Don't feel bad about being anxious! I messed this up my first time filing with daycare expenses and accidentally put down my employer's EIN instead of the daycare's lol. The IRS sent me a polite letter asking for the correct information. One tip: when you call, just say "Hi, I'm doing my taxes and need your tax ID number for the childcare tax credit." Every daycare knows exactly what you're asking for with that wording!

Just wanted to add that if you're really nervous about making the call, you can also visit the daycare in person during pickup/dropoff and ask at the front desk. Sometimes it's easier to have this conversation face-to-face, and they might even have a printed sheet with their tax information ready to go since this is such a common request during tax season. Also, don't worry about sounding clueless - childcare providers get asked for their EIN dozens of times every year between January and April. It's literally one of the most routine requests they handle! Most places are super understanding and will have the information ready to share immediately. If for some reason they don't have it handy, they might ask you to email them as a reminder, which actually works out great since you'll have the information in writing for your records.

Another option to consider is calling the Taxpayer Advocate Service. They're an independent organization within the IRS designed to help taxpayers resolve issues. Their number is 877-777-4778. They can help you figure out if you have unfiled returns and what steps you need to take. For your specific situation, if your IRS account shows zero balance, it might mean one of two things: either everything is filed correctly, or the IRS hasn't detected the missing information yet. The W2 from 2021 might be important if it contains income that wasn't reported on your tax return.

Just want to add that if you create an account on IRS.gov, you can also see all the information forms that have been filed about you - like W2s and 1099s. So if your employer submitted that 2021 W2 to the IRS, it should show up there. Also, the IRS is usually pretty good about sending notices if they think you haven't filed something you should have. If you haven't received anything saying you're missing a return, and your online account shows zero balance, you're probably fine. But it never hurts to double check!

Don't you all realize you can just check your credit report? It should show both loan servicers and you can see the balance transfer date. Then use your bank statements to see what payments you made to Mohela before the transfer date.

I went through this exact same nightmare with Mohela last year! Here's what finally worked for me: Try calling Mohela super early in the morning (like 7-8 AM) when their call volume is lowest. I got through in about 15 minutes versus the 2+ hours I was waiting during normal business hours. When you do get through, ask them to email you the 1098-E directly - don't rely on mail. They can usually do this immediately while you're on the phone. If that still doesn't work, you can absolutely use your bank statements to calculate the interest. The IRS is fine with this approach. Look for any monthly statements or payment confirmations you might have saved that show the principal/interest breakdown. Also, double-check your tax software or tax preparer - sometimes they can help you estimate the interest based on your loan balance and interest rate if you have that information. The student loan interest deduction is too valuable to miss out on, so don't give up!

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! My foreign-owned LLC also needs to file these forms and my accountant initially left the Reference ID blank too. After reading through this thread and doing some research, I decided to create a Reference ID using my company name abbreviation plus the year I formed the LLC. One thing I learned is that consistency is key - whatever Reference ID you choose, you need to use the exact same one on all future filings. I made a note in my business records so I won't forget it next year. Also, I'd recommend double-checking with your accountant about whether your LLC should actually be filing Form 1120 at all. As Omar mentioned, single-member LLCs are usually treated as disregarded entities for tax purposes, which would mean different forms entirely. This could save you from filing unnecessary forms and potentially avoid complications down the road. The IRS instructions for these international forms are definitely confusing, but getting it right from the start will save headaches later!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in a very similar situation as a non-US resident with an LLC. Based on everything discussed here, it sounds like the Reference ID Number issue might be the least of our concerns if we're potentially filing the wrong forms entirely. For those dealing with single-member foreign-owned LLCs, the distinction between disregarded entity vs. corporate taxation seems crucial. I'm definitely going to verify with my accountant whether we made Form 8832 election for corporate treatment, because if not, I might be overcomplicating things with Form 1120. One practical question for those who've been through this - when you discovered you needed to change from corporate forms (1120) to disregarded entity treatment, were you able to make the correction before the filing deadline? Or did you have to file an amended return? I'm trying to figure out if I have time to get this sorted out properly or if I should file what I have and correct it later. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this is exactly the kind of real-world guidance that's impossible to find in the IRS instructions!

Just want to share what worked for me when I had this issue - check if your AGI (Adjusted Gross Income) from last year's return matches exactly what the IRS has on file. The system uses this as a verification method. If you're off by even $1, it can cause rejection. Also, make sure your name, SSN, and date of birth match EXACTLY what's on your Social Security card - no nicknames or abbreviations!

I've been dealing with a similar issue and what finally worked for me was checking the exact formatting of my bank routing and account numbers for direct deposit. Even though the numbers were correct, I had an extra space in the routing number field that was causing the rejection. The error message was super vague and didn't point to this at all - just the generic "unable to process" message you mentioned. Also, if you have any estimated tax payments or prior year overpayments applied to this year, double-check those amounts match exactly what the IRS shows on your account transcript. You can get your transcript online at IRS.gov if you haven't already. Sometimes there are small discrepancies that aren't obvious but will block e-filing. One more thing - if you're married filing jointly, make sure both spouses' information is entered exactly as it appears on your Social Security cards, including any hyphens or apostrophes in last names. The IRS matching system is very strict about these details.