Had the exact same issue last year! USPS forwarding doesn't work for IRS mail - they mark it "DO NOT FORWARD" specifically. You'll need to file Form 8822 to change your address with the IRS directly. Also call the IRS refund hotline (1-800-829-1954) to let them know about the address change. If the check already went to your old address, it'll get returned to them and they'll reissue it to your new address, but expect another 4-6 weeks delay. Super frustrating but that's the process! 😤

This happened to me too! The stress is real when you're waiting that long for your refund 😰 Everyone's right about the Form 8822 - that's absolutely your first step. But also wanted to add that you can check your refund status online at irs.gov using "Where's My Refund" tool. It'll show if there are any issues or if they're trying to send it to the wrong address. Also, if you have access to your old mailbox (like if you're still friendly with new residents/landlord), might be worth giving them a heads up to watch for any IRS mail just in case. The whole system is definitely frustrating but hang in there!

I got audited last year specifically because of PR gifts I didn't report!!! I thought since there was no contract or expectation to post, they were just gifts. The IRS disagreed HARD. Had to pay back taxes + penalties on about $12k worth of "free" products. The auditor specifically said "if they're sending it because you're an influencer, it's income." Doesn't matter if you post or not.

This is such a helpful thread! I'm in a similar situation with my growing Instagram account and had no idea about the tax implications. After reading everyone's experiences, I'm definitely going to start tracking all PR packages I receive with their retail values. Quick question though - for those who've been through audits or dealt with the IRS on this, how detailed do the records need to be? Should I be taking photos of everything I receive, keeping the original packaging, or is just a spreadsheet with dates and estimated values enough? I want to make sure I'm documenting everything properly from the start. Also, does anyone know if there's a minimum threshold? Like if a brand sends me a $5 lip balm, do I really need to report that too or is there some kind of de minimis rule for small items?

My tax person said some ppl might get it earlier than March 3rd but dont count on it. Path act is annoying but at least we got a date to look forward to

Same here with the daily WMR checking! 😅 It's good to finally have concrete dates though. March 3rd feels so far away but at least we know February 22nd is when WMR should actually start showing real updates. I'm trying to remind myself that the PATH Act delay is there for fraud prevention, even though it's frustrating when you need that money. Hopefully some of us get lucky with the "few days earlier" thing they mentioned!

For the self-employment tax part - just a heads up that your daughter will owe about 15.3% in self-employment taxes (Social Security and Medicare) on her dog sitting income. At $2,700, that's roughly $413 in SE tax alone. Make sure you look into business deductions to offset some of that income! Things like mileage driving to clients' homes, any supplies purchased for the business, even a portion of her cell phone bill if she uses it to coordinate with clients.

Make sure your daughter is actually keeping good records going forward! My son learned this lesson the hard way last year with his programming freelance work. The IRS doesn't play around with self-employment income, even for teens. Have her track: - Date of each job - Client name - Amount paid - Method of payment (cash, Venmo, etc) - Any expenses related to the business

Has anyone used TurboTax Self-Employed for their LLC? I'm wondering how picky it is about the comma in the business name field and if it matches that format to all the forms it generates.

I went through this exact same confusion when I first started my LLC! After dealing with multiple tax forms and even getting a notice from the IRS about a name mismatch (turned out to be unrelated), here's what I learned: The key is to use your business name exactly as it appears on your EIN confirmation letter from the IRS. This is the "official" version they have in their system. If your state registration has the comma but your EIN letter doesn't (or vice versa), go with the EIN letter format for all federal tax documents. I keep a copy of my EIN letter handy whenever I'm filling out tax forms so I can reference the exact spelling and punctuation. It's saved me from second-guessing myself every tax season. The IRS matching systems are looking for consistency with what's in their database, not necessarily what your state has on file. For what it's worth, I've never heard of anyone getting into trouble specifically over comma placement - it's usually bigger discrepancies like completely different business names or missing the LLC designation entirely.