Something no one has mentioned yet - when you say your bonus "bumped you up into the next tax bracket," remember that our tax system is marginal. Only the portion of your income that falls into that higher bracket gets taxed at the higher rate, not all your income. This is a super common misunderstanding. A bonus can never cause you to lose money by pushing you into a higher bracket. The higher tax rate only applies to the amount of income above the threshold for that bracket.

Great question about bonus taxation! I went through something similar a few years back when I got my first large bonus. Here's what I learned: Your employer likely used the flat 22% federal withholding rate on your bonus (called the "supplemental rate"), but if your actual marginal tax rate is higher than 22% - which it sounds like it is given the size of your bonus - then not enough was withheld. For example, if you're in the 24% or 32% tax bracket, that 22% withholding leaves you short. The bonus is taxed as ordinary income at your marginal rate, but the withholding was done at the lower flat rate. A few things you can do going forward: 1. Update your W-4 to have additional withholding throughout the year to cover expected bonuses 2. Make an estimated tax payment in the quarter you receive your bonus 3. Ask your employer if they can withhold extra from your bonus (some will do this if you request it in advance) The good news is this is totally fixable for next year with some planning. And remember - you're not being "penalized" for the bonus, you just didn't have enough tax withheld upfront to cover the actual liability.

The biggest thing to remember is that you only get taxed on income ABOVE the standard deduction. Working more always means more money in your pocket, even after taxes. Your dad's advice is coming from a good place but it's based on a misunderstanding of how our tax system works. Also, you're developing good work experience and habits! That's worth something too, even beyond the immediate financial benefits.

I'm a tax preparer and wanted to jump in to confirm what everyone else is saying - your dad's heart is in the right place, but he's definitely misunderstanding how taxes work! The key thing to remember is that we have a "progressive" tax system. This means you only pay higher tax rates on income ABOVE certain thresholds, not on your entire income. So even if you did hit the 12% bracket (which you won't at $16k), you'd only pay 12% on the dollars above that threshold. At your income level of around $16,128, here's what would actually happen: - First ~$14,000: $0 in federal income tax (standard deduction) - Remaining ~$2,128: 10% federal tax = about $213 - Total federal income tax for the year: ~$213 You'd also pay FICA taxes (Social Security/Medicare) of about 7.65%, but that's unavoidable regardless of your income level and isn't affected by working fewer hours. So to save $213 in taxes, your dad is suggesting you give up thousands in income. That math just doesn't work out! Keep that third day if you can handle it with school - you're building great financial habits that will serve you well in the future.

I verified my identity last month and same thing happened. Check came right on schedule tho

This is actually pretty common - happened to me two years ago. The IRS switched my DD to check even though my bank info was perfect. Turned out they flagged my return for routine verification. The frustrating part is you really can't do anything until after that April 7 deadline they gave you. I know it sucks waiting an extra month, but the check usually arrives pretty close to the date they give you. Just keep an eye on your mailbox around March 10th and maybe a few days after. At least your return is fully processed so there's no issue with the refund itself, just the delivery method.

I went through this exact same situation last year as a University of Alberta student who did an internship in Boston! The Sprintax university issue is super frustrating - I ended up having to abandon it entirely. What worked for me was using FreeTaxUSA's non-resident option. It's much more flexible about international students and doesn't get hung up on the university selection. You can manually enter your Canadian school info without any problems. The interface walks you through the 1040NR pretty clearly, and it automatically applies the US-Canada tax treaty benefits when you indicate you're a Canadian resident. One tip: make sure you have your Social Insurance Number (SIN) from Canada handy, as some forms ask for your home country tax ID. Also, if you made under $12,950 (which you did at $12K), you might not owe any federal taxes anyway, but you'll still want to file to get back whatever was withheld from your paychecks. The whole process took me about 2 hours once I found the right software, versus the days I wasted fighting with Sprintax. Good luck!

I'm in almost the exact same boat! Canadian student at UBC who did a software internship in San Francisco last summer. The Sprintax university issue drove me absolutely crazy - spent hours trying to find a workaround before giving up. I ended up using TurboTax's non-resident filing option, which was much more flexible. It has a section for "other" educational institutions where you can manually enter your Canadian university details without any validation issues. The software automatically detected that I qualified for treaty benefits and walked me through claiming them properly. One thing that really helped was calling my internship company's payroll department directly. They were able to confirm exactly how much was withheld and whether they had applied any treaty benefits during the year. Turns out they hadn't applied the full treaty reduction, so I got back almost $1,800 between federal and California state refunds. Also, make sure you keep track of any state taxes you pay - you can claim those as foreign tax credits when you file your Canadian return next year. The whole dual-country filing process is a pain, but the refunds usually make it worth the hassle!

Pro tip: Call the IN DOR early morning right when they open. Way shorter wait times and sometimes they can tell you if theres any issues holding things up that dont show online

I'm going through the exact same thing! Filed my Indiana return on 2/5 and it's been stuck on "processing" ever since. Really frustrating because my federal came back weeks ago. At least now I know I'm not alone in this - sounds like Indiana is just really backed up this year. Guess we just gotta be patient 😤