax files.
Keisha Williams
I think everyone's overcomplicating this. I've been in this exact situation a few times, and here's what I did: just file the 1099 using "000-00-0000" for now, then later file an amended/corrected 1099 once they get their ITIN. The most important thing is to show you're making the effort to report all payments properly.
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Sofia Morales
β’This is actually incorrect advice that could result in penalties. Using "000-00-0000" or any made-up number on a tax form is considered invalid and potentially fraudulent. The IRS systems will flag this immediately. The correct approach is to mark "Applied For" on the W-9, implement backup withholding at 24%, and then file a corrected form when the actual ITIN is received.
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Adriana Cohn
I went through this exact situation last year and want to add some practical tips that helped me avoid mistakes. First, document EVERYTHING - keep copies of the W-9 with "Applied For" written in the TIN field, records of when your contractor applied for their ITIN, and all correspondence about the backup withholding. Second, when you start the 24% backup withholding, make sure to issue your contractor a written notice explaining why you're withholding and that it's required by law. This protects both of you if there are questions later. One thing that caught me off guard was that you need to deposit the withheld taxes using Form 8109 or EFTPS just like regular payroll taxes - you can't just hold onto the money until year-end. The IRS expects these deposits on their normal schedule. Also, keep in mind that once your contractor gets their ITIN and provides a corrected W-9, you can stop the backup withholding going forward, but you'll still need to issue the 1099-NEC showing both the total payments and the amount withheld for backup withholding.
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Hannah White
β’This is really helpful practical advice! I had no idea about the EFTPS deposit requirement - I was planning to just set aside the withheld amount until tax time. How often do you need to make these deposits? Is it monthly like regular payroll taxes, or does it depend on the amount? Also, when you say "normal schedule" for deposits, does that mean I need to treat this contractor like an employee for deposit purposes, or is there a different schedule for backup withholding on 1099 contractors?
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