Just my two cents - I messed up my W-4 last year and ended up owing $4,200 at tax time! Don't underestimate how important it is to get this right. My wife and I both checked the "Married filing jointly" box without doing Step 2, and it was a disaster because the system assumed each of us was the only income earner.

Based on your situation, I'd strongly recommend taking the time to work through the IRS withholding calculator even though it's tedious. With your combined income of $153K and the new homeownership, getting this wrong could be costly. Here's a simplified approach: Both of you should select "Married filing jointly" and complete Step 2. Since your incomes are relatively close ($72K vs $81K), the Multiple Jobs Worksheet will be more accurate than just checking the box in Step 2(c). Complete the worksheet once together and enter the result on your wife's W-4 (higher earner) in Step 4(c), while you just check the box in Step 2(c). For your new home, estimate your annual mortgage interest and property taxes, then enter that amount in Step 4(b) on ONE of your forms (don't double up). This will reduce withholding to account for itemizing. Pro tip: Update your W-4s again once you have kids - the child tax credit will significantly change your optimal withholding strategy. Better to adjust multiple times throughout the year than owe thousands in April!

Also, don't forget about the impact of TCJA (Tax Cuts and Jobs Act) on consolidated returns. There are limitations on the net operating loss carryforwards and some changes to how they can be utilized. I think you can only offset 80% of taxable income with NOLs from tax years beginning after 2017, even in a consolidated group.

Just wanted to add something that helped me when I was dealing with my first consolidated return - make sure you have a good system for tracking all the intercompany transactions throughout the year, not just at filing time. We had transactions between our parent and sub that we weren't properly documenting, and it became a nightmare trying to reconstruct everything when it came time to eliminate them on the consolidated return. Things like intercompany sales, loans, rent payments, management fees, etc. all need to be tracked carefully because they have to be eliminated to avoid double-counting income and expenses. I ended up creating a simple spreadsheet that we update monthly now, which makes the year-end consolidation process much smoother. The IRS is very particular about these eliminations being done correctly, so having good records throughout the year is crucial.

Has anyone used TurboTax for reporting ISO disqualifying dispositions? I'm having trouble figuring out where to enter this information.

One thing that helped me understand my ISO disqualifying disposition better was making sure I had all the key dates and values organized before tackling the tax forms: 1. Grant date (when ISOs were originally granted) 2. Exercise date (when you bought the shares) 3. Sale date (when you sold them) 4. Exercise price (what you paid per share) 5. Fair market value on exercise date 6. Sale price per share The "disqualifying" part just means you didn't meet both holding period requirements (1 year from exercise AND 2 years from grant). Once you have those numbers, it becomes much clearer how the tax treatment works - the bargain element goes on your W2 as ordinary income, and any additional gain/loss from the stock sale gets reported on Schedule D. Double-check that your employer calculated everything correctly on your W2, especially if you exercised and sold in different tax years like some others mentioned here.

Don't stress too much about it! I had the same exact message last year and my W2s showed up in my account around mid-February. The system really does update weekly like it says, so I'd give it another week or two before panicking. Your employer probably did submit everything on time - there's just always a lag between when they file with the IRS and when it shows up in our online accounts. The processing delay is totally normal, especially early in tax season when they're dealing with millions of documents. If you already got your W2 in the mail or email from your employer, you can definitely start preparing your taxes with that. The IRS account is more of a backup/verification tool than something you need to wait for.

Yeah this is totally normal! I work in payroll and can confirm that even though employers submit W2s by Jan 31st, the IRS system takes time to process everything. The "Information Return Documents Unavailable" message is basically their way of saying "we're working on it" lol. What most people don't realize is that the IRS has to match and verify millions of documents before they show up in your online account. So even if your employer filed on time, you might not see it for another 2-3 weeks. Pro tip: if you're anxious to file early, just use the physical/electronic copy your employer gave you directly. The IRS account is great for double-checking later, but you don't need to wait for it to populate to file your return. I usually tell people to check back around Valentine's Day - that's when most documents start showing up consistently.

I've been working through this exact issue for our UK partners. One thing to be aware of - the ITIN application (Form W-7) requires valid proof of identity AND a valid tax purpose. Just wanting to file Form 8832 counts as a valid tax purpose, but make sure you include a signed letter explaining the need for the ITIN specifically for the 8832 filing. We made the mistake of not including this explanation initially and our application got rejected.

Just went through this nightmare myself with a Japanese business partner! After weeks of confusion and contradictory advice, here's what actually worked for us: 1. **Apply for ITIN first** - Don't try to file Form 8832 without it. The "leave it blank" advice some IRS agents give is outdated. 2. **Use Form W-7** with these specific documents for your French partner: - Certified copy of passport (must be certified by the issuing agency or notarized in the US) - Letter explaining the tax purpose: "ITIN needed for Form 8832 Entity Classification Election filing" 3. **Timeline reality check** - It takes 6-10 weeks to get the ITIN, so plan accordingly. You can't rush this process. 4. **Temporary workaround** - If you absolutely must file the 8832 before getting the ITIN, write "Applied For" in the identifying number field and attach the completed W-7, but this can cause processing delays. The key is being patient and doing it right the first time. I know it's frustrating when you need to get things filed quickly, but rushing this will only cause more headaches later. Your accountant will probably give you the same advice when they're back from vacation!