This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in a somewhat similar boat - just discovered my partner has some tax compliance issues and I've been losing sleep over it. What really stands out to me from reading everyone's experiences is how much the "unknown" factor amplifies the stress. It sounds like once you actually understand what you're dealing with - whether through the AI tools people mentioned, getting tax transcripts, or talking to professionals - the situation becomes much more manageable. I'm particularly interested in what @Hiroshi Nakamura mentioned about the IRS preferring payment plans over asset seizure. That's reassuring since I keep imagining worst-case scenarios about losing our home or having bank accounts frozen. One question for those who've been through this: how long did it typically take from when your spouse finally filed the back returns to when you felt like the situation was truly resolved? I'm trying to set realistic expectations for how long this stress might last once we start addressing it properly. Also, has anyone dealt with state tax issues alongside federal? I'm wondering if state agencies are typically as willing to work with payment plans as the IRS seems to be.

I've been following this thread closely as someone who went through a very similar situation last year. What helped me the most was creating a timeline of exactly which years needed to be addressed and gathering all the documents first before doing anything else. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that if your husband was doing contract work, he might actually be entitled to refunds for some of those years if taxes were withheld from his payments or if he's eligible for certain credits. I know it sounds counterintuitive when you're panicking about owing money, but my husband ended up getting refunds for 2 of the 4 years he hadn't filed, which significantly reduced the overall amount owed. Also, regarding your joint accounts - I'd suggest opening a separate account in just your name and moving some funds there temporarily while this gets sorted out. It won't protect assets that are already jointly owned, but it can give you peace of mind knowing you have access to some money that's clearly yours if anything gets frozen during the resolution process. The key thing I learned is that the IRS is surprisingly reasonable once you start communicating with them. They genuinely want to collect what's owed rather than destroy people financially, so payment plans are almost always available. Your husband just needs to stop avoiding this - every day of delay makes it worse and more expensive.

Just wanted to add that as a business owner who collects W-9s from freelancers, please please PLEASE use electronic signatures if the option is available! Paper forms are the bane of my existence - they get lost, information is illegible, pages get separated, and it's a nightmare come tax season when I need to issue 1099s. RightSignature and similar platforms have been a godsend for my bookkeeping. Everything is organized, searchable, and properly stored for tax purposes.

As someone who's been freelancing for over 5 years, I completely understand your hesitation about submitting sensitive tax information online! I had the exact same concerns when I first encountered RightSignature. What helped me feel more comfortable was learning that RightSignature is actually owned by Citrix, which is a well-established enterprise software company. They're required to maintain strict security certifications to serve their corporate clients, including SOC 2 Type II compliance and 256-bit SSL encryption. One thing I always do now is verify I'm on the legitimate site by checking the URL carefully - make sure it's exactly "rightsignature.com" and shows the secure padlock icon in your browser. If your client sent you a direct link, you can always navigate to the main RightSignature site independently and log in from there instead. The IRS has actually been encouraging electronic submissions for years now because they're more secure and traceable than paper forms that can get lost in the mail. Electronic signatures create an audit trail that shows exactly when and where the document was signed, which provides better protection for both you and your client. That said, if you're still uncomfortable, there's nothing wrong with asking your client if they can accept a scanned PDF of a hand-signed form as an alternative. Most reasonable clients will accommodate that request, even if it adds a day or two to the process.

I'm going through almost the exact same situation right now! F1 visa holder, been in the US for about 10 months, and FreeTaxUSA has been giving me such a headache. The software definitely seems designed only for US citizens and permanent residents. Like you, I noticed it never asked about my visa status or how long I've been in the country, which seems like pretty crucial information for determining tax residency. After reading through all these responses, I'm convinced that FreeTaxUSA just isn't the right tool for our situation. The difference between resident and nonresident tax treatment is huge - we're talking about potentially overpaying by over $1000 like you mentioned. I'm planning to check with my university's international student office tomorrow to see if they have a VITA program. If not, I might try one of those specialized services that people mentioned here. It sounds like the small cost upfront could save us a lot of money and stress in the long run. Thanks for posting this - it's reassuring to know other international students are dealing with the same confusing situation!

I work as a tax preparer and see this exact issue with international students every tax season. You're absolutely right to be confused - FreeTaxUSA and similar consumer tax software are simply not equipped to handle F1 visa tax situations properly. The core issue is that as an F1 student, you have a completely different tax profile than what these programs expect. You should be filing Form 1040-NR (Nonresident Alien Income Tax Return), not the standard Form 1040. This isn't just a minor difference - it affects your standard deduction, tax rates, and eligibility for various credits. For your specific situation with 11 months in the US on F1 status, you are definitely a nonresident alien for federal tax purposes. The substantial presence test doesn't apply to F1 students during their first 5 calendar years in the US. My strong recommendation: Stop using FreeTaxUSA for this. Either visit your university's international student office (they often have VITA programs specifically for this), or consider paying for a tax preparer who specializes in nonresident returns. The $1,100 difference you mentioned between resident and nonresident treatment makes this worth getting professional help. Don't risk filing incorrectly - the IRS is very strict about nonresident alien tax compliance.

As someone brand new to this community and dealing with my first SBTPG delay, I'm shocked by what I'm reading here. They told me my check was mailed April 1st, but after reading this thread, I'm realizing that date is probably completely false like everyone else's. What really gets me is how they're giving these fake mail dates while people like Catrice are facing homelessness with children. That's not just poor customer service - that's causing real harm to families in crisis. It's absolutely unconscionable. I'm grateful for all the resources shared here by the community. I just set up USPS informed delivery and plan to file complaints with my state attorney general and the CFPB based on the advice I've seen. Even as a newcomer, I want to contribute to documenting this pattern of deceptive practices. The solidarity in this thread gives me hope that we can hold SBTPG accountable for their lies. No one should have to deal with this stress, especially families already facing difficult situations. I'll be following this closely and supporting efforts to get real answers and consequences for their behavior. To everyone still waiting - you're not alone in this. This community clearly has each other's backs, and together we can push for the transparency and accountability that SBTPG should have provided from the start.

As a newcomer to this community, I'm absolutely horrified by what I'm reading about SBTPG's systematic deception this tax season. The fact that they're deliberately giving false mail dates while families like Catrice are facing homelessness with children is not just incompetence - it's cruel and potentially illegal. I found this thread while researching my own SBTPG delays (they claim my check was sent March 28th, but based on everyone's experiences here, that's clearly a lie). What started as personal frustration has turned into genuine outrage seeing how their dishonesty is affecting people in genuine crisis situations. Thank you to everyone sharing resources like informed delivery setup, complaint filing processes, and tools like taxr.ai. I'm implementing all of these recommendations and will be documenting every false statement SBTPG makes to contribute to the growing evidence of their deceptive practices. I've already filed complaints with both my state attorney general and the CFPB based on the advice in this thread. Even as someone new to this community, I want to help ensure there are real consequences for SBTPG's behavior and prevent future families from going through this nightmare. The solidarity and support I'm seeing here gives me hope that collective action can make a difference when institutions fail us. To those in emergency situations - please know that newcomers like me are also advocating for accountability and hoping for immediate resolution of your crises. No family should suffer because a company lies about basic service delivery.

Thanks for posting this question! I actually went through something similar last year and learned a lot from the experience. Since you made $1200 from surveys, you'll definitely need to report this as self-employment income on Schedule C (since it's over $400). The key thing to remember is that even without 1099 forms, you're still legally required to report all income. Here's what I'd recommend: - Download all your PayPal statements and create a spreadsheet tracking each survey payment - Keep records organized by company name and date - Don't forget you can deduct legitimate business expenses (portion of internet, phone, etc.) - Set aside money for self-employment tax (about 15.3%) plus regular income tax One thing that caught me off guard was the quarterly estimated tax payments. If you plan to continue doing surveys next year and expect to make similar amounts, you might want to make quarterly payments to avoid penalties. The good news is that once you get through this first year of reporting, you'll have a system in place that makes it much easier going forward. Schedule C looks intimidating but it's really just asking for your income and expenses in an organized way.

This is such a timely question! I just went through this exact situation myself. Since you made $1200 from surveys, you'll need to file Schedule C and pay self-employment tax since you're over the $400 threshold. Even without 1099 forms from the survey sites, you're still required to report all income. Here's what worked for me: - Export all your PayPal transaction history and filter for survey payments - Create a simple spreadsheet with company name, date, and amount for each payment - Keep these records organized - the IRS may ask for documentation even without 1099s Don't forget about potential deductions! Since you're filing Schedule C, you can deduct business expenses like: - Percentage of internet costs used for surveys - Computer/phone depreciation if used primarily for surveys - Any software or apps you paid for to complete surveys The self-employment tax (15.3%) plus regular income tax can be a surprise, so definitely set aside about 25-30% of your survey earnings for taxes. If you plan to continue doing surveys next year, consider making quarterly estimated payments to avoid penalties. I know Schedule C seems intimidating at first, but it's really just documenting your income and expenses. You've got all the information you need in your PayPal records!