Does anyone know which tax software handles this situation best? I'm using TurboTax and it keeps asking me to input a 1099-K that I don't have...

You're absolutely right to be proactive about this! I had the same concern with my online sales last year. The IRS actually expects you to report ALL income regardless of whether you receive a 1099 - it's your legal obligation whether the form shows up or not. Since you have your sales records from Shopify, you're in great shape. Just report your gross income on Schedule C and deduct any legitimate business expenses (Shopify fees, advertising, materials, etc.). The 1099 threshold confusion this year means many people are in your exact situation, and the IRS is well aware of it. One tip: save screenshots of your Shopify dashboard showing your total sales for the year. This creates a paper trail in case you ever need to prove your income reporting was accurate. Don't let the missing 1099 delay your filing - you've got everything you need to file correctly right now!

Don't forget about state taxes too! Federal is only part of the equation. Some states tax capital gains at the same rate as ordinary income, while others have special rates or exemptions. I sold SPP shares last year and was surprised that my state (California) wanted a bigger cut than I expected. The discount portion was fully taxable as regular income at both federal and state levels.

Great thread everyone! As someone who just went through this process, I wanted to add a few practical tips that helped me: 1. **Keep meticulous records from day one** - Don't wait until tax time to organize your SPP transactions. I created a simple spreadsheet tracking each purchase with columns for: date, shares purchased, price paid, fair market value that day, and discount received. 2. **Check if your broker provides tax documents** - Some SPP administrators will send you supplemental tax forms (like Form 3922 for qualified plans) that show the discount amounts. This makes reporting much easier than trying to calculate everything manually. 3. **Consider tax-loss harvesting** - If you have other investments with losses, you might be able to offset some of the gains from your SPP sales. Just be aware of wash sale rules if you're buying and selling similar stocks. 4. **Plan your sales strategically** - Since you mentioned needing money for a house down payment next year, consider selling your longest-held shares first to take advantage of long-term capital gains rates, and maybe spread the sales across tax years if it makes sense for your bracket. The complexity is real, but once you understand the basics it becomes much more manageable. Good luck with the house purchase!

Just a heads up that you might face this issue again with future employers. I've been on F1 for 4 years and had to educate EVERY employer about FICA exemptions. I now bring IRS Publication 519 (specifically the sections about FICA for F1 students) to HR during onboarding to prevent this from happening again.

Great advice from everyone here! I went through something similar during my F1 OPT period. One thing I'd add is to make sure you keep copies of everything - your original W2, the W2C, your I-20, EAD card, and any correspondence with your employer about the FICA correction. The IRS processing of amended returns can sometimes trigger additional questions, especially for international students, so having all your documentation organized makes responding much easier if they ask for proof of your visa status or work authorization. Also, if you're planning to stay in the US after graduation, having this paper trail helps establish your tax compliance history for future visa applications. The whole process is definitely frustrating, but you're absolutely doing the right thing by getting it corrected. Those FICA refunds can add up to significant money!

Has anyone successfully gotten both the employer and employee portions of FICA refunded? My university tax advisor told me that even with a W2C, I can only get back the employee portion (my 7.65%) but not the employer portion (the other 7.65%). Is this right or should I be fighting for the full amount?

Just wanted to add another perspective here - I went through this exact same situation last year with FICA withholding on my F1 CPT. One thing that really helped me was keeping detailed records of all communication with my employer about the W2C correction. When I finally got my corrected W2C, there were still some discrepancies in the amounts, and having email trails showing what they promised to correct made it much easier to get them to issue a second corrected W2C. Also, I'd recommend double-checking that your employer didn't withhold state disability insurance (SDI) or other state-specific taxes that you might also be exempt from as an international student - many payroll systems make multiple mistakes at once. The whole process took about 6 months from start to finish, but I eventually got back around $1,200 in incorrectly withheld FICA taxes. Don't give up if it seems like it's taking forever!

You know what's interesting about these IRS timelines? They're almost always worst-case scenarios. I had a similar situation in March when they made a correction to my return. The agent told me 6-8 weeks, but I received my refund in 17 days. Why do they do this? Perhaps because they're dealing with millions of returns and want to set expectations low? Or maybe because complex cases can genuinely take that long? Either way, I've found that the actual processing time is usually about half of whatever timeline they quote you.

I went through something very similar last year! Filed in late January, got the "still processing" message for about 6 weeks, and when I finally got through to the IRS they said they had made a "correction" and quoted me 8 weeks. Turns out they had adjusted my withholding amount by about $150 - apparently my employer had reported a slightly different amount than what was on my W-2. The good news is I got my refund in just under 4 weeks from that phone call, not the full 8 weeks they quoted. Since you mentioned needing the refund for medical expenses, I'd definitely recommend checking your transcript weekly rather than relying on WMR - it'll show the actual progress with those transaction codes everyone mentioned. The 8-week timeline really does seem to be their standard "cover all bases" response. Fingers crossed yours processes much faster!