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Anna Kerber
Has anyone had the UK tax authorities reach out about EIS investments when you're not a UK tax resident? I invested in several companies through Crowdcube with EIS certificates but since I don't pay UK taxes (I'm a US citizen in France), I didn't claim any UK tax benefits. Still got emails about my EIS certificates though.
Niko Ramsey
ā¢I've never had UK tax authorities contact me about my Crowdcube EIS investments. The EIS certificates are meant for UK taxpayers to claim relief on their UK taxes, so if you're not filing UK taxes, they have no reason to follow up. The companies issue the certificates automatically to all qualifying investors, regardless of where they live or their tax situation.
Amina Diallo
I'm dealing with a similar situation as a US citizen living in Italy who invested through both Crowdcube and Seedrs last year. One thing I learned the hard way is that you need to keep detailed records of each investment's structure and the underlying business activities, not just the total amounts invested. For reporting purposes, I created a spreadsheet tracking each company I invested in, their primary business activity, revenue sources, and investment structure. This helped me determine which ones might have PFIC issues (spoiler: most didn't, but one property development company was borderline). Also, don't forget that if any of these investments pay dividends or if you sell shares, you'll need to report that income on your US taxes. The UK won't withhold taxes for non-residents in most cases, but you still owe US taxes on the income. Keep good records of any foreign taxes paid too in case you can claim foreign tax credits. The EIS certificates are basically irrelevant for us as US taxpayers - we can't use the UK tax benefits, but the certificates do provide useful documentation about the nature of the investment for US reporting purposes.
This is really helpful advice about keeping detailed records! I'm just getting started with understanding all these reporting requirements as a new expat. When you mention tracking "investment structure" - what specific details should I be looking for in the Crowdcube documentation? I want to make sure I'm collecting the right information from the beginning rather than scrambling later when it's tax time. Also, did you run into any issues with currency conversion for reporting purposes? Since these investments are in GBP but we report in USD, I'm wondering if there's a specific exchange rate I should be using for consistency.
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Yara Abboud
One thing no one has mentioned yet - did you check if your broker has any residual cash from the company's wind-down? Sometimes when companies fold, there's a small liquidation distribution that gets sent to your brokerage account. You'll want to account for that as it reduces your loss slightly. Also, check if your shares were held in a custodial account somewhere. Even though the company is gone, the shares might still be reflected in some brokerage account, which would make documentation easier.
Dylan Cooper
ā¢I hadn't thought about checking for residual distributions. That's a great point! Do you know if the broker would have sent any notification about this, or would I need to call them specifically to ask?
Yara Abboud
ā¢They typically send a notification, but these can easily get missed, especially if they went to an old email address or got filtered as spam. I'd definitely recommend calling your broker directly and asking if there were any final distributions related to the company. Sometimes these distributions are very small (like pennies per share) but they still affect your tax basis. Also, ask if they have any record of the exact date the shares became worthless in their system. Brokers often have this information officially recorded, which can be very helpful for tax documentation.
PixelPioneer
Has anyone considered the impact of the ESPP discount on your cost basis? When you participate in an ESPP, you often get shares at a discount to market value. That discount is generally considered compensation income. For example, if the fair market value was $100 per share but you paid $85 through the ESPP (15% discount), that $15 discount should have been reported as income on your W-2 in the year of purchase. Your actual cost basis would then be $100 ($85 paid plus $15 reported as income). This could affect how much loss you can claim now that the shares are worthless.
This is a really important point. I've seen people miscalculate their basis on ESPP shares all the time. The Form 3922 should show the FMV and the actual purchase price, right? So you can figure out what the discount was?
Yara Nassar
ā¢Yes, exactly! Form 3922 should show both the fair market value (FMV) on the purchase date and what you actually paid. The difference between these two amounts is the discount that should have been included as compensation income on your W-2. However, here's where it gets tricky with a defunct company - if the discount wasn't properly reported as income on your W-2 (which sometimes happens with smaller companies that mess up their payroll reporting), you might need to include it as "other income" on your current return. This would increase your basis in the worthless shares, giving you a larger deductible loss. I'd recommend checking your W-2s from the years you made ESPP purchases to see if the discount amounts were included in your wages. If not, you'll want to account for this properly when calculating your worthless securities loss.
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Omar Fawaz
Yall worried about cycle codes while the IRS is playing games with our money š¤
facts š they holding onto our money like its their savings account
Been dealing with the same thing - cycle 05 since late January. From what I've researched, PATH Act returns are held until mid-February at minimum, regardless of when you file. The cycle 05 just means weekly processing, but they still won't release refunds with EITC/ACTC until after February 15th. So even if your return processes, you're still waiting on that date. Super frustrating but seems to be normal this year.
Molly Hansen
ā¢Thanks for breaking that down! I was starting to panic thinking something was wrong with my return. The February 15th thing makes so much sense now - explains why we're all stuck in limbo even though our returns show as processed. Appreciate you taking the time to research and share that info š
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This is such a complex situation that many grandparents face, and I really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and advice here. As someone who works in tax preparation, I wanted to add a few important points that might help clarify things. First, Ruby, you're absolutely right to feel frustrated about this situation. The fact that you're providing all the financial support while the legal custodial parent claims the tax benefits is unfortunately very common. The key issue here is that your granddaughter would need to qualify as your "qualifying relative" rather than a "qualifying child" since you're not her parent. For this to work, you need to meet several tests: 1. **Support Test**: You must provide more than 50% of her total support for the year 2. **Gross Income Test**: Your granddaughter must have made less than $4,700 in 2023 (which at age 8, she obviously meets) 3. **Relationship Test**: As her grandparent, you meet this 4. **Joint Return Test**: She can't file a joint return (not applicable here) 5. **Citizen Test**: She must be a U.S. citizen or resident The tricky part is that if your son could claim her as his qualifying child (due to the court's custody arrangement), then she can't be your qualifying relative - even if your son doesn't actually file a return. This is called the "qualifying child tie-breaker rule." My advice would be to consult with a tax professional who can review your specific documentation and circumstances. The penalties for incorrectly claiming a dependent can be significant, so it's worth getting professional guidance before proceeding. Keep documenting everything - you're on the right track with that approach!
Luca Romano
ā¢Thank you for this professional perspective! This really helps clarify some of the confusion I've been having about the different dependency tests. I'm particularly concerned about what you mentioned regarding the "qualifying child tie-breaker rule." If I understand correctly, even though my son isn't filing a return due to no income, the fact that he *could* potentially claim her as his qualifying child (because of the custody arrangement) would prevent me from claiming her as my qualifying relative? That seems like a real catch-22 situation - my son can't benefit from the dependent exemption since he's not filing, but it also blocks me from claiming it even though I'm the one actually supporting her. Is there any way around this, or would we need to have my son file a return just to establish his right to claim her, and then potentially transfer that right to me somehow? Also, when you mention consulting a tax professional, are there any specific credentials or specializations I should look for? I want to make sure I'm getting advice from someone who really understands these complex family dependency situations. Thanks again for taking the time to explain this so clearly - it's incredibly helpful to get insight from someone who works in tax preparation!
You're exactly right about the catch-22 situation, and unfortunately it is quite frustrating! The qualifying child tie-breaker rule can indeed create this problem where the person who could legally claim the child isn't filing, but it prevents others from claiming them as a qualifying relative. However, there might be some potential solutions to explore: 1. **Have your son file a return**: Even with minimal or no income, your son could file a return to establish his right to claim your granddaughter, then potentially use Form 8332 to release that claim to you. This requires cooperation from both your son and potentially the mother (depending on how the custody agreement is interpreted). 2. **Challenge the "could claim" interpretation**: Some tax professionals argue that if the non-custodial parent (your son) doesn't meet ALL the tests for claiming a qualifying child (particularly if the mother's primary custody status gives her priority), then the tie-breaker rule might not apply. This is a gray area that would require careful analysis of your specific situation. For finding the right tax professional, I'd recommend looking for: - An Enrolled Agent (EA) who specializes in family tax situations - A CPA with experience in dependency disputes - Someone who specifically mentions experience with grandparent dependency claims Ask potential advisors about their experience with IRS dependency disputes and whether they've handled similar grandparent situations before. Many will offer a brief consultation to assess your case. The investment in professional advice could save you thousands in potential penalties and lost benefits!
Adriana Cohn
Ruby, I completely understand your frustration with this situation. As a grandparent who went through something very similar with my grandson a few years ago, I can tell you that you do have options, but it requires careful documentation and understanding of the specific IRS rules. The key thing to focus on is the "qualifying relative" pathway since you're not the parent. You'll need to prove that you provided more than 50% of your granddaughter's total support during 2023. This includes not just obvious expenses like clothes and food, but also housing costs (calculate the fair rental value of her living space), utilities, medical expenses, school costs, and transportation. Start creating a detailed expense log right now for this year, and try to reconstruct 2023 expenses as best you can. Keep every receipt, and consider getting statements from her school listing your address, medical providers showing you as the responsible party for bills, and any other documentation that proves she's been living with you full-time. The fact that the mother rarely sees her and you're providing all the actual care is definitely in your favor. However, be prepared that filing this claim might trigger an IRS review since the mother has been claiming her. Don't let that scare you away - if you have solid documentation, you should prevail. I'd also suggest consulting with an Enrolled Agent or CPA who has experience with dependency disputes before filing. The cost of professional advice is worth avoiding potential penalties and ensuring you approach this correctly. You're absolutely entitled to claim the tax benefits for the child you're actually raising and supporting!
This is all such valuable information, thank you! I'm new to this community but dealing with a very similar situation with my 6-year-old grandson. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly eye-opening. I had no idea about the "fair rental value" aspect of housing costs - that's something I definitely hadn't considered when thinking about the 50% support test. Do you happen to know if there's a standard way to calculate that, or do you just estimate what you'd charge for rent if it were a separate apartment? Also, I'm curious about the timeline for getting everything together. You mentioned reconstructing 2023 expenses - is there a deadline for when I need to have all this documentation ready if I'm planning to claim him on my 2023 taxes? I've been putting off filing because I wasn't sure how to handle this situation, but I don't want to wait too long. The advice about getting an Enrolled Agent is really helpful too. I had been thinking about just trying to handle it myself, but given the complexity and potential for review, it sounds like professional guidance might be worth the investment. Thanks again to everyone who's shared their experiences here - it's so helpful to know that others have successfully navigated these situations!
Noah Lee
This is super frustrating but unfortunately pretty common during busy filing seasons. Since you e-filed and have confirmation, your return is almost certainly in their system - it's just a timing/processing issue. The non-filing letters are often generated automatically before their systems sync up. I'd recommend calling the IRS directly with your confirmation number to get them to update your account status. Also keep all your filing documentation just in case you need to prove you submitted on time. Usually resolves within a few weeks once they catch up on processing.
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Connor Gallagher
ā¢This is really helpful context! I'm dealing with the same situation and was starting to panic that something went wrong with my filing. Good to know it's mostly just a processing delay issue. How long did it typically take when you called the IRS? I've heard their wait times are brutal right now š¬
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Emma Wilson
Ugh, this is so stressful when it happens! I went through something similar a couple years back. The IRS systems can be really slow to sync up, especially during peak filing season. Since you e-filed and have confirmation, your return is almost definitely in their system somewhere - it's just caught in processing limbo. I'd recommend calling them with your confirmation number and asking them to manually check if they received it. Also, if you need proof of filing for anything urgent (like financial aid or loan applications), your e-file confirmation should work as temporary documentation until this gets sorted out. Hang in there!
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