Wait - I thought Head of Household was only for single parents with kids? Can you really claim HOH with a parent as your dependent?

Based on everything discussed here, it sounds like you have a strong case for claiming your mother as a dependent and filing Head of Household. Here are the key points that work in your favor: 1. **Dependency Test**: Your mom's Social Security likely doesn't count as taxable income since she has no other income sources, so she should pass the gross income test (<$4,700 for 2023). 2. **Support Test**: You're clearly providing more than half of their support with mortgage, utilities, groceries, and major repairs like that $3,800 roof. 3. **Marriage Issue**: Since neither your mom nor stepdad file tax returns, the usual restriction about married people filing jointly doesn't apply. 4. **Head of Household**: Since they live with you and you maintain the household, you qualify for HOH status. One thing to consider - could you potentially claim both your mother AND stepdad as dependents? If his Social Security is also non-taxable and you're supporting both of them, you might qualify for two dependency exemptions. That could increase your tax benefits significantly. I'd recommend documenting everything carefully - keep those receipts and create a detailed record of all support you provided throughout the year. This will be crucial if the IRS ever questions your filing status.

Beyond the tax thing, I'd be careful about claiming your personal dog is a "working dog" if you're not licensed/insured that way. Could create insurance issues if something ever happened with a client dog. Just something to think about!

As someone who's dealt with similar business expense questions, I'd recommend keeping meticulous records if you decide to pursue this. The IRS looks for three key things: ordinary (common in your industry), necessary (helpful for your business), and reasonable (not excessive). For a pet daycare, having a "demo dog" that helps socialize and train client animals could potentially qualify, but you'll need to prove it's genuinely business-related. Consider getting a letter from a veterinary behaviorist or animal trainer explaining how your dog's role benefits the business operations. Also, only deduct the percentage that's truly business use. If your German Shepherd spends 30% of her time actively working with client dogs, then 30% of training costs might be deductible. But regular vet care and food would likely be considered personal expenses unless you can document a clear business need. One more tip: take photos and videos of your dog actually working with client animals. Visual documentation of her training other dogs could be valuable evidence if the IRS ever questions the deduction.

Just wanted to add my experience - I had a similar issue with an amended return for 2017 that I filed in 2021. The "Where's My Amended Return" tool showed "received" for over a year. I eventually had to contact my local Taxpayer Advocate Service office for help. They discovered my amended return had been processed, but because of a discrepancy between my payment amount and the assessed amount, it got flagged for manual review and then essentially forgotten in the system. If you've already waited several months since seeing those processing codes, you might want to consider reaching out to the Taxpayer Advocate Service. They can often help with returns that are stuck in processing for extended periods.

Based on everyone's experiences here, it sounds like you're still in the processing phase since you only see codes 971 and 977 on your transcript. The key code to watch for is 290, which indicates they've finished processing and assessed any additional tax. Since you mentioned they started processing 5 months ago and you filed for 2018, you're likely dealing with the slower queue for older tax years. The fact that your $720 payment is showing as a credit is actually normal - the IRS holds payments until they complete processing and determine the final amount owed. Given that it's been over 2 years total and 5 months since active processing began, you have a few options: continue monitoring for code 290 on your transcript, use one of the services mentioned above to get through to the IRS directly, or contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service if you feel it's been unreasonably delayed. The good news is that having those codes means your return isn't lost in the system - it's just moving through their backlog. Amended returns for older tax years unfortunately just take much longer than current year filings.

ya'll need to chill and stop checking so much. it'll come when it comes

Filed mine on 1/28 and been in the same boat checking constantly! The waiting is brutal especially when you need that refund. From what I've learned lurking here, transcripts usually update Friday mornings around 6am EST and WMR updates daily around 3-6am EST. But honestly the IRS system is so inconsistent during tax season. Maybe try checking just once in the morning instead of throughout the day? That's what I'm trying to do to stay sane lol

Has anyone used TurboTax for filing as a non-resident alien? I'm in the same boat as OP (just under 183 days) and wondering if the standard tax software handles these situations well?

I went through this exact same situation two years ago and can confirm what others have said - the IRS does NOT round up the substantial presence test calculation. At 182.33 days, you're under the 183-day threshold and would not be considered a US tax resident. However, I'd strongly recommend double-checking your day count because being this close to the line is risky. A few things to verify: Are you counting partial days correctly? If you arrive late at night or leave early morning, those still count as full days. Also make sure you're not missing any brief trips back to the US that might push you over. One other thing - since you mentioned wanting to avoid taxation on global income from before you moved, make sure you understand the rules about when income is sourced to the US versus your home country. Even as a non-resident, you'll still owe US taxes on US-source income during the time you were physically present here. Keep very detailed records of all your travel dates with supporting documentation (flight records, passport stamps, etc.) in case the IRS ever questions your residency determination.