I made a huge mistake last year by putting my estimated tax payments on the wrong line of my 1040. The IRS sent me a letter saying I owed a bunch of money plus penalties, and it took months to get sorted out. Double check where you're entering everything!

This is exactly why I always keep detailed records of all my tax payments throughout the year! For your situation with two types of withholding, I'd recommend creating a simple spreadsheet to track everything before you start filing. List your W-2 withholding amount from box 2, then separately list each quarterly estimated payment you made with the dates and amounts. When you're ready to file, the W-2 withholding goes on line 25a of Form 1040, and your estimated payments total goes on line 26. In TurboTax, these will be in different sections - the W-2 info gets entered when you input your W-2 form, and the estimated payments have their own dedicated section usually under "Federal Taxes" or "Payments." The key thing is to make sure you have documentation for all your estimated payments - either bank records, confirmation numbers, or receipts. This way if the IRS ever questions anything, you have proof of what you paid and when.

You might want to consider submitting Form 911 (Taxpayer Advocate Service Application) if this is causing financial hardship or if your PCS timeline creates special circumstances. The Taxpayer Advocate can sometimes expedite processing when there are compelling reasons. The normal 20-week processing timeframe might be problematic with your military relocation timeline.

@Geoff Richards I completely understand your frustration as a military spouse! The processing times are definitely longer than they used to be. One thing that might help with your PCS timeline - if you're moving overseas or to a combat zone, you may qualify for extended filing deadlines which could give you more breathing room. Also, make sure you keep detailed records of your amended return submission since military families sometimes need to reference tax documents for security clearances or other military processes. Have you considered reaching out to the legal assistance office on base? They sometimes have contacts who can help navigate IRS issues for military families. Hang in there! 🇺🇸

Don't forget to check if you need to make estimated tax payments to California's Franchise Tax Board too! The FTB has their own payment system separate from the IRS called WebPay. Since you mentioned you're a California resident, you'll likely owe state taxes on that property sale as well. I made this mistake last year and only focused on the federal portion. Ended up with a penalty from California because I didn't make my estimated payment on time. The California tax on my property sale wasn't small either!

I went through almost the exact same situation two years ago when I sold my investment property and had to handle everything while backpacking through Southeast Asia. Here's what worked for me: First, definitely set up your electronic payment BEFORE you leave. I used IRS Direct Pay and it was seamless - no enrollment required and you can schedule the payment in advance. With $95k, you'll want to double-check the daily/monthly limits on your Bank of America account for ACH transfers. Second, consider making your payment in installments if cash flow is tight. The IRS allows you to set up payment plans online, and the fees are pretty reasonable compared to the stress of coming up with the full amount at once. Most importantly - and I can't stress this enough - file for the extension if you haven't already, even though CA residents get the automatic October extension. Having that official extension on file gives you extra protection if anything goes wrong. One last tip: Download the IRS2Go mobile app before you leave. You can check the status of your return and payments from anywhere, which gave me huge peace of mind while I was dealing with spotty WiFi in rural Thailand. Safe travels and don't let tax stress ruin your trip! You've got plenty of time to get this sorted before you leave.

I'm dealing with something very similar right now! Code 766 appeared on my transcript about 3 weeks ago with a $847 credit amount, and my refund was exactly $847 less than what I calculated. Topic 151 is showing at the bottom too. I've been checking my mailbox religiously but no letter yet. What's really frustrating is that I can't figure out which credit they adjusted - I claimed the Child Tax Credit and American Opportunity Tax Credit, and the $847 doesn't match either one exactly. Has anyone had success getting through to the IRS Practitioner Priority Service line? I'm wondering if that might be faster than the regular taxpayer assistance line.

I've been through this exact scenario twice in the past few years, and the frustration is real! Code 766 with Topic 151 typically means they've made an adjustment to a refundable credit you claimed. The $847 amount that doesn't match your credits exactly could be a partial disallowance or a calculation error on their part. Regarding the Practitioner Priority Service line - unfortunately, that's only for enrolled agents, CPAs, and attorneys representing clients. As regular taxpayers, we're stuck with the main lines. However, I've had better luck calling the "Where's My Amended Return" line at (866) 464-2050 even for non-amended return issues - sometimes they can still access your account and explain what's happening. One thing that helped me was requesting my Account Transcript online rather than just the Return Transcript. The Account Transcript shows the full sequence of transactions and might reveal additional codes that explain the adjustment. You might see a corresponding debit entry that shows exactly which credit was reduced and why. The 35+ day wait for correspondence is unfortunately becoming more common. In my experience, when the letter finally arrives, it's usually requesting documentation to verify the credit you claimed. Start gathering documents now for any credits you claimed - birth certificates for dependents, education records, etc. Being proactive saved me weeks when my letter finally came.

Something no one has mentioned yet - even though these miscellaneous deductions are suspended federally, many STATES still allow them! I'm in California and was able to deduct my unreimbursed employee expenses on my state return even though I couldn't on my federal. Each state has different rules, but several states haven't conformed to the TCJA changes. Check your state's department of revenue website or tax instructions to see if you can still claim these deductions at the state level!

Another option worth considering if you have substantial unreimbursed business expenses: talk to your employer about either reimbursing these costs or offering an "accountable plan" for expenses. My company initially wasn't covering our WFH equipment either when we went hybrid, but several of us pointed out the tax disadvantages to employees. They ended up creating a formal expense reimbursement plan that follows IRS "accountable plan" rules. This way, the company gets the deduction and employees receive tax-free reimbursements. Might be worth bringing this up to your HR department with some research on accountable plans. Many employers aren't aware of how these plans benefit both the company and employees.