This is probably a stupid question, but does anyone know if group term insurance through professional associations (not employers) gets the same tax treatment? My employer doesn't offer benefits, but I can get group life insurance through my professional organization and I'm trying to figure out the tax implications.

Great question about maximizing group term insurance tax benefits! One strategy that hasn't been mentioned yet is coordinating your group term coverage with your overall estate planning. If you have dependents, you might want to consider keeping coverage at the optimal tax level (around that $50,000 threshold to minimize imputed income) and then supplementing with term life insurance purchased separately if you need more coverage. Also, don't forget that some employers offer "voluntary" or "supplemental" group term life insurance that you pay for with after-tax dollars but still get at group rates. While this doesn't have the same tax advantages as employer-paid coverage, it's often still cheaper than individual policies due to the group purchasing power. One more tip: keep good records of any imputed income reported on your W-2. This shows up in Box 12 with code "C" and while your employer should handle the calculations correctly, it's worth understanding how they arrived at the numbers in case you need to verify them during tax preparation.

Contact their support through twitter DM - they actually respond faster there then email or phone no 🤡

If you're still having trouble with ID.me recovery, you can also try calling the IRS directly at 1-800-908-9946. They can sometimes help you access your account information over the phone if you verify your identity with them. It's usually a long wait but might be worth it if the other methods aren't working for you.

I'm dealing with the exact same issue right now! Been trying the online IP PIN tool for weeks with no success - just that frustrating "Something went wrong" message every time. I requested the mail delivery about 5 weeks ago and still nothing in my mailbox. Reading through everyone's responses here is actually really helpful because I was starting to think it was just me having these problems. @Dmitry - that Claimyr service sounds interesting but I'm a bit wary of third-party services for tax stuff. Did they charge you for this service? And were you comfortable giving them your personal info to handle the IRS call? @Yara - I love the highway analogy! That makes total sense. I think I'll try the transcript method you mentioned while continuing to wait for the mail delivery. Better to have multiple options working simultaneously. Has anyone had any luck with calling that dedicated IP PIN helpline at 800-908-4490 that was mentioned earlier? I'm wondering if it's worth the potentially long hold time or if I should just be patient and wait for the mail delivery.

I'm in a very similar situation and wanted to share what I've learned from calling the IRS directly. After reading through all these responses, I called the main IRS customer service line (1-800-829-1040) this morning and selected option 2 for personal income tax questions. The wait was about 45 minutes, but the representative was extremely helpful. Here's what she told me that might help others: 1. The online IP PIN tool has been having intermittent issues since late February due to system updates - it's not just you! 2. Mail delivery is currently running 6-7 weeks on average (she confirmed this matches what others are reporting here) 3. If you've been assigned an IP PIN in previous years, you MUST use it again this year - you can't file without it 4. They can expedite mail delivery in certain hardship situations, but you need to provide documentation The rep also mentioned something I hadn't seen discussed here - if you're married filing jointly and only one spouse has an IP PIN, you still need to include it on the joint return. Some people apparently miss this detail. For anyone still struggling with the online tool, she recommended trying exactly at 6 AM EST when they do their daily system refresh. Worth a shot while waiting for the mail delivery!

Does anyone know if requesting a PPIA before your short-term plan expires stops the collections process from starting at all? Or do they still go through some review period where collections could start?

From my experience working with tax debt situations, the IRS typically follows a fairly predictable timeline after payment plans expire, but you definitely don't want to test it. After your short-term plan ends in March, you'll usually have about 30-60 days before they start the formal collection process. They'll send a CP523 notice first, then escalate from there if you don't respond. However, this timeline can vary based on your payment history and the amount owed. I'd strongly recommend getting your PPIA application submitted BEFORE your current plan expires. This keeps you in good standing and prevents the collection clock from starting at all. The PPIA process isn't as scary as it sounds - yes, they need financial information, but they're looking to set up something sustainable, not to make your life impossible. One thing people often overlook: even if you think you can't afford the calculated PPIA payment, you can often negotiate or request a lower amount based on hardship. It's much better to have any formal agreement in place than to wing it with informal payments. The "throw money at it" approach without a formal plan leaves you vulnerable to liens, levies, and continued penalties/interest accumulation. Plus, you lose the legal protections that come with an approved payment plan.

As a mobile farrier, you're in a great position for mileage deductions! Since you don't have a fixed office and work directly at client properties, your situation is pretty clear-cut - those home-to-first-client and last-client-to-home miles are absolutely deductible business mileage. The key is solid documentation. I'd recommend setting up a system now to track: - Daily starting/ending odometer readings - Each farm location and client name - Business purpose (shoeing, trimming, etc.) - Any stops between clients With 500-1200 miles per week, you're looking at potentially 26,000-62,400 deductible miles annually. At the current IRS rate of 67 cents per mile, that could be $17,420-$41,808 in deductions - definitely worth tracking properly! One thing specific to farriers: if you store your anvil, forge, and tools at home (which most do), that further strengthens your case that your home is your business base, making all those client trips deductible business travel rather than commuting.

This is incredibly helpful information! I've been doing farrier work for about 3 years now and had no idea I could deduct those first and last trips of the day. I've been missing out on thousands in deductions because I thought it was all considered commuting. One question - what about when I have to drive back home in the middle of the day to pick up a specialized tool I forgot, then head back out to clients? Is that round trip deductible since it's directly related to completing my work? I probably do this 2-3 times a month when I realize I need my specialty rasps or a different size shoe. Also, for anyone else tracking mileage, I started using a simple voice recorder app to log my trips while driving. At the start of each trip I just say "Tuesday, March 15th, leaving Johnson Farm at odometer 45,230, heading to Miller Ranch for trimming and shoeing two horses." Makes it easy to transfer to a proper log later and the timestamps prove it's contemporaneous.