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How do you handle the exchange rate when calculating the foreign interest income? Do you use the rate on the day each interest payment was made, or can you use the annual average? I have monthly interest payments from my account in Australia and using different rates for each payment seems like a lot of work.
IRS allows you to use annual average exchange rates for most income items, including interest. Makes it way easier! You can find the annual average rates on the IRS website. For 2024, they typically publish them in early 2025. Just to be safe I usually note in my tax file that I'm using the IRS annual average rate. Also if you have any REALLY large transactions you might want to use the actual rate on that specific date rather than the average.
One thing to keep in mind is that if your foreign bank account is earning interest, you might also want to check if there are any withholding tax treaties between the US and the country where your bank is located. Some countries have agreements that reduce the withholding tax rate on interest paid to US residents. For example, if your account is in the UK, Canada, or Germany, there might be reduced withholding rates under the tax treaty. This could affect how much foreign tax you actually should have had withheld, and you might be able to claim a refund from the foreign country for any excess withholding. Also, double-check that the foreign taxes you're claiming on Form 1116 are actually creditable under US tax law. Generally, income taxes are creditable, but some fees or penalties might not qualify for the foreign tax credit.
This is really helpful information about tax treaties! I had no idea you could potentially get refunds from foreign countries for excess withholding. How would someone go about claiming a refund for overwithholding? Do you need to file forms directly with the foreign tax authority, or is there a way to handle it through the US tax system? Also, when you mention checking if taxes are "creditable" - are there specific types of foreign taxes that don't qualify? I want to make sure I'm not claiming credit for something I shouldn't be.
Has anyone successfully dealt with excess contributions through TurboTax? I'm confused about how to report this correctly in the software.
TurboTax actually handles this pretty well! When entering your IRA contributions, there's a section where it asks if you made excess contributions and if you've withdrawn them. Make sure to check "yes" for both. It'll then ask for the date of the excess contribution removal and any earnings associated with it. The key is making sure you have the correct documents from your brokerage showing it was an excess contribution removal specifically, not just a withdrawal. The software should generate Form 5329 properly if you input everything correctly.
I went through something very similar last year and can relate to the stress you're feeling! The good news is this is definitely fixable, but you'll need to be persistent with Fidelity to get it handled correctly. First, call Fidelity back and ask to speak with someone in their IRA department specifically - don't just talk to general customer service. Tell them you need to "recharacterize" your withdrawal as a "return of excess contribution" for 2024. They should be able to do this since you're still in the same tax year. Make sure they understand you're correcting an excess contribution, not just making a regular withdrawal. Once they process this correctly, you'll get a 1099-R form that properly shows the distribution as a return of excess contribution. Any earnings that were generated on that excess contribution will be taxable income for 2024 and potentially subject to the 10% early withdrawal penalty if you're under 59½. Since you've already filed, you'll likely need to file an amended return (Form 1040-X) once you get the corrected documentation from Fidelity. The timing actually works in your favor since you caught this so quickly - there probably weren't significant earnings on the excess contribution during that short time period. Don't panic about the penalties - if Fidelity processes this as a proper excess contribution removal, you should be able to avoid the 6% excise tax. Just make sure you get the right paperwork from them showing it was handled correctly.
This is really helpful advice! I'm curious though - when you say "recharacterize" the withdrawal, is that the same thing as what others have mentioned about requesting a "return of excess contribution"? Also, how long did it take for Fidelity to issue you the corrected 1099-R after you got them to process it properly? I'm worried about timing since I've already filed and accepted returns.
One thing to consider - check if the platforms you work with issue 1099 forms or any other tax documents to you at year-end. If they do, you should verify whether these were issued to you personally or to your company during the last two years. This might affect how you need to address the situation.
This is super important. If they were issuing 1099s to your personal name/SSN rather than your company's EIN, that creates a mismatch that could potentially trigger automated flags in the IRS systems. The name/ID on the 1099 should match who's reporting the income.
Don't panic too much about this - it's a more common mistake than you'd think! I made the exact same error when I transitioned my consulting business from sole proprietorship to an LLC a few years back. The key thing is that you've corrected it now and you've been properly reporting the income. Since you mentioned you've been paying UK corporation tax on all the earnings, that shows good faith compliance with your tax obligations. One thing I'd suggest is documenting everything - keep copies of both the old W8BEN and new W8BEN-E forms, along with the dates you submitted the updates to each platform. If any questions ever come up, having a clear timeline showing when you discovered the issue and immediately corrected it will work in your favor. Also, since the UK has a tax treaty with the US, the withholding rates are likely the same regardless of which form was used, so there probably wasn't any actual tax impact - just a documentation mismatch that you've now resolved.
This is really reassuring to hear from someone who went through the same thing! I've been losing sleep over this but you're right that the documentation aspect seems to be the main issue rather than any actual tax problems. I'm definitely going to follow your advice about keeping everything documented. I've already saved copies of both forms and I'm creating a timeline of when everything happened. It's good to know that the treaty rates probably mean there wasn't any real financial impact from using the wrong form. Did you end up having to do anything beyond just updating the forms with your clients, or was that sufficient to resolve everything?
I went through this exact scenario two weeks ago! My transcript showed 846 with DD date of 2/28, but WMR kept saying paper check was coming. I was so confused I even drove to my local IRS office to ask in person. The agent there confirmed what everyone's saying - the transcript is the authoritative source. She explained that during busy periods, WMR can show outdated information because it's essentially a "customer service" tool that doesn't always reflect real-time processing status. Sure enough, my refund hit my bank account exactly on 2/28 as the transcript indicated. The WMR tool didn't update to show "refund sent" until 3 days AFTER I already had the money! Trust your 846 code and save yourself the worry.
That's so helpful to hear from someone who actually went to the IRS office in person! I've been debating whether it's worth the drive to my local office, but it sounds like they confirmed what everyone here is saying about trusting the transcript. It's wild that WMR didn't update until 3 days AFTER you already had your money - that really shows how disconnected these systems can be. I'm definitely feeling more confident about just waiting for my 3/15 deposit date instead of stressing about calling. Thanks for sharing your experience!
I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! My transcript shows 846 with a DD date of 3/12, but WMR has been stuck on "paper check will be mailed" for the past week. Reading through all these responses is really reassuring - it sounds like the transcript is definitely the more reliable source. I was starting to worry that maybe there was an issue with my bank account info, but it's good to know this is a common system glitch during tax season. I'll trust the 846 code and stop obsessively checking WMR every few hours. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community is so helpful for first-time filers like me who don't know what's normal!
Welcome to the community! I totally understand that anxiety as a first-time filer - the whole process can feel overwhelming when these systems don't match up. You're absolutely right to trust the 846 code over WMR. I went through something similar my first year filing and spent way too much time refreshing that WMR page! The good news is you're in great company here - everyone's been super helpful with explaining how these IRS systems work. Your 3/12 date should be solid, so try to resist that urge to check every few hours (easier said than done, I know!). This community really is a lifesaver for navigating all the confusing parts of tax season.
Chloe Martin
I'm currently experiencing this exact same situation and finding this thread has been incredibly helpful! My spouse successfully completed identity verification on March 16th, but when I attempted to verify two days later, I received the same "already processing" message that everyone is describing. I was initially concerned that something had gone wrong with our joint return, especially since we're expecting a significant refund. After reading through everyone's experiences, it's clear this is just a quirk in how the IRS verification system handles joint returns - the messaging is confusing but the process is actually working correctly. I've been monitoring "Where's My Refund" daily since my spouse's verification, and I'm hopeful we'll see movement soon based on the timelines others have shared. It's really reassuring to know that for most joint filers, once the primary taxpayer completes verification, it satisfies the requirement for both spouses. The IRS definitely needs to improve their messaging to prevent this unnecessary stress for joint filers!
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Jessica Nolan
ā¢I'm so relieved to find this thread! I'm in the exact same boat - my husband verified on March 20th and I've been getting that "already processing" message since March 22nd. I was honestly starting to lose sleep over this, thinking we'd somehow messed up our return or that our $8,400 refund was going to be stuck indefinitely. Reading everyone's experiences has been such a lifesaver - it's amazing how many of us are going through this identical situation with joint returns. The fact that so many people got their refunds within 1-2 weeks after the first spouse's verification gives me so much hope. I'm going to stop obsessing over the verification portal and just focus on checking "Where's My Refund" like everyone suggests. It's honestly frustrating that the IRS system creates this much confusion and stress over what appears to be completely normal processing for joint filers. Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their timelines and outcomes - you've probably saved dozens of us from hours of unnecessary phone calls to the IRS!
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Edwards Hugo
I'm going through this exact same situation right now and this thread has been a lifesaver! My wife successfully verified her identity on March 18th, but when I tried to verify on March 20th, I got that same confusing "already processing" message. I was starting to panic thinking our joint return was stuck or that we'd somehow made an error. After reading everyone's experiences here, it's clear this is just how the IRS verification system works (or fails to work clearly) for joint filers. I've been checking "Where's My Refund" daily since my wife's verification, and yesterday it finally updated to show our return is processing with an expected refund date of April 5th! So it seems like her verification alone was sufficient for our joint return. The messaging from the IRS is definitely misleading - they really need to update their system to clearly indicate when verification is complete for both spouses on a joint return. Based on everyone's shared experiences, it looks like once the primary taxpayer (usually listed first on Form 1040) completes verification, that typically satisfies the requirement for the entire joint return. Thanks to everyone who shared their timelines - you've saved me from countless hours of stress and failed attempts to reach the IRS by phone!
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