Have you already received notification that your refund was issued? And did you confirm with Bank of America that the account is fully closed, not just restricted? Sometimes banks will hold incoming government deposits even on 'closed' accounts, especially if the closure was recent.

I work in banking operations and can confirm that when a direct deposit hits a closed account, it's automatically returned to the originating agency (in this case, the IRS) within 1-3 business days. The IRS then has their own internal process that takes about 2-3 weeks to generate and mail a paper check to your address on file. One thing to definitely verify is that your mailing address on your tax return is current and correct - the IRS won't attempt to contact you about address changes for refund checks. You can't update your direct deposit info after filing, but you should receive your refund without any action needed on your part. Just keep an eye on your mail!

Has anyone actually had their taxes rejected because of Form 8332 issues? Our decree says we alternate claiming our daughter each year, and we've been doing that for 2 years without any forms. I claim odd years, he claims even years. No issues so far, but now I'm nervous after reading this thread!

I went through this exact situation last year and wanted to share what I learned. The key thing to understand is that your divorce decree and IRS rules are completely separate systems that don't automatically talk to each other. Even though your decree says you each claim one child, the IRS has their own "tiebreaker" rules for determining the custodial parent when custody is truly 50/50. Since you mentioned equal physical custody, they'll look at who has higher adjusted gross income to determine who gets the right to claim the children. Here's what I'd recommend: First, carefully count the actual overnight stays for each child to make sure you really do have exactly 50/50 custody. Sometimes what we think is "equal" isn't when you count every single night. Second, if it truly is 50/50 and your ex has higher income, he technically has the right under IRS rules to claim both children unless he signs Form 8332 releasing his claim to one child. Your ex is wrong about not needing any forms - the IRS doesn't care what your divorce decree says if their rules determine a different custodial parent. Don't risk it. I'd suggest getting professional help to review your specific situation, because getting this wrong can result in rejected returns, penalties, and having to pay back tax credits with interest.

In my experience as a beneficiary on my grandmother's accounts, you should focus on working with the IRA custodian directly rather than just the bank. Contact the IRA provider, notify them of the death, and ask specifically about any pending distributions. They can usually redirect any pending RMDs directly to the beneficiaries or halt them entirely. Don't just rely on the trust attorney or bank - they're looking at the whole estate, not necessarily advocating for proper handling of the IRA beneficiary designations.

I'm sorry for your loss. This is such a complex situation that many people face but few understand clearly. Based on what you've described, the timing is crucial here - since your mom passed on the 14th and the RMD is scheduled for the 20th, you still have a window to act. The key principle is that IRA beneficiary designations generally supersede will and trust provisions. If that RMD gets deposited into her frozen account, you'll likely need to work with both the estate attorney and the IRA custodian to document that this specific deposit came from an account where you and your brother were the named beneficiaries. I'd recommend three immediate steps: 1) Contact the IRA custodian today with the death certificate to try to stop or redirect the pending RMD, 2) Document all your communications for the estate attorney, and 3) Make sure the estate attorney understands that IRA assets and their distributions should be handled separately from general estate assets. The sooner you act, the stronger your position will be to keep that distribution with the rightful beneficiaries rather than having it get mixed into the trust assets.

Has anyone else had this issue with the residency calculator in TurboTax? I entered all my info (F1 status, dates, etc) and it told me I was a full-year resident even though I only hit the substantial presence test in September. When I tried H&R Block instead, it said I was dual-status. Super confused now!

I went through the exact same confusion last year! The key thing to understand is that when you become a tax resident mid-year due to the substantial presence test, you have two options: 1. **Dual-status filing**: You're a nonresident for Jan 1 - May 14, then a resident for May 15 - Dec 31. You'd file Form 1040NR for the nonresident portion and Form 1040 for the resident portion. 2. **First-Year Choice election**: You can elect to be treated as a full-year resident, which lets you file just one Form 1040 and take the standard deduction. The reason you're seeing conflicting information is that different sources emphasize different options. Your university software is probably assuming you'd benefit from the First-Year Choice election (which is often true for students), while other sites are giving you the default dual-status rule. For the Social Security taxes, that's separate from income tax residency - once your 5-year F1 exemption expires, you owe Social Security taxes on ALL wages earned after that date, regardless of which filing status you choose. I'd suggest running the numbers both ways to see which gives you a better outcome. The First-Year Choice usually works better if you have significant income throughout the year and want to take the standard deduction, but dual-status might be better if you have large scholarship amounts that qualify for treaty benefits during the nonresident period.

Quick note - the side hustle being paid in cash doesn't make it invisible to the IRS. My brother thought that too and didn't report like $2500 in cash payments for his DJ gigs. Got a nasty letter from the IRS two years later because one of the venues had reported paying him on THEIR taxes. Better to report everything now than deal with penalties and interest later. Just my two cents!

Adding to what others have said - don't stress too much about the self-employment tax amount! At your income level, you might also qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) even as a dependent, which could help offset some of what you owe. Also, for future reference, try to set aside about 25-30% of any side gig income for taxes. I learned this the hard way after my first year of freelancing. Even just putting that money in a separate savings account makes tax time way less stressful. One more tip - keep track of any expenses related to your graphic design work! Software subscriptions, computer equipment, even a portion of your internet bill can potentially be deducted as business expenses on Schedule C. Every little bit helps reduce what you'll owe.