One thing nobody mentioned yet - make sure your US bank account doesn't have minimum balance requirements or monthly fees if you're planning to keep it open after you leave! I got hit with like $150 in fees because I left just $300 in my account and apparently needed $1500 to avoid the monthly fee. Also, depending on your home country, check if you need to report foreign bank accounts to YOUR country's tax authority too. Not just the US side of things.

Just went through this exact situation 6 months ago with my J1 visa! Here's what I learned the hard way: For the $4,800 amount, you're actually fine carrying cash without formal declaration (under $10K threshold), but I'd still recommend against it for safety reasons. I ended up using a combination approach that worked really well. I used Wise for the bulk of my money ($4,200) - total fees were around $35 with great exchange rates. Then I carried about $600 in cash for immediate expenses when I landed. This gave me the best of both worlds: most money transferred safely at low cost, plus some immediate liquidity. One crucial tip: if you're keeping your US bank account open even temporarily, make sure you understand the reporting requirements for foreign accounts in your home country. Some countries require you to report ANY foreign account regardless of balance. Also, close the account properly when you're done - don't just let it sit empty and rack up fees. The whole process was way less scary than I thought it would be once I had the right information!

Great discussion everyone! Just wanted to add one more perspective as someone who works in tax prep. The key thing to remember about Head of Household is that it's not just about living arrangements or who pays what - it's specifically about providing a home for a qualifying dependent. Even if you were paying 100% of your parents' household expenses, you still couldn't file as HOH because your parents aren't your qualifying dependents (and they're not qualifying relatives in this context since they're not dependent on you for support). The IRS is pretty strict about this - they've seen every variation of living situations imaginable. As long as you file Single and your parents handle their own return appropriately, you're golden. The shared address thing really isn't a concern at all. One last tip: if you end up having questions about specific deductions or credits you might qualify for as a Single filer, consider looking into things like the Retirement Savings Contributions Credit if you're contributing to a 401k or IRA. Sometimes Single filers miss out on credits they're eligible for because they assume they don't qualify for much.

I went through almost the exact same situation two years ago! I was 26, living with my parents after a job loss, and completely confused about filing status. The key thing that helped me understand it was realizing that Head of Household isn't about WHERE you live or even how much you contribute to expenses - it's specifically about maintaining a household FOR a qualifying dependent. Since you don't have kids or other dependents, Single is definitely your correct filing status. I was worried about the same thing with my parents' taxes, but our tax preparer explained that multiple people at the same address with different filing statuses is completely normal and won't trigger any IRS flags. One thing I wish I'd known earlier - even though you can't claim HOH, make sure you're not missing out on other credits you might qualify for as a Single filer. I ended up qualifying for the American Opportunity Tax Credit for some continuing education I'd done, which I almost missed because I was so focused on the filing status question. Don't stress too much about it - you're being responsible by asking the right questions upfront rather than guessing!

Has anyone thought about how this would work with FHA loans? I'm planning to go FHA since I only have about 5% to put down, and I'm curious if this $25,000 credit could be used with an FHA loan or if it would somehow disqualify you from using FHA. Also wondering about timing... if this passes, would it be retroactive for people who bought recently or only for purchases after the law is passed? I'm looking to buy in the next 2-3 months and don't know if I should wait.

As someone who's been through the homebuying process twice (once in 2010 and again in 2018), I want to share some perspective on timing and expectations with this potential credit. The biggest mistake I made in 2010 was waiting for the "perfect" policy conditions - I delayed buying for almost 8 months hoping for better programs or rates. Meanwhile, home prices in my area went up 12% that year, which completely wiped out any benefit I might have gotten from waiting. If you're financially ready to buy now and have found something in your budget, don't let the uncertainty about this $25,000 credit paralyze you. Housing policy changes can take months or years to implement even after they're passed, and there's no guarantee this particular proposal will make it through Congress. That said, if you're not quite ready financially or haven't found the right property yet anyway, then sure - keep an eye on the policy developments. But don't put your life on hold for a tax credit that may or may not materialize. The best time to buy is when your finances are solid and you've found a home you can afford at current market conditions.

When I was trying to understand my cycle code last year, I was completely lost too! What helped me was realizing that the cycle code is just one piece of the puzzle. My transcript had a 20230805 code, and I got my refund exactly 8 days after that appeared. My sister had a 20230220 code and got hers 14 days later. We've found that daily cycles (01-05) typically process faster, but the most important thing is watching for code 846 (refund issued) to appear - that's your actual payment date regardless of cycle. Don't stress too much about the cycle type - focus more on watching for those final processing codes!

As someone who's been through multiple tax seasons with different filing situations, I can confirm that understanding your cycle code really does make a difference in managing expectations. What I've learned is that while the cycle code gives you the processing schedule, there are other factors that can override it - like if your return gets flagged for additional review or if there are errors that need correction. One thing that might help newcomers: even if you're on a weekly cycle, don't panic if you don't see updates exactly on Thursday/Friday. Sometimes the IRS processes in batches, and your specific return might be in a later batch within that cycle. The key is patience and checking your transcript regularly rather than obsessively. I used to check mine daily (even on weekends when nothing happens!) until I realized that was just adding to my stress. The most important codes to watch for are still 846 (refund issued) and 571 (additional account action pending) - these tell you more about your actual status than the cycle timing alone.

I went through this exact same situation with Form 3531 about 6 months ago! The signature issue is incredibly common - even when you think you signed everything properly, sometimes the ink doesn't show up clearly when they scan it, or you might have missed signing a schedule attachment. For the address situation, I was confused about this too until I called the IRS. They explained that even though you moved after filing, they want your return to reflect your current address in their system so all future correspondence about that specific tax year goes to the right place. It's more of an administrative update than anything punitive. You have a couple good options here: 1) Fix the paper forms and mail them back (your February filing date is preserved), or 2) E-file instead since your paper return was technically rejected. I went with e-filing and it was SO much faster - got my refund in about 2 weeks instead of waiting months for paper processing. If you do e-file, just use your current address from when you moved in July. Since you already updated your address with the IRS online, this will actually solve both the signature and address issues at once. The electronic signature takes care of the signing problem, and having your current address on the return matches their records. Don't stress too much - this is a very fixable situation and won't affect your refund timeline as long as you respond promptly!

I've been following this thread closely since I'm dealing with a very similar Form 3531 situation right now! Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - it's been incredibly helpful to see so many people who went through the exact same thing. Based on all the advice here, I'm convinced that e-filing is the way to go. The idea of getting my refund in 2-3 weeks instead of potentially waiting months for paper processing is really appealing, especially since I've already been waiting since February like the original poster. One thing I want to emphasize for anyone else reading this thread: make sure you're using black ink if you do decide to go the paper correction route. I learned this the hard way on a different form last year - apparently blue ink sometimes doesn't scan clearly in their systems, which can trigger the signature issue even when you think you signed everything properly. The address situation still seems confusing to me though. If I moved after filing but before receiving the Form 3531, should I use my old address (from when I originally filed) or my current address when e-filing? I've seen conflicting advice on this point.