Just remember that if your parents are still providing more than half of your support (paying most of your living expenses, health insurance, etc.), they might still be eligible to claim you as a dependent even if you're working. Might want to talk to them before you file!

Great advice here! Just wanted to add one more thing - if you're still unsure about your situation, you can also use the IRS withholding calculator on their website (irs.gov/W4App). It's free and walks you through questions about your income, filing status, and whether you can be claimed as a dependent. It then tells you exactly how to fill out your W-4. At $42K annually and living independently for 2 years, you're almost certainly filing as independent. The key thing is making sure your withholding is close to what you'll actually owe - you don't want a huge refund (that's like giving the government a free loan) or a big tax bill in April. The standard W-4 setup for single filers usually gets you pretty close to the right amount.

Has anyone tried just calling Sprintax customer service and asking for a discount? I was desperate last year and called them explaining my student budget situation, and the representative gave me a one-time 25% discount code. Maybe I just got lucky with a nice rep, but might be worth trying?

I've been using FreeTaxUSA for my international student taxes and it's been a lifesaver! It's much cheaper than Sprintax - only about $15 for federal and state combined. The interface isn't as polished as Sprintax, but it handles 1040NR forms correctly and walks you through the substantial presence test. The key is making sure you select "nonresident alien" at the beginning - it will then guide you through Form 8843 and help determine your tax treaty benefits. I'm from South Korea and it correctly applied the tax treaty exemptions for my scholarship income. One caveat: you do need to be a bit more careful about understanding the forms yourself since their explanations aren't as detailed as Sprintax's. But for straightforward situations like yours (scholarship + campus job), it should work perfectly fine. I've used it for 2 years now without any issues!

I went through this exact situation last year! My parents were convinced they needed my transcript for tax purposes, and it caused a lot of unnecessary stress. After doing some research and speaking with a tax professional, I learned that for education tax credits (American Opportunity Credit, Lifetime Learning Credit), the IRS only requires: 1. Form 1098-T (which shows tuition and fees paid) 2. Proof of enrollment status (available from your registrar) 3. Receipts for qualified expenses like textbooks Your transcript with grades is NOT required for any federal tax credit or deduction. If your parents are using a 529 plan, they might need to verify that withdrawals were used for qualified education expenses, but again, this doesn't require your grades - just proof of enrollment and expense receipts. I'd suggest offering to provide them with an enrollment verification letter from your school's registrar office instead. This shows your enrollment status without revealing your personal academic performance. Most schools can provide this online or you can request it in person. This should satisfy any legitimate documentation needs they have while protecting your privacy.

I'm going through something very similar with my parents right now! They're also claiming they need my full transcript for their taxes, and it's been causing a lot of tension in our family. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea that transcripts weren't actually required for education tax credits. My situation is almost identical to yours - I'm 20, they claim me as a dependent, and they pay part of my tuition through a 529 plan. When I questioned why they needed my transcript, they got defensive too and said something about "making sure everything is documented properly for the IRS." Based on what everyone is saying here, it sounds like they probably just need the 1098-T form and maybe an enrollment verification letter. I'm going to try offering them the enrollment verification instead - that seems like a good compromise that gives them what they actually need without me having to share my grades. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences. It's reassuring to know this is a common issue and that there are legitimate alternatives to sharing our full academic records. Sometimes parents mean well but get confused about tax requirements!

Has anyone tried the "import transactions" feature in the desktop version of TurboTax Premier? I heard it might handle wash sales better than the online version, but I don't want to pay for it if it doesn't actually work.

I went through this exact same headache with TurboTax last year and ended up having to manually adjust about 50+ wash sale transactions. The key thing I learned is that you absolutely need to verify each transaction because TurboTax's automatic import often gets the wash sale adjustments wrong. What worked for me was printing out my detailed brokerage statements and going line by line to compare against what TurboTax imported. I found that the software was calculating wash sales incorrectly in cases where I had multiple purchases and sales of the same stock within the 61-day window. One tip that saved me time: focus on the transactions with the largest dollar amounts first. I found several cases where TurboTax had completely missed wash sales on my biggest trades, which would have been a red flag to the IRS. The smaller discrepancies like your $270 vs $13 example are annoying but less likely to trigger problems. It's tedious work but worth doing correctly. The IRS does match your reported numbers against what your broker sends them, and wash sale reporting errors are one of the most common reasons for tax notices.

I've been following this discussion as someone who made the transition from underreporting to full compliance about 18 months ago, and I want to share some practical insights that might help. First, to address Madison's original question directly - yes, you absolutely must report ALL cash tips. The IRS considers tips taxable income regardless of whether they're tracked by your employer's system. The "it's up to you" attitude from management is unfortunately common, but it doesn't change your legal obligations. What really opened my eyes was learning about the IRS's sophisticated tracking methods. They don't just rely on catching individual violations - they analyze patterns across entire restaurants and industry sectors. If your reported income is significantly below what other servers at similar establishments report, that's when you get flagged. Here's what I wish someone had told me when I started: the adjustment to proper reporting is definitely noticeable at first (expect about 25-30% less take-home cash), but the benefits extend far beyond just avoiding audits. I was able to qualify for a decent apartment, get my first real credit card, and I'm actually building toward better Social Security benefits down the road. My advice: start with a simple tracking system (the photo method mentioned here is brilliant), set aside 30% immediately for taxes, and don't try to "phase in" proper reporting gradually - just start doing it right. The temporary financial adjustment is much easier to handle than a surprise audit bill later. The peace of mind alone has been worth every extra dollar in taxes I'm paying now.

I've been a server for about 2 years and went through this exact same confusion when I started. The short answer is yes, you legally have to report ALL tips - cash, credit card, everything. I learned this the hard way when a coworker got audited last year. What really surprised me was finding out that the IRS has specific programs targeting the restaurant industry. They know servers typically underreport cash tips, so they use statistical models to estimate what your tips should be based on your restaurant's sales data and credit card tip percentages. If you're consistently reporting way below what they calculate, you're basically putting a target on your back. I started using a simple system: I write down my cash tips on my phone after each shift, take a quick photo of the money, and immediately put 25% aside in a separate envelope for taxes. It's become second nature now, and I sleep so much better knowing I'm not risking a massive audit bill. The adjustment was tough at first - definitely less cash to take home each night. But being able to qualify for my car loan because I had legitimate reported income made it all worth it. Plus, I'm actually building toward decent Social Security benefits instead of missing out on those credits. Start tracking everything now, Madison. The temporary financial adjustment is way easier to handle than explaining to the IRS why your lifestyle doesn't match your reported income.