Has anyone done this in California specifically? My wife and I have an LLC but have been filing partnership returns. Our accountant never mentioned we had this option and we've been paying extra for the partnership returns every year.

I went through this exact situation in Nevada last year! My husband and I had been filing partnership returns for our LLC for three years before discovering we could treat it as a disregarded entity under community property rules. The key insight everyone's touched on is correct - this ISN'T the QJV election (which is only for unincorporated businesses), but rather the community property state exception under Rev. Proc. 2002-69. In Arizona, like Nevada, you can absolutely treat your husband-wife LLC as disregarded and file Schedule C forms instead. Since you haven't filed taxes for the LLC yet, you're in a great position! You can start right off treating it as disregarded without any transition complications. Just make sure both of you file Schedule C (each reporting your 50% share of income/expenses) and pay self-employment taxes accordingly. One practical tip - keep detailed records showing how you split the business activities and income, even though community property law automatically makes it 50/50. The IRS likes to see documentation of who did what in case of any questions. Your $65,000 income level makes this even more attractive since you'll avoid the partnership return filing requirements and associated costs. Much simpler for a business your size!

Has anyone else noticed the Where's My Refund tool is completely useless for tracking physical checks? It told me "Your refund was sent to your bank" when I was getting a paper check. 😡 Nothing but problems this year!

Just wanted to add my experience for anyone still waiting - I had a similar situation last month where my check took almost 4 weeks to arrive after the 846 date. The key thing I learned is that the 846 date is definitely when they mail it, but delivery times have been really unpredictable lately. What helped me was checking with my local post office to see if they were holding any mail for my address. Turns out my check had been sitting there for over a week because the mail carrier couldn't fit it in my small mailbox and didn't leave a notice! Might be worth calling your post office if you're getting close to that 4-week mark. Also, make sure your mailbox has your name clearly visible - I've heard of checks being returned because the carrier couldn't confirm the recipient at the address.

Double check that you didn't accidentally check a box on your Schedule C or other tax forms indicating you had employees or paid wages. I made that mistake once and started getting all kinds of employment tax forms.

I've dealt with this exact situation before! As a sole proprietor myself, I got a 941 reminder out of nowhere and panicked thinking I had done something wrong. Here's what likely happened: Someone else may have mistakenly used your SSN when applying for an EIN, or there could be a data entry error somewhere in the IRS system that's associating your SSN with employer responsibilities. The good news is this is fixable, but you absolutely need to address it promptly. When you call the IRS (and I'd recommend trying the services others mentioned to actually get through), have your SSN ready and be very clear that you are a sole proprietor who has never had employees, never applied for an EIN, and have never been required to file Form 941. They should be able to remove the employment tax filing requirement from your account. Just make sure to get a confirmation number or case number when they fix it, so you have proof if this happens again. Don't stress too much - this is more common than you'd think, and the IRS can usually resolve it quickly once you get someone on the phone!

Wait, I'm confused about something else. You mentioned you're in school full-time - are you receiving any financial aid or scholarships? Some of those might be taxable too, and you might qualify for education credits like the American Opportunity Credit or Lifetime Learning Credit. Those could be worth looking into even if you don't have much other income!

I've been following this thread and wanted to share my experience as someone who went through a similar situation. I was a stay-at-home parent receiving various benefits and was completely overwhelmed by the tax implications. What really helped me was creating a simple checklist of all my income sources and benefits for the year - disability payments, any unemployment, financial aid, even small freelance work I'd forgotten about. Then I gathered all the tax documents (1099s, W-2s, 1098-T from school, etc.) before trying to figure out what was taxable. The key thing I learned is that even with very low income, filing can often get you money back through credits you didn't know you qualified for. In my case, I got refunds from education credits and the Child Tax Credit even though I thought I wouldn't owe or get anything back. Also, if you're unsure about anything, don't hesitate to reach out to a tax professional or use some of the resources others have mentioned. The peace of mind of knowing you've filed correctly is worth it, especially when you have kids depending on you. Good luck!

Don't forget about state taxes too! I caught up on my federal returns and completely forgot I needed to do state returns as well. Had to go back and do the whole process again. Most states have similar rules for prior year returns (paper filing only).

Great advice in this thread! One thing I'd add that helped me when I caught up on my back taxes - consider filing in chronological order (oldest first) rather than all at once. This can help avoid potential processing delays or confusion at the IRS, especially if there are carryover items like net operating losses or credits that might affect multiple years. Also, if you discover you made errors on returns you've already filed while working on the older ones, you can file amended returns (Form 1040X) to correct them. Just keep in mind the 3-year deadline for claiming additional refunds applies to amended returns too. The IRS actually has a pretty helpful "Get Transcript" tool on their website where you can see what they have on file for you for each year. It's worth checking before you start to see if they've already processed substitute returns for any years (they sometimes do this when people don't file). If they have, you'll want to file your actual returns to replace their estimates, which are usually not in your favor.