Don't forget about state tax returns! Depending on your state, you may need to file a state tax return for the trust as well. Some states have different filing thresholds than the federal $600 income requirement. Also, if the property has appreciated significantly since your mother purchased it, the stepped-up basis provision is HUGELY beneficial. The basis becomes the fair market value at date of death, which could save tens of thousands in capital gains taxes.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Lucy. Being an executor for the first time is overwhelming, especially when dealing with trust taxation. A few additional points that might help you: 1. **Get organized early** - Start gathering all necessary documents now: the trust document, your mother's death certificate, property appraisals, and any financial statements. You'll need these for multiple filings. 2. **Consider quarterly estimated taxes** - If the house sale generates significant capital gains and you're distributing the proceeds to yourself, you might need to make estimated tax payments to avoid underpayment penalties. 3. **Document everything** - Keep detailed records of all expenses related to maintaining and selling the property. Many of these costs can be deducted against the gain, including realtor commissions, staging costs, repairs, and legal fees. 4. **Timeline planning** - Since you're selling in 2023, you have until April 15, 2024 to file the trust's Form 1041. However, if you expect a large tax liability, consider making quarterly payments throughout 2023. The stepped-up basis is indeed a huge advantage here - your $30,000 potential gain is much better than what it could have been if calculated from your mother's original purchase price. Make sure to get a formal appraisal dated as close to her date of death as possible to support that basis.

Has anyone tried requesting records directly from the Social Security Administration? They keep track of your earnings history and might be able to provide verification of your income for that year.

I went through almost the exact same situation a few years ago! My former employer was being completely unhelpful and I was panicking about my audit deadline. Here's what worked for me: First, definitely try the IRS Wage and Income Transcript that others mentioned - it's free and contains everything from your W-2. But if you're having trouble accessing it online (their identity verification can be tricky), you have another option. Contact your state's Department of Labor or Employment Security office. They often have records of wages reported by employers for unemployment insurance purposes. While this isn't a perfect substitute for a W-2, it can provide additional documentation to support your case with the auditor. Also, don't be afraid to push back a little with the auditor about your employer's non-cooperation. Document every attempt you've made to contact them (dates, methods, responses) and present this to the auditor. Sometimes they can issue a formal request to the employer on your behalf, which carries more weight than your individual requests. The key is showing good faith effort to obtain the documents. Most auditors are reasonable when they see you're genuinely trying to comply but facing obstacles beyond your control.

Has anyone tried just skipping the IP PIN entry completely? My sister said she couldn't find where to put her IP PIN either, so she just submitted without it and her return was accepted fine. Maybe it's only required in certain situations?

I had the exact same issue with TaxSlayer last year! The IP PIN field is ridiculously hard to find. In my case, I eventually found it by going to the "Interview" tab at the top, then scrolling down to find a section called "Identity Protection." It wasn't obvious at all - just a small link that said something like "Enter your IRS Identity Protection PIN here." Another thing to check: make sure you're looking for a 6-digit IP PIN field, not the 5-digit electronic filing PIN you create yourself. They look similar but are completely different. The IP PIN should be the one the IRS mailed or emailed to you earlier this year. If all else fails, try using the search function in TaxSlayer (usually a magnifying glass icon) and search for "IP PIN" or "Identity Protection PIN" - that might take you directly to the right page. Good luck!

I've been tracking TPG outages for the past three tax seasons using downdetector.com and their reddit community. This appears to be their third major outage this season, with previous ones on February 2-3 and February 28-March 1. According to several online resources, they're experiencing higher than normal volume this year due to increased e-filing rates. In my experience, their system usually updates overnight between 12am-4am EST. I've had success accessing the portal around 5:30am when most users aren't active. If you're using TurboTax, you can also check your order details page which sometimes shows refund status independent of the TPG system.

I'm dealing with the exact same issue! Been trying to access TPG since yesterday morning and getting nothing but loading screens. What's really frustrating is that my refund was supposed to be deposited this week according to the timeline my tax preparer gave me. I ended up calling my tax prep office and they said they're getting calls about this all day. Apparently TPG is having widespread system issues but hasn't posted any official notice about it. They suggested checking the IRS "Where's My Refund" tool instead, which is working fine and shows my refund is still being processed. For what it's worth, my neighbor had the same TPG outage issue two weeks ago and her money still came on the expected date even though she couldn't track it online. Seems like their tracking system goes down but the actual payment processing keeps working behind the scenes.

anyone know if they still doing the amazon gift card bonus this year?

I'm also waiting for TurboTax to announce their 2025 refund advance! From what I've seen, they usually launch it around this time but with all the IRS delays this season I wonder if they're being more cautious. Might be worth calling their customer service line to see if they have any insider info on when it'll drop.