I'm dealing with a similar issue with my Ticketmaster 1099-K! Mine is off by about $2,200 and I've been trying to figure out where the discrepancy comes from. One thing that helped me was going through my Ticketmaster account settings and downloading the detailed transaction history (not just the summary). When I compared line by line, I found that some transactions were being counted twice - once when I originally bought tickets and again when I listed them for resale, even if they never sold. Also check if any refunded transactions are still being included in the gross amount. I had three events that got cancelled last year where I received full refunds, but those original purchase amounts were still showing up in my 1099-K total. It's frustrating that we have to do their accounting for them, but at least if you can identify the specific errors, you'll have solid documentation to include with your tax return. Keep pushing them for a corrected form though - you shouldn't have to explain away their mistakes to the IRS.

This is such a widespread issue with Ticketmaster's 1099-K reporting! I've been dealing with tax prep for clients who resell tickets, and I see this problem constantly. A few additional things to check that might explain the discrepancy: 1) Service fees and taxes - Ticketmaster might be including their service fees and taxes in the gross amount, even though those weren't part of your actual sales proceeds. 2) Payment processing timing - If you had any sales in late December 2024 where the payment didn't process until early January 2025, those might be missing from your personal records but included on the 1099-K. 3) Promotional credits or vouchers - Sometimes platforms include the face value of tickets purchased with credits/vouchers rather than the actual cash amount you received. My advice: Don't wait for Ticketmaster to fix this. Document everything thoroughly and file with your correct numbers. The IRS understands these platforms have reporting issues. Include a reconciliation statement with your return showing your actual gross receipts versus the 1099-K amount, with line-by-line explanations for the differences you've identified. The key is having clean records that support your reported income. Better to file accurately than to report inflated income just because of a faulty 1099-K.

One thing nobody's mentioned yet - you should also check if mpb.com has nexus in your state. If they don't have physical presence or economic nexus in your state, the rules might be different. Also keep in mind that some states have marketplace facilitator laws that might affect how this works. And don't forget that you might still need to FILE sales tax returns even if you don't COLLECT any tax (showing exempt sales).

Don't forget about the use tax side of this too! If you're paying sales tax on the cameras you buy from eBay but those cameras are inventory for resale, you might be eligible to use a resale certificate for THOSE purchases too. In most states, you can provide your resale certificate to avoid paying sales tax on items you're buying specifically for resale. This is possibly costing you money unnecessarily.

Has anyone used FreeTaxUSA for prior year returns? Their software lets you prepare previous year returns for free and tells you exactly what forms to print and mail. That's what I did for my 2022 return with capital losses, and it was pretty straightforward. Just wondering if others had good experiences with it.

Just to add another perspective - I had a similar situation last year where I needed to establish capital loss carryover from 2022. I ended up going to a local VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) site and they helped me prepare the prior year return for free. The volunteer was really knowledgeable about capital gains/losses and made sure I had everything correct before mailing it in. They also helped me understand exactly how the carryover would work for my current year taxes. If you have a VITA site near you, it might be worth checking out - especially since you mentioned being new to tax stuff. They're specifically trained to help with these kinds of situations and it doesn't cost anything. You can find locations on the IRS website. Just make sure to bring all your documents (1099s, any previous year tax returns you have, etc.).

One important thing nobody mentioned - if you had a refund coming on your original return, the IRS will hold it until your amendment is processed. So if youre expecting money back, prepare to wait a LONG time.

I've been in a similar situation and definitely agree with everyone saying to wait for the letter. The IRS correspondence will have specific notice codes and exact amounts that you'll need for your amendment. Phone agents sometimes give incomplete or slightly incorrect information, and you don't want to file an amendment based on partial details. The letter will also tell you exactly what documentation you need to include with your 1040X. I know it's frustrating to wait when you just want to get it resolved, but doing it right the first time will save you months of additional delays. In the meantime, you could gather any missing tax documents (like that 1099 you mentioned) so you're ready to go once the letter arrives.

Something important no one's mentioned - the Child Tax Credit amount phases out at higher income levels. Since your ex makes more than you ($78k vs $59k), you might actually benefit more from the credit than he would. For 2024, the phase-out begins at $75,000 for single filers. So your ex is already in the phase-out range while you're still under it. Depending on his exact income, he might not get the full benefit of the credit. If you're trying to maximize the total benefit between both households, it might make financial sense for you to claim both children in some years, especially if his income continues to rise. You could then work out some other financial arrangement to make things fair.

You're absolutely right to want to handle this fairly! As someone who went through a similar situation, I can confirm that splitting the Child Tax Credit with 50/50 custody is completely doable and legitimate. Since your divorce decree doesn't specify who claims the children for tax purposes, you have flexibility. The two most common approaches are: 1) Each parent claims one child every year, or 2) Alternate years where one parent claims both children. Given that you mentioned covering most of their healthcare costs, you might want to factor that into your negotiation with your ex. You could propose that you claim one child each year, or even suggest alternating who gets to claim both kids with the understanding that whoever doesn't claim them that year contributes more to certain expenses. The key is getting any agreement in writing - even a simple email or text exchange works. This prevents the "he said, she said" situations that can happen at tax time. Also, keep detailed records of your custody schedule and any expenses you pay for the children. While the IRS doesn't require you to prove who spent more money on the kids for the Child Tax Credit (unlike the dependency exemption rules), having documentation helps if there are ever questions. Don't let what happened last year repeat itself. Have this conversation now so you both know the plan going forward!