why do you even need a W2 from that long ago? just curious

Pro tip: If you filed your taxes electronically that year, your tax preparer might still have a copy of your W2. Worth a shot!

Im in the same boat rn. Called IRS and was on hold for 2 hrs just to get hung up on 🤡 Anyone know if theres a faster way to get answers?

I had a similar situation last year - if you updated your banking info through the IRS website before they processed your refund, there's a good chance it'll go to your new Credit Karma Save account. The IRS usually takes 1-2 business days to update their system with new direct deposit info. Keep checking the "Where's My Refund" tool - it'll show you the status and whether the deposit was successful or if they're sending a paper check instead.

Something nobody mentioned yet - for college students, there's the special rule that scholarship money doesn't count toward support calculations at all! So if your daughter gets any scholarships or grants, those amounts are completely excluded when figuring out total support and percentages. This often makes it easier for parents to meet the 50% threshold.

The key distinction you're asking about is absolutely correct - direct payments to the landlord are unambiguously considered YOUR support contribution, not a gift to your daughter. This is one of the clearest scenarios for the support test. Based on your numbers, you're in great shape to claim her as a dependent. You mentioned $1,350/month rent ($16,200 annually), plus tuition from the 529 plan, plus groceries and living expenses for the first 4 months. That's likely well over $30,000 in support you're providing. For your daughter to provide more than half of her own support, she'd need to spend more than the total amount you're contributing. With her campus job income of $800-900/month early in the year, and even if she gets a decent job after graduation, it would be very difficult for her to exceed your contribution level. Keep detailed records of all direct payments (rent, tuition, groceries) and any transfers you make that are designated for specific support purposes. The IRS Publication 501 has the complete rules, but your situation with direct landlord payments is exactly the type that clearly counts as parental support. One tip: calculate the total support for the entire year (including what she spends on herself) and make sure your portion exceeds 50% of that total amount.

Has anyone used Drake Tax software for this situation? I'm preparing several S Corp returns with SEP contributions and Drake seems to automatically put the current year's contribution (made in the following year) on Line 17, but I want to make sure it's handling it correctly.

This is such a common source of confusion! I went through the exact same thing when I started handling my family's S Corp taxes. The key insight that finally clicked for me is that SEP contributions are one of the few exceptions to the normal cash-basis timing rules. Think of it this way: the IRS wants to encourage retirement savings, so they created special timing rules that let you make the contribution after year-end but still deduct it for the previous tax year. This gives you time to see your final numbers before deciding on the contribution amount. Just make sure when your brother makes that 2023 SEP contribution in March 2024, he tells the financial institution it's specifically for tax year 2023. They should give you some kind of documentation confirming this designation. Then that amount goes on Line 17 of the 2023 Form 1120S, even though the cash won't leave the business account until 2024. The deadline for making the contribution is the same as the filing deadline for the return (including extensions), so you have plenty of time to get it sorted out.

Has anyone dealt with this scenario where you filed MFS and then found out later your ex filed as Single even though you were still legally married? My ex did this and I'm worried I'll get in trouble somehow, even though I filed correctly.

I went through this exact situation two years ago when I was separated from my ex-husband. The stress of not knowing what information I needed was overwhelming, especially with the filing deadline approaching. Here's what I learned: When filing Married Filing Separately, you absolutely do NOT need your spouse's W-2 or any of their financial information. You only report your own income, deductions, and withholdings. TurboTax asks those questions because it's trying to help you compare different filing options to see which might be more beneficial, but you can completely skip those sections. One important thing to double-check though - since you mentioned having trouble getting to a divorce attorney - make sure you understand the rules around itemizing vs standard deduction. If your husband itemizes his deductions, you'll be required to itemize too (and vice versa). Since you can't coordinate with him, I'd strongly recommend taking the standard deduction to keep things simple and avoid potential issues. Also, definitely look into Head of Household status if you have any dependents living with you! The tax benefits are significantly better than Married Filing Separately. You just need to have been living apart for the last 6 months of the tax year and have a qualifying dependent living with you for more than half the year. Don't let the software intimidate you - you've got this!