Former tax preparer here. The confusion might be because you mentioned "claiming your wife" which isn't actually how it works anymore. You file either as "married filing jointly" (MFJ) or "married filing separately" (MFS). If you file jointly, which most couples do because it's usually more beneficial, then the refund belongs equally to both spouses under tax law, regardless of who earned what. It's a joint return with joint liability and joint benefits.

This is actually more complicated than just tax law. While the IRS treats the refund as belonging to both of you when filing jointly, state laws about marital property can also come into play. In community property states, most assets acquired during marriage are generally considered owned equally by both spouses. But in equitable distribution states, it could be treated differently in certain contexts.

LOL at "I did it myself for the first time" - welcome to the club of "I'll never do that again"! 😂 But seriously, don't panic. I was shocked when I got a $4,200 bill from the IRS two years ago. Turned out I had completely messed up reporting my crypto trades (who knew you had to report EACH transaction?!). The good news is that if you respond to them with a reasonable explanation and are willing to work with them, they're actually not the monsters everyone makes them out to be. They put me on a payment plan with minimal hassle.

Before you do anything else, make sure to carefully read through every page of the notice you received. The IRS notice should include a detailed breakdown showing exactly what they believe you reported incorrectly versus what they have on file. Look for things like: - Unreported W-2 or 1099 income that employers/clients sent to the IRS - Incorrect Social Security numbers or dependent information - Math errors in calculating your tax liability - Incorrectly claimed deductions or credits The notice should also clearly state your response deadline (usually 30 days) and provide instructions for how to respond if you disagree. If you agree with their assessment, you can simply pay the amount owed. If you disagree, you'll need to send a written response with supporting documentation. One thing to keep in mind: if this is legitimate, acting quickly is important. The longer you wait, the more interest and penalties will accumulate. But don't rush into paying without understanding what went wrong - you have rights as a taxpayer to dispute incorrect assessments.

Has anyone used the actual expense method vs. standard mileage rate for a leased vehicle? I've heard conflicting advice about which is better.

Just wanted to share my experience as someone who made this exact decision last year. I'm also a sole proprietor with about 55% business use on my vehicle. After going through all the calculations (and talking to my CPA), I ended up purchasing instead of leasing, primarily because of the Section 179 deduction and bonus depreciation opportunities. For 2024, you can still deduct the full purchase price in year one for many vehicles under Section 179 (up to $1,220,000 limit), which created a significant immediate tax benefit for my business cash flow. One thing that really helped was keeping meticulous records from day one. I use a simple app to log every trip with the business purpose, and I photograph my odometer reading at the beginning and end of each tax year. The IRS loves detailed contemporaneous records if you ever get audited. Also, don't forget about the state tax implications - some states have different rules for vehicle deductions that might influence your decision. In my state, the sales tax on the purchase was also partially deductible as a business expense. The key is running the numbers for YOUR specific situation rather than relying on general advice. Vehicle cost, expected mileage, business use percentage, and your current tax bracket all factor into what's optimal.

Called the IRS about this exact thing last week. They said its processing normally now but could still take 4-6 weeks for the refund to hit 😩

I had the same 571 code show up last month and got my refund exactly 10 days later! It definitely means they released whatever hold was on your account. Just keep checking for that 846 code with the refund date. The waiting game sucks but you're in the final stretch now 💪

I think we're missing the bigger picture here. The real issue isn't whether the UN or OECD should lead this effort - it's that multinational corporations have been exploiting gaps between different national tax systems for decades. Apple, Google, Amazon etc have gotten away with paying tiny fractions of what they should because countries can't coordinate effectively. Maybe instead of wealthy nations fighting to maintain control over a broken system, we should be asking which approach will actually result in fair taxation of these giant corporations? From what I've read, the UN plan gives developing countries more say, but does that translate to more effective taxation of multinationals? That should be the metric we use to evaluate these proposals.

As someone who runs a small manufacturing business with operations in three countries, I've been watching this UN vs OECD debate closely because it could seriously impact how I structure my operations going forward. What strikes me is that both frameworks seem to be missing input from small and medium businesses that actually operate internationally. Most of the discussion I see focuses on tech giants and massive multinationals, but there are thousands of smaller companies like mine that have legitimate cross-border operations without sophisticated tax planning structures. The UN plan's emphasis on economic substance sounds good in theory, but I'm concerned about the compliance burden. If every country gets more say in global tax rules, that could mean navigating even more complex reporting requirements across multiple jurisdictions. The OECD approach might be dominated by wealthy countries, but at least it's been developed with input from tax professionals who understand implementation challenges. I'd love to hear from other small business owners who operate internationally - are you more concerned about fairness in the global system or about the practical compliance costs of whatever new framework emerges?