I feel your pain! I was doing the same thing until I learned transcripts don't update daily. Like others said, Friday mornings are when most updates happen, but it's not guaranteed every week. The IRS processes returns in waves, so some people wait weeks between updates. Save yourself the stress and check once a week max - your mental health will thank you! 😅

Same here! I was checking multiple times daily and it was driving me nuts. The Friday morning update schedule makes total sense now. One thing I learned - the IRS also does some updates on Wednesday nights around midnight EST, but it's less common. Also worth noting that during peak tax season (Feb-April), the systems can be slower and updates might be delayed by a day or two. Setting a weekly reminder for Saturday morning to check has been a game changer for my sanity! 🤯

I wanna point out somethig nobody mentioned yet - if your total US-source income gets bigger in the future (like over $600ish), you might need to file a 1040-NR (Nonresident tax return). But for $13? Def not worth the IRS's time to chase you for. Also, check if UK and US have a tax treaty for dividends - most countries do. Sometimes you can claim back some of that withholding if the treaty rate is lower than the standard 30%.

Hey Alfredo! Don't stress about this - you're definitely not going to end up on any IRS blacklist over $13 in dividends! 😊 As others have mentioned, the 1042-S is just a reporting form showing that Webull properly withheld US tax on your dividend income. Since you're Canadian and the amount is so small, you don't need to file anything with the IRS. However, I'd recommend keeping that form for your Canadian tax records. When you file your Canadian taxes, you'll likely need to report this foreign income (even though it's tiny) and you can claim a foreign tax credit for the $4 that was withheld. This prevents you from being double-taxed on the same income. The Canada-US tax treaty is designed to handle exactly these situations, so the withholding system already took care of your US tax obligations. You're all good on the US side - just make sure to mention it to whoever helps you with your Canadian taxes next year! Keep investing and don't let the paperwork scare you away. We've all been confused by tax forms at 22!

One important aspect that hasn't been mentioned yet is the potential for double taxation and how to avoid it. Since you're Hong Kong-based, you'll likely need to report your US Amazon income on your Hong Kong tax return as well. Hong Kong operates on a territorial tax system, so if your business operations are conducted from Hong Kong (sourcing, management, etc.), you may be subject to Hong Kong profits tax on the same income that's being taxed in the US. To avoid double taxation, you can typically claim a foreign tax credit in Hong Kong for taxes paid to the US. However, the mechanics of this depend on your specific business structure and how you characterize the income in each jurisdiction. Also, consider the Branch Profits Tax if you operate through a US branch rather than a subsidiary. Non-resident aliens engaged in US trade or business through a branch may be subject to an additional 30% branch profits tax on earnings that aren't reinvested in the US business. I'd strongly recommend consulting with tax professionals in both jurisdictions before making your final structure decision. The initial setup cost is usually much less than the potential penalties and complications from getting it wrong.

As someone who went through this exact process last year from Hong Kong, I can share some practical insights that might help clarify things. The key decision point is really about your risk tolerance and compliance complexity. Here's what I learned: **Structure Decision:** I ended up forming a US LLC (single-member, electing disregarded entity status) rather than using a Hong Kong company. This simplified my US tax filing significantly - I file Form 1040-NR as an individual rather than dealing with corporate forms like 1120-F. The liability protection was worth the extra complexity. **Nexus Reality:** Don't get too caught up in where you "manage" the business. The moment your products sit in Amazon warehouses, you have US nexus. I tried arguing that my business was managed from Hong Kong, but my tax advisor quickly shut that down - physical inventory presence trumps management location. **State Tax Strategy:** Focus on the big states first. California, Texas, Florida, and New York will likely be where most of your inventory ends up. Register proactively in these states rather than waiting for notices. Amazon's sales tax collection helps, but you still need to handle income tax registrations. **Practical Timeline:** Get your EIN first (you can apply online as a foreign person), then set up your business bank account, THEN start selling. Trying to sort out the tax structure after you're already generating income is much more complicated. The Hong Kong side is actually simpler than the US side - just make sure you're claiming foreign tax credits properly to avoid double taxation. Happy to answer specific questions about the process!

Does anyone know if the ITIN numbers ever expire? I got mine about 8 years ago and haven't used it for the past 3 years since I moved back to my home country. Now I'm returning to the US next month and wondering if I need to apply for a new one or if my old one is still valid.

I went through the exact same frustrating experience with my ITIN application last year! The "missing information" rejection letters are so vague and unhelpful. What worked for me was calling the IRS ITIN unit at 1-800-908-9982 first thing in the morning (around 7 AM) when the lines weren't as busy. It took a few tries, but I eventually got through to someone who could look up my specific case and tell me exactly what was missing. In my case, it turned out to be two issues: 1) I had used a regular notary instead of getting my passport certified by the issuing embassy, and 2) I hadn't filled out the treaty benefit section completely on the W-7 form. After fixing those specific issues and resubmitting, my ITIN was approved in about 6 weeks. The key is getting that specific feedback from the IRS rather than guessing what might be wrong. Don't give up - you can definitely get this sorted out!

Make sure you don't ignore the California W-2 even if it's wrong! California is super aggressive about collecting taxes and will automatically assume you owe them if they get a W-2 showing income there. I learned this the hard way when I moved from California to Texas and my employer messed up my final W-2. I had to file a non-resident California return showing zero California source income and include a written explanation. Such a pain!

This is definitely a frustrating situation, but you're right to be suspicious - this sounds like a clear payroll error. Since you worked entirely in New York during 2024, all your wages and withholdings should be reported on a single W-2 showing New York as your work state. The split you're seeing (federal withholdings on the CA form, state withholdings on the NY form) suggests their payroll system might still have outdated location codes from your 2022 internship. This is more common than you'd think, especially with companies that have offices in multiple states. I'd recommend calling your HR/payroll department first thing Monday morning. Be specific about what you need: a corrected W-2c that consolidates all your 2024 wages and withholdings under New York, since that's where you physically performed all work during the tax year. Don't file your return until this is fixed - it'll save you major headaches with both state tax agencies later. If HR gives you pushback or delays, you can always contact the IRS directly, but most employers will fix this pretty quickly once they understand the issue. Keep documentation of all your communications in case you need to reference them later.