This is incredibly frustrating and unfortunately all too common with TurboTax. I had a similar experience two years ago where my entire filing history just vanished from my account. After weeks of back-and-forth with their support team (who kept asking me to verify information I'd already provided multiple times), I finally got it resolved, but it was a nightmare. A few things that might help: First, if you have your AGI (Adjusted Gross Income) from your 2023 return, you can use that to request transcripts directly from the IRS at irs.gov/get-transcript. Second, check if you saved any screenshots or took photos of your completed return before submitting - sometimes people do this without thinking about it. Third, look through your email for ANY communication from TurboTax around your filing date, even marketing emails, as these sometimes contain account references that can help their tech team locate your missing data. The social media approach mentioned by others really does work - their Twitter support team seems to have more authority than phone reps. Just be persistent and document everything. Don't let them wear you down with their incompetence.

I feel your pain! I went through almost the exact same thing with TurboTax two years ago. What finally worked for me was filing a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). You can do this online at consumerfinance.gov - it's free and takes about 10 minutes. Companies are required to respond to CFPB complaints within 15 days, and I got a call from TurboTax's executive customer service team within 3 days of filing. They were able to locate my missing returns and fix the account linking issue. Turns out there was a database migration problem that affected thousands of accounts, but regular customer service wasn't authorized to access the old database. The CFPB complaint route seems to bypass all the regular support nonsense and gets you to people who actually have the authority and technical access to fix these problems. Worth trying alongside the Twitter approach others mentioned.

Great question about personal assistant deductions! I've been doing bookkeeping for several independent contractors in real estate, and there are a few additional deductions you might be missing. Since you mentioned driving to properties and running errands, make sure you're tracking ALL business miles - not just client meetings but trips to the post office, bank deposits, picking up supplies, etc. Many people only track the obvious trips. For your phone, if you have one line used for both business and personal, you can deduct the business percentage. But if you can get a separate business line, that's 100% deductible and often worth it for the clean record-keeping. One thing people often overlook: professional development expenses. Any courses, certifications, or training related to real estate or admin work are fully deductible. Same with professional memberships or subscriptions to industry publications. Also consider equipment depreciation if you bought a computer, printer, or other office equipment primarily for work. You can either deduct the full cost in the first year (Section 179) or depreciate it over several years. Keep tracking everything in a dedicated business account if possible - makes record-keeping so much cleaner come tax time!

One deduction that's often overlooked for personal assistants in real estate is professional liability insurance! If you're handling sensitive client information or have access to property details, many real estate agents require their assistants to carry E&O (Errors and Omissions) insurance. This is 100% deductible as a business expense. Also, since you mentioned working from cafes - while the coffee itself isn't deductible, if you're buying food/drinks while conducting actual business (like client calls or work meetings), those can qualify as business meals at 50% deduction. Just make sure to note the business purpose on your receipt. For your car expenses, don't forget that parking fees and tolls for business trips are fully deductible on top of your mileage. And if you're using your personal vehicle regularly for work, consider tracking actual expenses (gas, maintenance, insurance percentage) vs. standard mileage rate - sometimes actual expenses work out better, especially if you drive an older, less fuel-efficient vehicle. One last tip: if your broker requires you to maintain a professional appearance for showings, while regular business attire isn't deductible, any special cleaning/dry cleaning costs for clothes worn exclusively during business activities can sometimes qualify. Keep those receipts and notes about the business purpose!

I've been dealing with similar complexity in my returns for the past few years, including foreign accounts and investment income. After going through a correspondence audit in 2022 (thankfully not a full audit), I can share what I learned about audit protection services. First, definitely get protection if your returns are this complex. The peace of mind alone is worth it. I ended up going with a standalone policy through a company that specializes in international tax issues rather than the basic protection from tax software companies. Cost me about $400/year, but it covers representation for all types of audits and includes some penalty protection. One thing I wish I'd known earlier: some protection plans have waiting periods, so you can't buy coverage after you've already been selected for audit. Also, make sure whatever service you choose has experience with FBAR issues specifically - the penalties for those can be brutal and not all tax professionals are familiar with the nuances. The preventive approach mentioned with taxr.ai sounds interesting too. Catching issues before filing seems smarter than just hoping you don't get audited. Given your situation with foreign accounts and multiple income sources, I'd probably recommend both - prevention analysis before filing AND audit protection for peace of mind.

Based on my experience with complex returns including foreign accounts, I'd strongly recommend getting audit protection - but be strategic about it. The key is finding coverage that specifically handles international tax issues, not just generic audit protection. A few things to consider: 1. **Look for FBAR expertise**: Many basic audit protection services don't have staff familiar with foreign account reporting requirements. The penalties for FBAR mistakes can be devastating (potentially 50% of account balances), so you need someone who knows this area. 2. **Consider the timing**: Most protection plans only cover audits for returns filed AFTER you purchase the coverage. So if you're thinking about it, don't wait. 3. **Combine approaches**: Given your complex situation, I'd suggest both preventive analysis (like the taxr.ai tool others mentioned) AND traditional audit protection. Prevention is always cheaper than dealing with problems after they happen. 4. **Ask your CPA first**: Since they already know your situation, see if they offer audit protection services or can recommend someone who specializes in international tax issues. For someone with your level of complexity (foreign accounts, investment income, side business), the annual cost of good protection ($300-500) is probably much less than what you'd pay to resolve even a minor audit issue. The stress reduction alone makes it worthwhile in my opinion.

One thing to remember is that if your non-refundable credits exceed your tax payable, you don't get to carry forward the unused portion (with a few exceptions like tuition credits). This is different from refundable credits like GST/HST credits that can actually generate a refund regardless of your tax owing. For example, if your tax owing is $5,800 but you have $7,000 in non-refundable credits, your tax is reduced to $0, but you "lose" the extra $1,200 in credits. This is why they're called "non-refundable" - they can't generate a refund by themselves.

Jst wanted to add that one of the most commonly overlooked things is that u should maximize ur RRSP contributions if u have room. This will lower ur net income which reduces the taxes owing BEFORE the non-refundable credits are applied! Double win!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm dealing with the exact same confusion for my consulting business. What really clicked for me reading through all these responses is that Section 179 is essentially about WHEN you get the tax benefit, not IF you get it. One thing I'm still wondering about though - does the vehicle financing interest rate play into this decision at all? Like if I can get 0% financing on the truck, does that change whether Section 179 makes sense versus regular depreciation? It seems like the cash flow benefit of Section 179 would be even bigger if I'm not paying interest on the loan. Also really appreciate the mentions of tracking business use percentage - I definitely need to get better about that regardless of which deduction method I choose!

One aspect that hasn't been covered much here is the income limitation for Section 179. There's an annual limit on how much you can deduct (for 2024 it's $1.22 million) and it starts phasing out if you purchase more than $3.05 million in qualifying property during the year. But more importantly for most small business owners, you can't deduct more than your business's taxable income for the year. So if your business only made $30,000 in profit this year, you can't take a $45,000 Section 179 deduction on a truck - you'd be limited to the $30,000 and would have to carry forward the rest. This is where regular depreciation might actually be better for newer or smaller businesses that don't have large profits yet. With depreciation, you spread the deduction over time, which might align better with your income growth. Just something to consider when running those cash flow calculations everyone's been talking about!