A heads up from someone who just went through this - make sure you're using the correct tax forms for the specific years you're filing! The 1099-NEC didn't exist before 2020, so for 2019 and earlier, non-employee compensation was reported on the 1099-MISC (Box 7). Also, don't forget to file state taxes too if your state has income tax. Those deadlines for claiming refunds might be different from federal.

I went through something very similar when I was catching up on 5 years of unfiled returns. The good news is that you're overthinking the EIN issue - as others have mentioned, you don't need those employer identification numbers when filing your personal tax returns. Since you have your tax transcripts with the income amounts, you're actually in a pretty good position. Focus on accurately reporting all the income shown on those transcripts using Schedule C for your self-employment years (2018-2019). The partially redacted EINs won't affect your ability to file. One thing I learned the hard way: start with the most recent years first if you're owed refunds, since there's typically a 3-year window to claim them. For 2018, you might be running out of time to get that refund if you're owed one. Also, don't forget about estimated tax penalties - you'll likely owe those for the self-employment years, but filing late is still much better than not filing at all. The IRS is actually pretty understanding when people are making a genuine effort to get compliant. You've got this!

8 For anyone struggling with R&D credits, I created a simple spreadsheet that tracks carryforwards across years and helps with filling out Form 6765 sections. It automatically calculates the available credit and helps you maximize the benefit.

As someone who's been through the R&D credit carryforward maze multiple times, I can definitely relate to your frustration! The interaction between Forms 6765 and 3800 is confusing even for experienced preparers. One critical point that hasn't been mentioned yet - make sure you're properly documenting which activities qualify as "qualified research activities" under Section 41. The IRS has been increasingly scrutinous about this, especially for software development companies where the line between routine updates and true R&D can be blurry. Also, if you're using the credit against payroll taxes via Form 8974, remember that you need to make this election each quarter and it's irrevocable once made. I've seen businesses accidentally lock themselves into the payroll tax election when they would have benefited more from applying it against income taxes later. For your specific Form 6765 question - in Section C, line 41 should reflect your total available carryforward from ALL previous years (not just the immediately preceding year). This trips up a lot of people who only look at last year's unused credit. The form instructions aren't super clear on this point.

Thank you all for this incredibly helpful discussion! As the original poster, I really appreciate everyone taking the time to explain the Zelle situation so thoroughly. It's crystal clear now that even though Zelle doesn't issue 1099-K forms, I absolutely need to report that $8,500 from my graphic design work. I was honestly hoping there might be some wiggle room, but after reading about Yuki's cousin's audit experience, I'm definitely not taking any chances. I think I'll check out that taxr.ai tool Giovanni mentioned to help organize my records, and maybe use Claimyr if I need to speak with an IRS agent directly about anything else. Better to be over-prepared than face penalties and interest later. You've all saved me from making a potentially very expensive mistake. Time to get my Schedule C properly filled out!

As a tax professional, I want to emphasize something that's been touched on but bears repeating: the burden of proof is always on the taxpayer. While Zelle doesn't issue 1099-K forms, you should be keeping meticulous records of all your business transactions regardless of the payment method. I recommend creating a simple spreadsheet to track each Zelle payment you receive for your graphic design work - date, amount, client name, and description of services. Take screenshots of the Zelle transactions as backup documentation. If you're ever audited, having organized records will make the process much smoother and demonstrate good faith compliance. Also, don't forget that as a self-employed individual earning over $400, you'll likely need to pay self-employment taxes on that $8,500 in addition to regular income tax. Make sure to set aside approximately 25-30% of your freelance income throughout the year for taxes to avoid any surprises come filing time.

Those codes drove me INSANE last year. I was stuck in tax limbo for 3+ months. Finally got a human on the phone using Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they sorted it in minutes - turns out there was just a simple verification flag on my account. My refund was released like 2 days later. It was the best money I've ever spent after wasting countless hours trying to call the IRS myself.

I'm in almost the exact same boat! Filed early March and have been stuck with those same 570/971 codes for what feels like forever. My WMR just updated yesterday from "still processing" to "return received" too. It's such a relief to see ANY movement after weeks of nothing. Based on what everyone's saying here, it sounds like this is actually progress and not just another version of processing limbo. Really hoping we both see our refunds soon - this waiting game is exhausting! Thanks for posting this because I was starting to think I was the only one dealing with this confusing situation.

Just pointing out that if your company gives you the option, sometimes taking a bonus in January instead of December can make sense tax-wise if you think you'll be in a lower bracket next year. I pushed my bonus from Dec 2023 to Jan 2024 and it worked out better for me. Worth asking HR if that's a possibility!

Great question about bonus taxation! I just went through this exact situation and learned a ton. One thing that really helped me was understanding the difference between withholding and actual tax liability - your employer will withhold at that flat 22% rate, but come tax time, the bonus just gets added to your regular income and taxed at your marginal rate. For your $3,000 bonus, expect roughly $660 withheld for federal income tax, plus another $230 or so for FICA (Social Security/Medicare), and whatever your state takes. So you're probably looking at taking home around $2,000-2,100 depending on your state. The good news is if you're in a lower tax bracket (like 12%), you'll likely get some of that federal withholding back as a refund when you file. I'd suggest using one of those tax calculators people mentioned to get a better sense of your specific situation. And definitely ask your HR if you can defer it to January if you think you might be in a lower bracket next year!