Has anyone tried just showing up in person at their offices? I looked them up and Rebate Gateway has physical offices. I wonder if demanding answers face-to-face would work better than calls and emails that they can ignore.

This is absolutely infuriating and unfortunately more common than it should be. I went through something very similar last year with a different rebate company that somehow got hold of my details. The key thing to remember is that even if they have some form of authorization, you still have rights. Under consumer protection laws, any agreement made without your knowledge or through misleading practices can be challenged. Here's what worked for me: 1. Immediately contact Rebate Gateway in writing (email AND post) demanding they provide evidence of your explicit consent 2. Request a full breakdown of their fees and when the authorization was supposedly given 3. If they can't provide clear evidence, file a complaint with your local Trading Standards office - they handle unfair commercial practices 4. Also contact the Information Commissioner's Office if you believe your personal data was obtained improperly Don't let them keep YOUR money. These companies rely on people giving up, but you have more power than they want you to know. Keep pushing and document everything. The fact that you have zero recollection of ever dealing with them is actually in your favor.

Has anyone successfully gotten the IRA portion of the underpayment penalty waived? I'm in a similar situation where I took an IRA distribution without withholding and got hit with the 2210 penalty.

I went through this exact same situation last year! The IRA distribution without withholding is definitely what triggered your Form 2210. What caught me off guard was that even though I had been doing gig work for years without issues, the IRA distribution pushed me over the threshold where my withholding wasn't sufficient anymore. One thing that helped me was calculating whether I qualified for any of the safe harbor exceptions mentioned by others here. Also, for next year, I started making quarterly estimated payments specifically to cover my gig income - it's actually much easier than I thought it would be. You can do it online through EFTPS or even by phone. The good news is that once you understand how it works, it's pretty straightforward to avoid in the future. Just make sure to either have taxes withheld from any retirement distributions or increase your W-2 withholding to compensate.

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills reading these responses. You guys realize the IRS is just fishing for information, right? These LTR 324C letters are often automated and sent out as part of their collection efforts. I got one for "filing status" but my CPA said unless they're specifying an actual problem, it could just be a fishing expedition.

I dealt with a similar LTR 324C situation last year and wanted to share what worked for me. The key thing is to respond promptly and provide clear documentation that supports your filing status claim. Since you filed as Head of Household with your daughter, you'll want to gather documents that prove two things: 1) your daughter lived with you for more than half the year, and 2) you paid more than half the costs of maintaining your home. Good documents include: school enrollment records showing your address, medical records with your address, any childcare receipts, grocery receipts, utility bills in your name, rent/mortgage statements, and bank statements showing you paid household expenses. Also keep in mind that if your daughter's other parent claimed her as a dependent on their return, that could trigger this letter even if you're entitled to Head of Household status. The IRS computer systems flag these potential conflicts automatically. Don't stress too much - this really is just a verification process, not an accusation of wrongdoing. Just respond by their deadline with organized documentation and a brief cover letter explaining your situation.

This is why the whole system is broken fr. They make it impossible for working parents AND care providers to do the right thing without fear of losing benefits smh

I went through this exact same situation last year with NYS. The good news is that you can absolutely satisfy their verification requirements without the provider's SSN. Here's what worked for me: 1. Compile ALL your payment records - bank statements, canceled checks, receipts, anything showing money going to your provider 2. Create a simple spreadsheet listing dates, amounts, and payment methods 3. Write a brief letter explaining that your provider is unable to provide SSN due to disability benefit concerns, but attach all payment documentation I submitted everything online through the NYS tax portal (much faster than mailing) and they accepted it within 2 weeks. The key is showing a clear paper trail of legitimate childcare payments. They're really just trying to verify you actually spent the money you claimed. Don't stress too much - as long as you have solid payment records and submit before March 10th, you should be fine. The SSN requirement seems to be more of a "preferred" documentation rather than absolutely mandatory when you can prove the expenses through other means.

Has anyone actually called the business where you work to see if there's an issue with their tax payments? It seems weird the IRS would come after an employee for the employer's share unless you're somehow classified as self-employed or a contractor.

Romeo, based on what you've found in your 2020 tax return with the Schedule SE deferral, this makes perfect sense now. The confusing "employer's share" language in the 3064C letter is referring to the employer portion of self-employment tax, not your W-2 employer's obligations. When you're self-employed, you pay both the employee AND employer portions of Social Security and Medicare taxes (that's why self-employment tax is 15.3% instead of the 7.65% taken from your paycheck). The CARES Act allowed you to defer paying half of that self-employment tax - specifically the "employer" half. Since you used TaxSlayer and it automatically selected the deferral option, you legitimately owe this money. The $2,700 seems high though - double-check that amount against what you actually deferred. You should be able to find the exact deferred amount on your 2020 Schedule SE. Don't stress too much about this being a "mistake" on your part. The tax software recommended it because it was financially beneficial at the time. Now you just need to pay what you deferred. If you can't pay it all at once, definitely set up a payment plan with the IRS - they're usually very reasonable about installment agreements for deferred pandemic taxes.