I went through almost the exact same situation last year! My husband transitioned from ITIN to SSN in 2022, and we had to file back taxes for 2018-2020. Here's what I learned from working with a tax professional: 1. Use the ITIN for those tax years (2019-2020) since that's what was valid then 2. Make sure to check if the ITIN was still valid for those years - if it expired, you'll need to renew it first 3. Include a cover letter explaining the ID number change to avoid processing delays 4. You're right that you won't qualify for certain credits like EIC for those years, but that's unfortunately how the system works For the payment plan, make sure all your returns are filed and processed first. The IRS won't approve a payment plan until they have all required returns on file. Once everything is processed, you can apply online if you owe less than $50K total. One thing that helped us was getting a tax transcript for each year to confirm our returns were properly processed before applying for the payment plan. You can request these online through the IRS website. Good luck - I know how stressful this whole process is, but you'll get through it!

Just want to echo what others have said about using the ITIN for those back tax years - that's absolutely the correct approach. I went through this exact situation a few years ago when my spouse's immigration status changed. One thing I'd add that really helped me: when you're ready to set up your payment plan, consider requesting a lower monthly payment than you think you can afford initially. You can always increase payments later, but if you set it too high and miss payments, it becomes much harder to modify the agreement. Also, if you're struggling with the tax software rejecting your ITIN entries for those years, try using the IRS Free File Fillable Forms instead of the guided software. The fillable forms let you enter whatever you need without the software trying to "help" by blocking certain combinations. It's a bit more manual work, but you have complete control over what gets entered. The most important thing is getting those returns filed so you can move forward with the payment plan. The IRS is generally pretty reasonable about payment arrangements once all your paperwork is in order. Hang in there!

Has anyone compared H&R Block Tax Pro Go to the similar TurboTax Live Full Service? Trying to decide between them and the pricing seems similar.

I actually used H&R Block's Tax Pro Go service last tax season and had a pretty good experience overall. Like others mentioned, being detailed in the questionnaire is key - I made sure to mention my rental property income and some freelance work upfront. The upfront pricing held true for me ($179), and my assigned tax pro caught a few deductions I hadn't thought about, including some property management expenses. The whole process took about 5 days from upload to final review. One thing I'd add is that you can actually message back and forth with your tax pro through their portal if you have questions, which was helpful when I needed clarification on some business expense categories. Way less stressful than trying to figure it all out myself in TurboTax, especially with the more complex stuff like depreciation on rental property.

I went through this exact same situation last year with a tech company that included about $800 in travel reimbursements on my 1099-MISC. What worked for me was sending a polite but detailed email to their accounts payable department explaining the tax implications for both parties. I included references to IRS Publication 15 which clearly states that reimbursements under an accountable plan shouldn't be reported as nonemployee compensation. I also mentioned that incorrectly reporting reimbursements could potentially create issues for them during their own tax filings or audits. Within two weeks, they sent me a corrected 1099-MISC. The key was being educational rather than demanding - I framed it as "helping them comply with IRS guidelines" rather than "you made a mistake." Sometimes companies genuinely don't know the rules and appreciate being informed professionally. If they still refuse, definitely go with the approach others mentioned of reporting the full amount and deducting the expenses. Just make sure you categorize those deductions correctly on your Schedule C!

This is such a frustrating but common issue! I'm a tax preparer and see this mistake constantly. Your instinct is absolutely correct - expense reimbursements shouldn't be included as income on your 1099-MISC if they were legitimate business expenses you incurred on behalf of the client. Here's what I typically recommend to my clients in your situation: First, try the polite approach that others mentioned. Send your client a brief email explaining that reimbursements for documented business expenses shouldn't be reported as nonemployee compensation per IRS guidelines. Include copies of your receipts and any emails showing they approved these expenses beforehand. If they won't budge, don't stress too much. Report the full 1099-MISC amount on your Schedule C Line 1, then deduct those same expenses in the appropriate categories (travel, materials, etc.) on the expense section. Your net income will be the same either way - you're just grossing up both sides of the equation. The key is documentation. Keep every receipt, email approval, and record showing these were legitimate business expenses they asked you to cover. That way you're fully protected if there are ever any questions down the road.

Make sure you're keeping detailed records of when your daughter is with you vs when she's with your ex. If your ex's boyfriend does try to claim her and it triggers an IRS review, having a calendar with all the days marked will be super important. Also save things like school records that show your address, medical appointments you took her to, etc. My sister went through something similar and what helped her was having text messages where her ex admitted the kid lived with her most of the time. The more documentation you have, the better!

This is a tricky situation that involves both IRS rules and family court obligations. From a pure tax perspective, you're absolutely right about the residency requirement - the boyfriend cannot claim your daughter as a dependent if she doesn't live with him for more than half the year. Since your ex-wife isn't filing taxes, she can't "transfer" her right to claim your daughter to her boyfriend. The IRS doesn't recognize such transfers between non-spouses. With your 60/40 custody arrangement where your daughter lives with you the majority of the time, you actually have the stronger claim under IRS rules regardless of what your custody agreement says. However, here's the important part: while the IRS won't enforce your custody agreement, family court might hold you in contempt if you violate the tax provisions. Some judges take these agreements very seriously. You might want to consider petitioning the court to modify the tax provision since your ex is no longer filing taxes - this would give you legal protection to claim your daughter every year. As for splitting the Child Tax Credit, if your custody agreement only mentions alternating the "tax exemption" and doesn't specifically address splitting refunds, you likely have no legal obligation to share the money. But again, family court interpretation can vary. I'd recommend consulting with a family law attorney to understand how your specific state and judge might view this situation. It's better to be proactive than deal with contempt charges later.

Same boat here - was about to get an advance but after reading these comments I'm definitely gonna wait it out. Those fees are insane! Does anyone know roughly how long refunds are taking this year if you e-file?

I work at a tax prep office and can confirm what others are saying - the advances are NOT worth it. We see people pay $100-200+ in fees for what amounts to getting their money 2-3 weeks early. The APR on these "loans" can be over 300%! If you absolutely need cash now, you're honestly better off asking family/friends or even using a credit card cash advance. At least with a credit card you know exactly what the interest rate is upfront.