Something nobody's mentioned yet is that you should request a copy of the partnership agreement if you don't already have it. When you inherited your share, it should have come with documentation about the partnership terms. Some partnership agreements actually restrict distributions and require capital reserves to be built up to certain levels before making distributions. This could explain why you're seeing income on the K-1 but not getting much in distributions. Also, check if there's a partnership meeting you can attend. As a partner, you generally have rights to information about the business operations and financial status. You might discover they're planning major renovations or have other reasons for retaining earnings.

Check out line 19 (distributions) of your K-1 and compare it to line 2 (real estate income). If line 19 is consistently lower than line 2, that means the partnership is retaining earnings rather than distributing them. This is common but can create tax headaches. Also, make sure you're tracking your "basis" in the partnership. Your basis increases when you report income from the K-1 and decreases when you receive distributions. This tracking is SUPER important because: 1) If you ever sell your interest, your basis determines your gain/loss 2) If your basis ever goes to zero, distributions become taxable 3) Certain losses can be limited based on your basis Most tax software doesn't handle basis tracking well, so you might need to maintain a separate spreadsheet or get professional help.

If you have your bank statement showing the payment cleared, another option is visiting your local Taxpayer Assistance Center in person. You need to make an appointment first by calling 844-545-5640. They often can pull up your records on the spot and see what happened to your payment. When I had a similar issue, the in-person IRS assistant saw that my estimated payment had been correctly received but was applied to the wrong tax year (they applied it to 2021 instead of 2022). She fixed it right there in the system while I waited!

Did you check your IRS online account to see if the payment shows up there? Sometimes the payment posts correctly to your account but doesn't get matched to the return properly. Go to irs.gov and create/login to your online account - you can see all payments received there.

3 You definitely need to check your paystubs throughout the year to catch withholding problems before filing time! A good rule of thumb for single filers is that roughly 12-15% of your gross income should go to federal taxes when you make $30k-$40k. So with $36k income, you should have had about $4,300-$5,400 withheld throughout the year. If you only had $105 withheld, that's less than 0.3% of your income! No wonder you owe so much. For the future, always check your first couple paystubs after starting a new job or submitting a new W-4 to make sure the withholding looks reasonable.

14 This is why our tax system is so messed up! You shouldn't need special tools or services just to pay the right amount. I had a similar issue last year - thought I was doing everything right and still ended up with a huge bill. Has anyone used any good tax software that helps prevent this kind of surprise? I've been using FreeTaxUSA but it doesn't really help with planning for next year.

I just went through a PCS from Germany back to Fort Hood last year and had to pay $3400 to bring our two cats. I asked the JAG office tax attorney about this before filing and they specifically advised NOT to claim pet expenses on Form 3903. Their explanation was that while military members can still claim moving expenses (unlike civilians after the tax law changes), the IRS has consistently treated pets differently than household goods. They said the pet transportation costs would be considered personal expenses, not moving expenses. I know it sucks to hear since pet transportation internationally is crazy expensive, but thought I'd share what military legal advised us.

LPT: don't forget that while most of the military moving expenses are covered, you can still deduct anything that wasn't reimbursed! This includes things like extra weight charges if you were over your allowance, temporary storage beyond what the military covered, and miscellaneous moving-related expenses. The key with Form 3903 is that you can only deduct costs the military didn't reimburse you for. So document everything carefully, especially for an OCONUS move!

I'm a business owner who implemented a CRUT strategy a few years ago. Here's my practical experience: 1) Yes, the charitable remainder is non-negotiable. That's literally why these vehicles exist. 2) What you CAN control: payout rate (higher means more to you, less to charity), term length, and investment strategy within the trust. 3) Consider using a family foundation as the charitable remainder beneficiary. You don't maintain control of the assets personally, but you can direct the foundation's charitable activities into areas you care about. 4) Run a proper NPV (net present value) calculation comparing the tax savings now versus the future value of what goes to charity. In many cases, the math works out favorably even with the charitable component. Good tax planning isn't about avoiding all charitable giving - it's about making informed choices that align with your priorities while legally minimizing tax burden.

Has anyone considered using a Charitable Lead Annuity Trust (CLAT) instead? If structured properly, it could potentially allow excess returns above the 7520 rate to eventually return to family members after the charitable term. Might be closer to what OP is looking for.