Sometimes when they do manual adjustments it defaults to check even if u picked DD. But ive seen it go both ways tbh

From my experience, when they remove a freeze code manually like that, it usually goes back to your original payment method (direct deposit in your case). The agent probably said check because that's their default response, but I've seen most people still get DD when they originally selected it. Check your transcript for the 846 code in the next day or two - that'll tell you for sure how it's coming!

Don't forget that if your father's estate is large enough, you might also need to file an estate tax return (Form 706) within 9 months of death, even if no estate tax is due. For 2025, this applies to estates worth over $13.61 million. Different from the income tax issues everyone's discussing.

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who went through this recently with my grandmother's estate. The step-up in basis rule really is a lifesaver - we sold about $180,000 in stocks to pay off her medical debts and ended up with only about $3,200 in capital gains because we acted quickly after her passing. One practical tip: keep very detailed records of everything. I created a spreadsheet tracking each asset's date-of-death value, sale date, sale price, and resulting gain/loss. This made filing the Form 1041 much easier and gave me confidence that everything was calculated correctly. Also, if you're working with multiple brokerage firms, some are much more helpful than others in providing the date-of-death valuations. Vanguard was fantastic - they provided a detailed statement within 48 hours. Schwab took nearly three weeks and required multiple follow-ups. Just something to keep in mind as you plan your timeline for settling the debts.

The other commenters are right about the EV not qualifying, but I wanted to add that you should look into the specific requirements of Section 25D of the tax code, which covers the Residential Clean Energy Credit. The key issue is that battery storage technology must be used to store electricity for consumption at the qualified residence. While your EV can technically do this, the IRS looks at the primary purpose of the asset. If you're serious about home battery storage, consider a dedicated system like a Tesla Powerwall or Enphase battery. These definitely qualify for the 30% credit when installed with solar, and you don't have to worry about any gray areas.

Has anyone actually tried claiming this on their taxes? I'm curious if the IRS has explicitly denied these claims or if it's just that tax professionals don't think it would work.

For those wondering about deadlines: The FBAR (FinCEN Form 114) is due April 15, but there's an automatic extension to October 15 every year. You don't need to request this extension - it's automatic. Just sharing since I panicked unnecessarily last year thinking I had missed the deadline! And to echo what others have said, the "Information on Financial Account(s) Where Filer is Filing a Consolidated Report" section isn't applicable for individual account holders. File your FBAR, report your individual account(s), and you're good to go.

Just wanted to add some clarity for anyone else who might be confused about this section. I work as a tax preparer and see this question come up frequently with clients who have foreign accounts. The "Information on Financial Account(s) Where Filer is Filing a Consolidated Report" section is specifically for entities (corporations, partnerships, LLCs) that are filing a single FBAR on behalf of multiple individuals who have signature authority over the same accounts. For example, if a company has 5 officers who all have signature authority on the same corporate bank account in Switzerland, the company could file one consolidated FBAR instead of each officer filing separately. Since you mentioned you're an individual with your own personal account, this section definitely doesn't apply to you. You would simply complete the regular FBAR form reporting your single account with the maximum value, account details, and bank information. The key thing to remember is that even though the form looks complex, most individual filers only need to complete the basic account information sections. Don't let the corporate/entity sections confuse you - they're not relevant to personal account holders like yourself.

Has anyone considered that you could possibly do both home office deduction AND rent part of it? Like if part of the shed is used for storage and part for actual embroidery work? Or is that getting too complicated and asking for an audit?

One important consideration that hasn't been mentioned is that if you go the rental route, you'll need to be very careful about fair market value pricing. The IRS scrutinizes related-party rentals closely, so you can't just charge yourself whatever rent you want - it needs to be what you'd realistically pay to rent a similar 250 sq ft business space in your area. Also, keep detailed records of ALL the improvements you've made (mini-split, lighting, electrical work) because those can be depreciated regardless of which method you choose. For your $12,000 in equipment, that gets depreciated separately as business assets anyway, not as part of the building deduction. Given that you're already set up as a sole proprietor filing Schedule C, I'd lean toward the home office deduction route. It's cleaner paperwork-wise and you won't have to deal with rental income reporting. Just make sure you're measuring your shed square footage accurately and keeping good documentation of your exclusive business use.