Honestly, just use a spreadsheet and fill out the PDF forms directly from the IRS website. If you know what forms you need and understand your taxes well enough to be annoyed by TurboTax's wizard, you probably don't need tax software at all. I've been doing this for years with my LLC. I keep track of income and expenses in Excel, then just transfer the totals to the appropriate lines on Schedule C. Takes me maybe 30 minutes total.

I completely understand your frustration with TurboTax's wizard approach! As someone who's dealt with similar issues, I'd recommend checking out TaxSlayer Pro. It's designed more for people who know what they're doing and want direct form access. What I really like about TaxSlayer is that you can navigate straight to Schedule C without answering endless screening questions. Their business section is well-organized and lets you input expenses by category efficiently. They also have a forms view where you can see the actual tax forms as you're filling them out, which helps verify everything looks right. The pricing is transparent upfront (unlike TurboTax's surprise fees at the end), and they handle single-member LLC filing seamlessly. State returns are reasonably priced too. I switched two years ago and haven't looked back - saves me probably an hour each tax season just by cutting out the unnecessary hand-holding.

I'm in a similar situation - filed CA on 1/20 and still showing "Processing" while my coworker who filed 1/25 already got her refund deposited yesterday. It's definitely frustrating when you see the inconsistency. I called the FTB customer service line (1-800-852-5711) yesterday and they basically told me the same thing - wait the full month before they can look into it further. The rep did mention that some returns get flagged for additional review even if there's nothing wrong, which can add 2-3 weeks to processing time. Might be worth calling just to confirm there are no issues with your return, but they probably won't tell you much more than what's already on the website.

I've been dealing with CA tax processing delays for years and here's what I've learned: FTB has been notoriously slow since 2020, especially in January/February. The "1 month" timeline they give is actually pretty standard now, even though it used to be 2-3 weeks pre-pandemic. Your return being stuck in processing while others filed later get theirs is unfortunately normal. It could be as simple as your return hitting a different processing queue, or your SSN ending in certain digits that get batched differently. I've seen people file the exact same day with similar returns and one gets processed in 10 days while the other takes 6 weeks. Don't stress too much about it - as long as you're seeing the "Processing" checkmark, you're in the system and moving forward. The FTB is actually pretty reliable about eventually getting refunds out, they're just slow. If you hit the 30-day mark with no movement, then definitely call.

As someone who's dealt with similar brokerage tax form issues, I'd strongly recommend documenting everything in writing with Robinhood. Send them an email clearly stating that as a non-resident alien, you should have received Form 1042-S, not Form 1099, and reference any tax treaty between your home country and the US. If they continue to refuse, you can still file correctly by including a statement with your return explaining the discrepancy. The IRS understands that brokerages sometimes issue incorrect forms. Make sure to claim any treaty benefits you're entitled to - don't let their mistake cost you hundreds of dollars. Also, double-check that your Form W-8BEN is current and on file with them. These forms expire every 3 years, and if yours lapsed, that could explain why they defaulted to treating you as a US person for tax reporting purposes.

I had a very similar situation with TD Ameritrade a couple years ago. What worked for me was escalating beyond regular customer service to their compliance department. Brokerages have regulatory obligations to issue correct tax forms, and compliance teams tend to take this more seriously than regular support. Call and specifically ask to speak with "compliance" or "regulatory affairs" and explain that as a non-resident alien, the 1099 form creates incorrect tax reporting that violates treaty provisions. Mention that this could be a regulatory issue if they're not properly classifying account holders. In the meantime, you can absolutely file with the 1099 but include Form 8833 to claim your treaty benefits and attach a detailed explanation. The IRS sees these situations regularly and has procedures to handle them. Just make sure you're claiming the correct treaty benefits - don't let their mistake cost you that $780! Also, definitely file a new W-8BEN immediately for next year. These expire every 3 years and if yours lapsed, that's probably why they defaulted to treating you as a US person.

My tax guy explained that the key difference is whether the fee is for a specific service vs simply a charge for making the loan. True "points" are essentially prepaid interest, calculated as a percentage of the loan amount. If your origination fee is listed as "1% origination fee" (or 2.5% in your case), it's more likely to qualify. But if it lists specific services like "document preparation fee" or "underwriting fee," those usually don't qualify even if they're calculated as a percentage.

The distinction isn't really about what they call it - it's about what the fee actually represents. The IRS looks at the economic substance, not just the label. Points are essentially prepaid interest that you pay upfront to get a better rate or to secure the loan. Service fees are payments for specific work done during the loan process. Even if a lender calls something "points," if it's really paying for document prep, appraisals, or underwriting work, the IRS won't treat it as deductible points. Conversely, if they call it an "origination fee" but it's calculated as a percentage of the loan amount and isn't tied to specific services, it likely qualifies. The best approach is to look at your HUD-1 or Closing Disclosure form. Section A lists your loan terms and any true discount points. Section B lists origination charges. If your 2.5% fee appears to be a general loan origination charge rather than payment for itemized services, you should be able to deduct it as points when you itemize.

Worth noting that if you ever convert a personal residence to a rental property, the depreciation basis is the LOWER of your adjusted basis or the fair market value at the time of conversion. Made this mistake my first year and had to file an amended return. Also remember depreciation is mandatory even if you don't claim it - the IRS will treat you as if you took it when you sell the property (called "depreciation recapture").

Great question! As others have mentioned, since this is your first year with the rental property, you won't have any depreciation carryovers to enter - you can leave that section blank or enter zero. One thing I'd add that might be helpful for your situation: make sure you're aware that you can only depreciate the portion of time the property was actually available for rent. Since you bought in April and presumably needed some time to get it rental-ready, you'll want to prorate your first-year depreciation accordingly. Also, keep really good records from day one! Track all your rental income, expenses (repairs, maintenance, insurance, property management fees if any), and any improvements you make. The component depreciation mentioned by Aaron is definitely worth considering - if your duplex came with appliances, you can depreciate those over 5 years instead of 27.5. One last tip: consider setting up a separate bank account just for rental income and expenses. It makes tax time so much easier when everything is clearly separated from your personal finances. Good luck with your first year as a landlord!