Something to consider: the EITC has different income thresholds based on filing status and number of qualifying children. For 2025, with one qualifying child, EITC begins to phase out around $46,500 for single/head of household. If your sister's income is right at one of these thresholds, small changes in AGI can have a big impact on the credit amount. This might explain why you're seeing significant changes in the EITC calculation when making adjustments. Most tax software will let you try different scenarios to see what gives the best outcome. Just make sure whatever you submit is truthful - the difference between optimizing your return and misrepresenting information is a critical line you don't want to cross.

As someone who's dealt with EITC calculations for family members, I can confirm what others have said - you're absolutely allowed to choose not to claim deductions you're eligible for. The IRS doesn't require you to take every possible deduction. However, I'd strongly recommend double-checking which specific deductions are actually affecting your sister's EITC. True itemized deductions (medical expenses over 7.5% of AGI, charitable donations, etc.) shouldn't impact EITC at all since they don't change her Adjusted Gross Income. If you're seeing the EITC decrease when adding these deductions in TurboTax, there might be something else going on - perhaps some expenses are being categorized differently than you think, or there could be an interaction with other credits or calculations. Before making any decisions about skipping deductions, I'd suggest running through the calculations manually or getting a second opinion to make sure you understand exactly what's causing the EITC to change. You want to make sure you're making an informed choice rather than missing out on legitimate tax benefits due to a software quirk or misunderstanding.

I just went through this exact same process last month for my LLC's late filing penalty! You're definitely on the right track with selecting "Balance due on return or notice" - that's the correct option for penalty payments. The warning message about the tax period being out of the usual range is completely normal when you're paying an older penalty. Don't let it scare you - just click "Continue" and proceed with the payment. The system shows this warning for any tax year that's not the current or immediately previous year. A few tips from my experience: - Make sure you're logged into EFTPS with your LLC's EIN, not your personal SSN - In the reference field, enter something like "Form 1065 Late Filing Penalty 2019" to make it crystal clear what the payment is for - Print or save the confirmation page - you'll want that reference number - The payment typically processes within 1-2 business days The $2,600 amount sounds about right for a multi-year late filing penalty. Once you submit the payment, you can check your account transcript online in about a week to confirm it was applied correctly to your penalty balance.

I actually just went through this exact same situation with my LLC's 2019 Form 1065 late filing penalty a few weeks ago! You're absolutely doing it right - "Balance due on return or notice" is the correct selection for penalty payments. That warning message about the tax period being out of range is totally normal and expected when paying penalties for older tax years. The IRS system just wants to make sure you're intentionally paying for an older period. Go ahead and click "Continue" - it won't cause any issues. A couple of things that helped me get through the process smoothly: - Double-check that you're logged into EFTPS using your LLC's EIN (not your personal SSN) - In the payment reference field, I wrote "Form 1065 Late Filing Penalty - Tax Year 2019" which made it very clear what the payment was for - Keep a screenshot or printout of your confirmation page for your records The payment should process within 1-2 business days, and you can verify it was applied correctly by checking your business account transcript online after about a week. With a $2,600 penalty amount, you definitely want to make sure everything goes smoothly - but following these steps should get you there without any problems!

Just wanted to share my experience since I was in almost the exact same situation as you. I'm also waiting on my Green Card approval but have had an SSN for years and been filing taxes properly. I was really confused about that backup withholding checkbox too. I ended up calling a tax professional who confirmed what others here are saying - your immigration status doesn't matter for this specific question. Since you have an SSN and have been filing taxes without issues, you should definitely check the box saying you're NOT subject to backup withholding. The key thing to understand is that backup withholding is basically a penalty for people who haven't been compliant with tax reporting in the past. If you've been filing your returns and paying taxes properly (which it sounds like you have), then you're exempt from it regardless of whether your Green Card is still pending. Don't overthink it - just check the box and move forward with transferring your investments to Fidelity like you planned. Robinhood's sketchy practices are definitely a good reason to switch!

This whole thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm actually in a very similar situation - waiting on my Green Card but have had an SSN for about 5 years now and always filed my taxes properly. I was stressing about this same Robinhood W9 confirmation because I wasn't sure if my immigration status would affect it. Reading through everyone's responses, it's clear that backup withholding is purely about tax compliance history, not immigration status. Since I've never had any issues with the IRS and have always reported my investment income correctly, I should definitely check the box saying I'm NOT subject to backup withholding. Thanks especially to the tax professional who explained that this is essentially a penalty system for people who haven't been compliant in the past. That really cleared up my confusion. Now I can confidently handle this form and stop procrastinating on it!

Have you tried using the TPG Tax Refund Status page at https://taxpayer.sbtpg.com/login rather than the regular SBTPG portal? Sometimes they have different databases that don't sync properly. Also worth checking the IRS2Go app which sometimes shows different information than the website version of Where's My Refund. If you filed with TurboTax, you should also check your account there as they sometimes have more detailed status information.

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! Filed 1/28 and got IRS acceptance same day. My WMR tool showed "Refund Approved" on 2/18, but when I check the SBTPG tracker, it says "No records found" no matter what combination of SSN, filing status, or refund amount I try. It's been 6 days since the IRS approval and I'm starting to worry. Has anyone found that calling SBTPG directly actually helps, or do they just tell you the same thing their website says? I'm wondering if I should wait a few more days or start making calls now.

Pro tip: If you end up having to pay penalties, make sure you understand how they're calculated for 1099-NEC forms. The penalties are PER FORM and increase the later you file: $50 per form if you file within 30 days of the due date $110 per form if you file more than 30 days late but before August 1 $280 per form if you file on or after August 1 or don't file at all And those are for "unintentional" failures. If the IRS decides you intentionally disregarded the requirements, it jumps to $570 per form! With 40 forms, that adds up fast. Get those forms out ASAP to minimize the damage.

I went through this exact scenario two years ago with about 35 1099-NECs that I completely missed due to a similar staffing crisis. Here's what I learned: The IRS did approve my late extension request, but as others have mentioned, it only covered the filing with them - not the recipient copies. I still got hit with penalties for the late recipient delivery, but documenting everything helped significantly when I later requested penalty abatement. My advice: Send those 1099-NECs to your contractors TODAY if you haven't already. Every day you wait increases the penalty tier you'll fall into. I made the mistake of waiting for the extension approval first and it cost me an extra $1,100 in penalties. For the penalty abatement request (which you'll want to file after this is all sorted), keep detailed records of your staffing situation - termination dates, job postings, interview schedules, anything that shows the legitimate business disruption you faced. I was able to get about 60% of my penalties waived by demonstrating it was truly beyond my control and that I took immediate action once I realized the oversight. The whole process was stressful but manageable. The key is acting fast now rather than waiting to see how the extension plays out.