Took me 3 months to get my remaining balance after garnishment last year. The system is broken fr

This is unfortunately super common with Michigan. I went through the same thing last year - the online system shows the full amount as "held" but that doesn't mean they're taking all of it. The system just isn't sophisticated enough to show partial amounts in real time. Keep calling every week or so to check status, and definitely file that Form 3385 like Ethan mentioned. Also document every call you make (date, time, rep name if they give it) in case you need to escalate later. Hang in there! 💪

21 When we missed reporting a 1099R a few years ago, our CP2000 came in November for a return filed in March. The frustrating part was they added interest from the original due date even though they took 8 months to tell us about the problem! Just be prepared for that possibility.

Based on my experience helping clients with similar situations, I'd strongly recommend filing the amended return (Form 1040-X) rather than waiting for the CP2000. Here's why: The IRS typically sends CP2000 notices 6-12 months after filing, but the interest clock starts ticking from the original due date (April 15th). So even if they don't contact your parents until October, they'll still charge interest going back to April. With a $5,800 unreported distribution, assuming they're in a 22% tax bracket, that's roughly $1,276 in additional tax plus interest and potential penalties. Filing proactively shows good faith and gives you the best chance at penalty abatement. The amended return process is straightforward - just file Form 1040-X with the corrected information and pay the additional tax. Include a brief explanation that it was an inadvertent omission. Your parents' age and clean filing history will work in their favor if any penalties are assessed. This approach will give your parents peace of mind and likely save money compared to waiting for the IRS to catch it.

Something nobody's mentioned yet - make sure you look into First Time Penalty Abatement! If you had a good filing history before these missed years (or if this is your first time filing), you can often get penalties waived for the first year you missed. This saved me over $2,400 when I was catching up on unfiled returns. Also, for your small business, make sure you have documentation for expenses. Even if you're missing some receipts, bank and credit card statements can usually suffice. For the years where the business wasn't profitable, those losses might be able to offset other income. Don't let shame keep you from getting help. I put off fixing my tax situation for years because I was embarrassed, and it only made things worse. The relief of finally getting current with the IRS was worth everything!

I want to add another perspective here as someone who went through this exact situation. The anxiety you're feeling is completely normal - I literally couldn't sleep for weeks when I finally faced my unfiled returns situation. One thing that really helped me was to break this down into smaller, manageable steps rather than trying to tackle everything at once. First, gather all your financial documents for each year (bank statements, 1099s, business records). Then organize them by year. The IRS actually has a really helpful "Get Transcript" tool on their website where you can see what income documents they already have on file for you. Since you mentioned having a small business that barely broke even, you'll likely be filing Schedule C forms. Make sure you track ALL business expenses - office supplies, business meals, mileage, equipment depreciation, etc. These deductions can really add up and might even result in refunds for some years. Also, don't underestimate the psychological relief of just starting the process. Once I filed my first return, even though I still had several more to go, I felt so much better knowing I was moving in the right direction. The IRS is actually much more reasonable to work with when you're proactive about fixing the situation rather than avoiding it. You've got this! Taking the first step by acknowledging the problem and asking for help here shows you're ready to get this resolved.

An easy way to find out exactly what SDIV is on your check without dealing with HR is to look at your employee handbook or benefits portal online. Most companies have digital access to all benefit descriptions. Search for "disability" or "insurance" and you'll probably find details on any voluntary programs. The IRS also has some good tax info on disability insurance premiums and benefits if you search "Publication 15-A" on their site.

Another thing to keep in mind - if this SDIV deduction just started appearing after 3 years at your company, it might be tied to an annual enrollment period that you missed or weren't properly notified about. A lot of companies have "passive enrollment" policies where if you don't actively opt out during open enrollment, you're automatically enrolled in certain voluntary benefits. I'd definitely recommend checking your most recent benefits enrollment materials or any emails from HR around enrollment time. Sometimes these voluntary programs get buried in the fine print of benefit changes. If you were auto-enrolled without realizing it, most companies will let you make changes outside the normal enrollment window if you can show you weren't properly informed. The fact that it's $45 biweekly ($90/month) suggests it's probably a decent level of coverage, but you should verify what the benefit amount would actually be if you needed to use it.

Don't forget about self-employment taxes! That's a huge factor that might explain some of the disparity. On pass-through income from an LLC, you both pay self-employment tax (15.3% for Social Security and Medicare) on top of regular income tax. If you're both taking the exact same profits but have drastically different other income, the tax impact is going to be very different. Your partner's federal income tax rate on the business profits might be 32% or 35% while yours might be 12% or 22% - that alone could justify a big difference in tax withdrawals. But like others have said, this should all be documented and transparent. You should be able to see exactly how much of the business profit is causing what tax liability for each of you.

I think the key issue here is that you need complete transparency and documentation of how these tax distributions are calculated. While it's true that your partner may legitimately owe more taxes due to being in a higher bracket, the current setup sounds problematic from an accountability standpoint. Here's what I'd recommend: First, request detailed calculations showing exactly how much of each person's total tax liability is attributable to the LLC income versus other sources. Second, establish a formal policy for tax distributions in writing - many partnerships use a formula where distributions are made based on each member's estimated tax rate multiplied by their share of business income. Most importantly, consider changing your process so that tax distributions go to each partner individually, and then you each pay your own taxes. Having one person write checks directly from the business account to cover their personal tax obligations creates unnecessary confusion and potential for disputes. You should also verify that you're both getting the same K-1 amounts - if you're truly 50/50 partners, your Schedule K-1 forms should show identical income allocations. If they don't, that's a red flag that needs immediate attention. The fact that your friends and family think something's off suggests your instincts are right to question this arrangement, even if the underlying tax principles are legitimate.