Has anyone used the IRS per diem app or is there a better app to track all this stuff? I'm terrible at keeping receipts but don't want to miss out on deductions.

Great question about per diem rates! Just to add to what others have shared - make sure you're looking at the current year's rates since they can change annually. The GSA updates their per diem rates every October 1st for the new fiscal year. Also, keep in mind that even though you can use the meal per diem without receipts, you still need to maintain records of your business travel dates, destinations, and the business purpose. A simple travel log or calendar notation works fine for this. One more tip - if you're doing a long-term project like your 5-6 week renovation, double-check that it qualifies as "temporary" work away from your tax home. Generally, if you expect the work assignment to last less than one year, you're good to go for travel deductions. But if it extends beyond that or becomes indefinite, the IRS might consider it a change in your tax home rather than travel. Good luck with your project and tax planning!

Bit confused about something - I'm also a UK citizen who did work for a US company. On my W8BEN I put Article 14 rate 0% like suggested here, but they still withheld 10% of my payment for US taxes?? Did I do something wrong or can they just ignore the form?

As someone who's been through this exact situation multiple times, I can confirm that Article 14 is correct for UK freelancers doing remote work for US companies. The key thing to remember is that you need to be very clear about the nature of your work when filling out the form. One thing I'd add to the excellent advice already given - make sure you submit the W8BEN BEFORE they process your payment if possible. Some companies have automated systems that will withhold taxes if they don't have the form on file, and getting refunds later can be a real hassle. Also, double-check that you're using the most current version of the W8BEN form from the IRS website. I made the mistake once of using an outdated version I found online and the company rejected it, which delayed my payment by weeks. The 0% withholding rate under Article 14 is correct as long as you performed all the work while physically in the UK and don't have a permanent establishment in the US. Keep copies of everything for your records!

Thanks everyone for all this helpful information! I had no idea about the lifetime exemption being so high - it really changes things knowing I'd just need to file a form but wouldn't actually owe tax. The suggestion about paying medical expenses directly is genius. I'm definitely going to contact his hospital about paying that $5k directly, and then I can help him with the remaining debt without going over the annual limit. One follow-up question though - when you pay medical expenses directly to providers, do you need any special documentation from the recipient to prove it was for their medical care? Or is the payment directly to the hospital/doctor sufficient proof for the IRS? Also really appreciate the recommendations for taxr.ai and Claimyr - might check those out if I run into any complications. This community is so much more helpful than trying to decode IRS publications on my own!

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet - be careful about how you structure any payments through apps like Venmo. While Venmo generally doesn't report personal transfers to the IRS, they do have transaction limits and may flag unusually large transfers for review. For a $15k+ transfer, you might want to consider doing it through your bank directly rather than payment apps. Banks are more accustomed to handling larger transfers between family members, and you'll have better documentation if you ever need to prove the nature of the transfer to the IRS. Also, regarding your question about just saying you "owed him money for something" - I'd strongly advise against that approach. If the IRS ever audits either of you, they can request documentation to support claimed debts. It's much cleaner to just properly report gifts when they exceed the annual exclusion rather than risk potential penalties for misrepresenting the nature of the transfer. The good news is that with the medical payment strategy others mentioned plus the annual exclusion, you can likely help your brother without any gift tax reporting at all!

I went through something very similar last year and wanted to share what worked for me. First, don't panic about the $1,800 difference - that might not all be due to the employer mix-up. Sometimes switching the order of W-2s can affect how tax software calculates certain deductions or credits, but the actual tax impact is often much smaller. Here's my step-by-step approach: 1) Get your wage and income transcript from IRS.gov to see what your employers actually reported, 2) Compare the TOTAL wages and withholdings to what you filed (not which employer was which), 3) If the totals match, the error might be in how your tax software allocated certain calculations between the jobs. I ended up not needing to file an amendment because my total income and withholding were correct - the software just redistributed some calculations in a way that looked scary but didn't actually change my final tax liability. Save yourself the 16-20 week wait time and double-check the totals first!

I had a very similar experience with mixed up W-2s last year and want to share what I learned from a tax professional. The $1,800 difference you're seeing might not be entirely due to the employer mix-up - it could also be related to how the tax software handled your mid-year job change and calculated things like additional Medicare tax or Social Security withholding limits. When you have multiple jobs in one year, the software sometimes makes assumptions about which job had what withholding patterns, and switching the order can affect these calculations even if your total income is correct. Before filing an amendment, I'd recommend recreating your return with the employers in the correct order to see if that $1,800 difference shrinks significantly. Also, if you haven't filed yet, most tax software lets you go back and edit the W-2 information. But if you've already submitted, definitely check your wage and income transcript first like others have mentioned - you might find the issue is smaller than it appears!

This is a really important issue that more employees should be aware of. I went through something similar with a previous employer who was cutting corners on payroll taxes. What many people don't realize is that when employers don't pay SUTA, it's not just about losing the FUTA credit - it can also affect the state's unemployment insurance fund, which ultimately impacts benefit availability for all workers in the state. One thing I'd add is that if you're in this situation, you should also check whether your employer is properly withholding and remitting other payroll taxes like Social Security and Medicare. Companies that skip SUTA payments sometimes have broader compliance issues. You can check this by looking at your pay stubs and making sure the withholdings match what should be taken out. Also, while this doesn't directly affect your personal taxes as an employee, if the company gets audited and penalized heavily, it could potentially impact job security or the company's financial stability. It's definitely worth understanding your rights and the proper reporting channels if you suspect non-compliance.

As someone who works in HR and deals with payroll compliance regularly, I wanted to add a few practical points to this discussion. First, regarding the original question about whether the IRS "automatically" knows - while there is information sharing between state and federal agencies, it's not always immediate or automatic. However, the IRS does run cross-checks, especially during audits, and discrepancies between reported wages and unemployment tax payments are red flags that get flagged. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that some employers try to misclassify employees as independent contractors specifically to avoid SUTA and other payroll tax obligations. If you suspect your employer isn't paying SUTA, it's worth double-checking that you're properly classified as an employee rather than a contractor. Also, for those asking about company size - while most employers with employees are subject to SUTA, the specific wage base (how much of each employee's wages are subject to the tax) varies significantly by state. Some states tax the first $7,000 of wages, others go up to $50,000 or more. This affects how much employers owe and can make non-compliance even more costly in high-wage-base states. If you do need to report this, document everything you can - pay stubs, any communications about tax issues, etc. The more specific information you can provide to authorities, the better they can investigate and resolve the situation.