Is anyone else confused by the term "ordinary income" the OP used? Sounds like they might have received dividends of $275.43 rather than proceeds from selling the stock. That would be a totally different tax situation.

@Jasmine Hancock - I think there might be some confusion in your original post. You mentioned the stocks "generated $275.43 in ordinary income" but then talked about selling them. Can you clarify what that $275.43 represents? If you actually sold the stocks and received $275.43 as the sale proceeds, then your capital loss would be $1,732.08 - $275.43 = $1,456.65 as others have calculated. However, if $275.43 was dividend income you received while still owning the stocks, that's completely separate from any sale transaction. Dividends are ordinary income and don't affect your cost basis. If you then sold the stocks for a different amount, you'd need that sale price to calculate your capital gain/loss. Could you double-check your brokerage statements to confirm what that $275.43 actually represents? This will make a big difference in how you report everything on your tax return.

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now! I was on an F-1 visa doing OPT in 2022 and my employer withheld about $2,800 in FICA taxes that I shouldn't have paid as a non-resident alien. After reading through all these responses, I'm getting confused about which service or approach to try first. It sounds like there are multiple ways to tackle this - calling the IRS directly (possibly through Claimyr to get through faster), using a service like taxr.ai to prepare the forms correctly, or just doing it myself with certified mail to the right address. For those who successfully got their refunds - what would you recommend as the best first step? Should I start by calling the IRS to confirm the correct mailing address, or go straight to resubmitting with all the documentation mentioned here? Also, has anyone had success getting their refund for 2022 tax year specifically? I want to make sure I'm still within the time limits before I invest too much effort into this process. Thanks for all the detailed advice in this thread - it's been incredibly helpful to see others who went through the same frustrating experience!

I'm also dealing with a FICA refund situation and wanted to share what I learned from my tax attorney. One thing that hasn't been mentioned here is that you should check if your employer actually remitted those FICA taxes to the IRS or if they're still holding them. Some employers, especially smaller companies, don't immediately send withheld taxes to the IRS - they might remit quarterly. If your employer still has the money, you can potentially get it back directly from them, which is much faster than going through the IRS refund process. You can request a "wage and income transcript" from the IRS for the tax year in question (Form 4506-T) to see exactly what was reported. This will show you whether the employer actually sent the FICA taxes to the IRS or not. If the taxes were indeed sent to the IRS, then you're on the right track with Forms 843 and 8316. But if they weren't, you might be able to resolve this directly with your former employer, which could save you months of waiting. Also, make sure you understand the difference between being exempt from FICA as a non-resident alien versus being in the US on a treaty-exempt visa. The process and required documentation can be slightly different depending on your specific visa type and country of origin.

Has anyone dealt with getting a fair market value determination for a property that's in a country where real estate records aren't as accessible as in the US? My mom left me her house in Vietnam, and I'm having a hard time establishing what it was worth when she passed.

I've been through a similar situation with inherited property in France, and one thing that really helped was documenting everything meticulously from the start. Since you mentioned the inheritance process took several years, make sure you keep records of all the legal fees, transfer taxes, and administrative costs you paid during that process - these can often be added to your basis, which could reduce any taxable gain or increase your deductible loss. Also, regarding the exchange rate fluctuations you mentioned - I learned the hard way that you need to be very consistent about which rates you use and when. For the initial basis calculation, use the exchange rate from the date of death (2021). For the sale proceeds, use the rate from when you actually received the sale proceeds in 2024. The IRS has specific guidance on this, and consistency is key if you ever get audited. One more tip: if you're claiming a loss (which sounds likely in your case), make sure you can clearly demonstrate that this was truly investment property and not personal use property. Since you inherited it and sold it immediately without using it personally, you should be fine, but it's worth documenting that timeline clearly.

I went through this exact situation last year. Not only do you have to pay Medicare and Social Security with a green card EAD, but you also need to file taxes as a resident alien using Form 1040, not the 1040-NR that nonresidents use.

Just want to add some perspective as someone who went through the exact same confusion. I had my EAD for about 6 months before I finally got clarity on this issue. The bottom line is yes, you do need to pay Medicare and Social Security taxes with a green card EAD - your employer is doing everything correctly. What helped me understand it better was thinking about it this way: the EAD based on your pending green card application puts you in a "resident alien" category for tax purposes, which means you have the same tax obligations as permanent residents and citizens. This is actually a good thing because you're earning credits toward future Social Security benefits and Medicare coverage. I know it feels like a lot of money coming out of your paycheck (especially after 3 months!), but these aren't "lost" taxes - they're contributions to programs you'll benefit from later. Keep good records of your earnings and tax payments, as this will be important when you eventually apply for Social Security benefits or Medicare. If you're still uncertain about your specific situation, I'd recommend speaking with a tax professional who specializes in immigration-related tax issues, especially if you had a different visa status before getting your EAD.

Have you checked if your bank information was entered correctly on your return? I've seen cases where people thought they were getting direct deposit, but had transposed a digit in their account number or routing number. When that happens, the deposit gets rejected by the bank and the IRS automatically converts it to a paper check without updating WMR. This happened to my sister last year and she was completely confused until the check showed up. Might be worth double-checking your return copy to make sure all banking details were entered correctly.

This is really helpful information from everyone! I'm in the exact same situation - filed early February with direct deposit info, WMR stuck on first bar for weeks, and I've been panicking about potentially getting a paper check instead. Based on what you all are saying, it sounds like the WMR status and actual delivery method are completely separate systems. That's both reassuring and frustrating at the same time. I think I'll stop checking WMR obsessively and just monitor my bank account daily like Collins suggested. Has anyone who was in this situation actually received their direct deposit recently despite WMR never updating? I'd love to hear some recent success stories to ease my anxiety about this.