Remember that medical expenses including transportation are only deductible if you itemize AND they exceed 7.5% of your AGI. So if your mom's AGI is $40,000, only medical expenses over $3,000 would be deductible. Do the math first to see if it's even worth the effort!

Great advice from everyone here! I'd also recommend checking if your mom's city has a transit app or website that might show her card transaction history. Some transit systems now keep records of tap-in/tap-out data that you can access online, even if you didn't think to save receipts at the time. Also, don't forget that if she had to pay for parking at any medical facilities during those other 4 visits with rideshare, those parking fees are also deductible medical expenses. Sometimes people overlook the small additional costs that add up. The documentation approach everyone's suggesting is solid - the IRS really does understand that public transit doesn't always provide individual receipts. Your appointment records plus the standard fare documentation should be more than sufficient to support the deduction.

I think everyone's missing something important here - are you actually making ANY income from fitness coaching yet? The IRS is super picky about hobby losses vs actual businesses. If you're not making money from fitness coaching for several years, they might disallow ALL your deductions regardless of when you buy the equipment.

This is such a great question and I'm glad you're thinking ahead about the tax implications! As someone who's been through a similar transition, I'd suggest being really careful about the timing and documentation. One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is that you might want to consider starting with a smaller equipment purchase to test the waters - maybe just a few key pieces that would clearly be for business use only. This way you can establish a pattern of legitimate business expenses without a huge upfront investment that might raise red flags. Also, since you mentioned you already have two other side businesses, make sure you're tracking everything separately. The IRS likes to see clear business boundaries, especially when you're claiming home-based business expenses across multiple ventures. Have you considered reaching out to a CPA who specializes in fitness professionals? They might be able to help you structure the equipment purchases in a way that maximizes your deductions while minimizing audit risk. The peace of mind might be worth the consultation fee!

Have you tried using USPS Informed Delivery? It emails you scans of mail that's coming to your address each day. I started using it after missing an important tax document last year. Wouldn't it be better to know if the check is actually on its way instead of checking an empty mailbox every day?

I'm also in Alabama and still waiting for my paper check! Mine was scheduled for March 26th too, so it sounds like we're in the same batch. I've been using USPS Informed Delivery like Dylan mentioned, and it's been really helpful - at least I know when to expect it instead of constantly wondering. The regional processing does seem to be slower this year. I filed early February and had to switch to paper check because of a bank account issue too. Hopefully we'll both see them in the next few days!

Anyone know if this "undetermined term" stuff affects your overall tax liability? Like, if I can't find my original cost basis for some old Bitcoin I bought years ago, am I just screwed and have to report the full sale as gain?

I went through this exact same situation last year with Robinhood! What worked for me was downloading my complete transaction history from Robinhood (you can get this from their web platform under Documents & Reports). Then I created a simple spreadsheet tracking all my crypto purchases chronologically. For those 3 undetermined transactions, I used FIFO method to match them with my earliest purchases. So if you sold 0.1 Bitcoin on a specific date, you'd match it with your first 0.1 Bitcoin purchase (or combine multiple small purchases until you hit 0.1). The key is being consistent with your method. Once you calculate the cost basis, report these on Form 8949 with Box C checked (short-term) or Box F (long-term), enter the sale proceeds from your 1099-B, then manually add your calculated cost basis and gain/loss. It's tedious but totally doable! I spent about 3 hours reconstructing everything but it was worth it to get it right. Make sure to keep documentation of your methodology in case the IRS ever asks.

After spending 6 months dealing with similar codes here's what I learned: dont panic about future dates they literally mean nothing. As long as you see that removal code youre probably good

Looking at your transcript, the 424 code with the freeze/unfreeze combo is actually a good sign! I had similar codes last year and it turned out to be routine verification of my EIC claim. The fact that codes 810 and 811 appear on the same date (2/10) suggests they're just cycling through their review process quickly. That $7,650 EIC amount is substantial so they're probably just double-checking your qualifying child info. The 971 notice will likely just confirm everything checks out. Don't stress about the future dates - the IRS computer system loves its weird timing quirks!