Here's a small tip - if you do end up owing an underpayment penalty, ask for First Time Penalty Abatement! The IRS will often waive penalties the first time you have an issue if you've had a good compliance history (filed and paid on time) for the past 3 years.

As someone who went through this exact situation last year, I can tell you that you're probably overthinking this! The fact that nothing is showing in your IRS account is actually a good sign - they're usually pretty quick to post penalties when they apply them. For your withholding question, yes absolutely! Adjusting your W-4 is actually the smartest approach. The IRS treats payroll withholding as if it happened evenly throughout the year, which gives you a huge advantage over quarterly payments. Even if you increase your withholding in December, they treat it as if you paid that amount in four equal installments starting in January. Just calculate roughly 22-24% of your expected interest income (depending on your tax bracket) and divide that by your remaining pay periods. Submit a new W-4 with that additional amount. Way easier than remembering quarterly due dates! One more thing - keep all your 1099-INT forms organized. Next year you'll have a better sense of what to expect and can adjust your withholding at the beginning of the year instead of scrambling at the end.

Does anyone use a specific app for tracking gambling? I've been using a spreadsheet but wondering if there's something better. My casino trips are usually multiple days and I play different games each day, so it gets complicated fast.

As someone who's dealt with gambling record-keeping for several years, I'd recommend keeping it simple but consistent. Your approach of noting date, location, game type, and net win/loss is actually quite good - the IRS understands that detailed hand-by-hand tracking isn't practical for table games. What I've found helpful is to supplement basic session logs with any receipts you can collect: ATM withdrawals, cash-out tickets, comp receipts, even parking stubs. These help corroborate your gambling activity and show you were actually at the casino on the dates you claim. For blackjack specifically, I usually note my buy-in amount, any significant wins during the session (like if I hit blackjack several times or had a particularly good/bad streak), and my final cash-out. The key is being able to demonstrate a reasonable pattern of gambling activity that matches any W-2Gs you receive and supports the losses you're claiming as deductions. Don't overthink it - consistency in your record-keeping method is more important than capturing every minute detail.

called MI treasury today and they said theyre aware of the issue but no eta on a fix. atleast their being honest ig

This is exactly what happened to me! Filed with H&R Block on Jan 28th and have been waiting forever for my Michigan refund. Finally called the state last week and they told me a paper check was mailed instead of direct deposit. So frustrating that H&R Block didn't even notify customers about this glitch. Thanks for the heads up OP!

Something nobody mentioned yet - if you're a high-volume gambler, you might qualify as a "professional" gambler for tax purposes, which changes everything. Instead of deducting losses on Schedule A, you'd report gambling as a business on Schedule C. The key requirements: you gamble regularly, treat it like a business (keep detailed records), genuinely try to make a profit, and have significant time/effort invested. You don't need to make your living entirely from gambling. The big advantage: your losses and expenses become business deductions rather than itemized deductions. This means you can take the full standard deduction AND deduct gambling losses. But beware - this also means paying self-employment tax and potential audit scrutiny.

This is exactly why I always tell people to have taxes withheld from their jackpots if they're recreational gamblers. The casino will typically withhold 24% federal tax on winnings over $5,000, but you can request withholding on smaller jackpots too. Here's what most people don't realize: even if you itemize and can deduct your full $65,000 in losses against your $25,000 in winnings, you're still stuck with the complexity and documentation requirements. Plus, if you get audited, the IRS scrutinizes gambling loss deductions very heavily. For next year, I'd recommend either having taxes withheld upfront or setting aside money from each jackpot to cover the tax bill. Also, start keeping that detailed gambling log everyone mentioned - it's absolutely crucial if you want to claim losses. The IRS has specific requirements about what constitutes adequate records, and "I remember losing a lot" doesn't cut it. Unfortunately, there's no magic solution for this year's situation. You're stuck reporting those W-2Gs as income and can only offset with losses if itemizing makes sense for your overall tax situation.

Be careful about state taxes too! Even though you're working abroad, some states might still consider you a resident for tax purposes if you maintain ties there (driver's license, voter registration, bank accounts, etc). If you haven't formally changed your domicile, you might need to report those dividends on a state return too.

Great question! I dealt with something very similar last year with my Schwab account. Even without a 1099-DIV, you absolutely need to report those dividends. In TurboTax, when you get to the investment income section, look for "I'll enter investment income that doesn't appear on any tax forms" or similar wording. You'll enter your $7.85 as dividend income - make sure to check your Fidelity account statements to see if any portion was classified as "qualified dividends" vs "ordinary dividends" since they're taxed differently. Since you're already dealing with international tax complexities with Form 2555, you might want to consider upgrading to TurboTax Premier or consulting with a tax professional who handles expat situations. The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion doesn't apply to investment income, so those dividends will be subject to regular US tax rates regardless of where you're living. One more tip: keep detailed records of your account statements showing the dividend amounts and dates, especially since you don't have an official 1099. The IRS may ask for documentation if they have questions later.