Does anyone use TurboTax Self-Employed for this stuff? I'm trying to figure out where to even put these meal expenses when I file. Last year was my first IC job and I completely missed tracking meals because I didn't know they could be deductible.

Great question! As someone who's been doing IC delivery work for about 2 years now, I can share what I've learned about meal deductions. The key thing to remember is that your meals need to have a clear business purpose beyond just "I was hungry." For delivery drivers, meals can be deductible when they're necessary to maintain your delivery schedule or efficiency. For example, if you're in the middle of a busy delivery block and need to grab something quick to keep going without losing income, that's typically deductible at 50%. What I do is keep a simple log on my phone noting: - Date and time of meal - Location where purchased - Amount spent - Brief business reason (like "grabbed lunch during 4-hour delivery block to maintain schedule") The IRS isn't looking to deny reasonable meal expenses - they just want to see that it was truly connected to your business activities rather than just your normal personal eating. Keep good records and you should be fine! One more tip: if you do multi-app delivery (DoorDash, Uber Eats, etc.), those meals during active delivery periods are usually your strongest deductions since you're clearly "on the clock.

I completely understand your frustration, and you're definitely not alone in this struggle. Based on what others have shared here, contacting your representative seems like a legitimate option worth trying, especially given your financial hardship situation. From what I've gathered, the key factors for success appear to be: - Documenting your specific hardship with actual bills/notices - Ensuring your amended return is well beyond normal processing times - Having attempted other avenues first (like calling the IRS directly) The experiences shared here are encouraging - several people got results within 2-4 weeks after their representative intervened. The privacy release form seems to be standard, and the congressional liaison offices apparently have special channels for these situations. Given your childcare costs, bills, and car repair needs, this sounds like exactly the type of genuine hardship case that would qualify for assistance. The worst they can say is no, but it seems like many people have had positive outcomes. I'd say it's worth a shot - you're already in a difficult position, so why not try every available option? Good luck, and I hope you get the resolution you need soon!

I'm really sorry you're going through this - the financial stress while waiting for an amended return is absolutely brutal. Based on all the experiences shared here, it definitely sounds like contacting your representative is worth pursuing, especially since you have documented hardships like childcare costs and needed car repairs. A few practical tips from what I've gathered: make sure you have all your hardship documentation ready (bills, notices, etc.) and be prepared to fill out that privacy release form quickly. It sounds like the congressional offices are pretty experienced with these IRS cases, so they should be able to guide you through the process. One thing that stood out to me is that multiple people mentioned the timeline being around 2-4 weeks after the representative intervenes, which is much better than the months people wait otherwise. Given that you're already in a tough spot financially, it really seems like you have nothing to lose by trying this route. I hope you get some relief soon - this whole system shouldn't put people in impossible situations like this. Keep us updated on how it goes!

Great question about W4 withholding with a non-resident spouse! I went through this exact situation last year when my husband had an ITIN while waiting for his green card. Your calculation of $126 per paycheck sounds reasonable, and yes, that amount would go on line 4(c) of your W4. The key thing to remember is that you're essentially covering the tax liability for both your income and your wife's cash income through your withholding. A few additional tips from my experience: 1. Keep meticulous records of your wife's cash income (sounds like you're already doing this with your spreadsheet) - you'll need quarterly totals for accurate tax planning. 2. Consider making estimated quarterly payments instead of (or in addition to) increased withholding. Sometimes this gives you more control, especially if your wife's income varies significantly. 3. Once you know your wife's total annual income, you can use the IRS withholding calculator mid-year to see if you need to adjust your W4 again. 4. When her green card comes through, her tax status won't change dramatically for withholding purposes, but definitely recalculate everything since you'll have more certainty about the full year's income by then. The fact that you got a federal refund but owed state taxes suggests your federal withholding might have been close to right, so your new calculation should help balance things out better for 2025!

This is such a comprehensive thread - lots of great advice here! I'm dealing with a similar situation where my spouse has an ITIN and works as an independent contractor. One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned yet: if your wife's income is from self-employment (which it sounds like it might be since she's paid in cash), don't forget about self-employment taxes. You'll need to account for both the income tax AND the additional 15.3% for Social Security and Medicare taxes when calculating your withholding needs. The $126 per paycheck you calculated might need to be higher if you haven't factored in the SE tax portion. You can use Schedule SE to estimate this - it's about 14.1% of net self-employment income after the deduction. Also, since you mentioned her income has increased recently, make sure you're using realistic projections for the full year, not just extrapolating from recent higher amounts if her work is seasonal or project-based. The combination of increased withholding on your W4 plus quarterly estimated payments (as others suggested) is definitely the way to go for variable self-employment income!

Has anyone gone through probate in both countries? My mom just passed with assets in both UK and US (we're all dual citizens too), and I'm getting conflicting advice about which country's probate process takes precedence. The solicitor in the UK is saying one thing, and the attorney here is saying another.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Thais. Going through this process while grieving is incredibly difficult. I wanted to add something that might be helpful regarding timing - make sure you understand the deadlines for various filings. While the inheritance itself isn't taxable income to you, there are specific timeframes for some of the international reporting requirements that others have mentioned. For FBAR filing, the deadline is typically April 15th (with an automatic extension to October 15th), but this applies to the tax year when you had the reportable foreign accounts. Form 8938 has different thresholds and deadlines that align with your regular tax return. Also, since you mentioned the house is currently being sold by the estate, keep detailed records of all expenses related to the sale (legal fees, real estate commissions, etc.). These can potentially be deducted from the estate value and may affect your stepped-up basis calculation if there are any remaining assets after the sale. Given the complexity of dual-country estates and the substantial amount involved, I'd strongly recommend consulting with a tax professional who has experience with UK-US tax issues. The peace of mind is worth the cost, especially when dealing with amounts in the hundreds of thousands.

To all those having trouble reaching a human at the IRS. I just ran across this video that gave me a shortcut to reach a human. Hope it helps! https://youtu.be/wMf29SmRU-I

Hey Angela! Congrats on getting that 846 code - that's definitely the good news we all want to see! 🎉 Since you mentioned you moved and had to update your address, that explains the delay. The fact that your transcript now shows a new refund issued date of 9/12/22 means they've processed the address change and sent out a new check. For amended returns, they're definitely sending paper checks this year (no direct deposit), and it usually takes about 7-10 business days to arrive once issued. Since it's been reissued after the address update, you should see it soon! Just keep an eye on your mailbox and maybe give it until the end of this week before following up. The cycle code you mentioned (20223205) looks normal too - that's just their internal processing info.