Just wondering - does having a SSN from your internships change anything about how you fill out the W8-BEN? I got a social when I worked in the US last summer.

Just to add one more perspective here - don't stress too much about the W8-BEN form. It's actually pretty straightforward once you understand what it's for. The key thing to remember is that this form is specifically about the interest income your bank account generates, not your employment income. Since you're Canadian, you'll definitely benefit from the tax treaty. The US-Canada treaty eliminates withholding on bank interest entirely (0% instead of 30%), so filling out this form will actually save you money on any interest you earn. One thing I'd suggest is to keep a copy of your completed W8-BEN for your records. When you do eventually become a US tax resident (which sounds like it'll happen soon with your full-time move), you'll need to notify your bank and switch to providing them with a W-9 form instead. Having documentation of when you made that transition can be helpful for tax purposes. The form itself is valid for 3 years, but your circumstances are changing, so you'll likely need to update it sooner than that. Good luck with your move!

My situation was a little different but might be helpful. My 2017 divorce had both alimony and child support. In 2022, we modified BOTH the child support and alimony amounts because my income changed dramatically. My accountant warned me that because we modified the actual alimony amount after 2018, I lost the grandfather status and can no longer deduct it! So based on my experience, if your modification only touched child support and left alimony completely alone, you should be fine. But if you modified the alimony amount or terms at all, even in the same document as the child support changes, you might have lost the deduction.

This is exactly the kind of complex tax situation where the details really matter. Based on what you've described, since your 2023 modification was specifically for child support (due to your oldest graduating college and youngest changing schools) and your divorce was finalized in 2018, you should still be able to deduct your alimony payments. The key question is whether your modification document touched the alimony terms at all. If it only addressed the child support calculation and left the $2,250 monthly alimony amount and terms completely unchanged, then you maintain your grandfathered status under the pre-2019 rules. However, I'd strongly recommend getting a definitive answer before your quarterly payment deadline. You might want to review your modification paperwork carefully to see if it mentions alimony at all, or consider reaching out to the IRS directly for clarification on your specific situation. The peace of mind of knowing for certain is worth it when you're dealing with $27,000+ annually in deductions.

Call the IRS directly if ur unsure about anything. Better safe than sorry

Another telltale sign of this scam is the timing - legitimate EIP payments ended years ago, so any new messages claiming you're eligible for a $1,400 payment should be an immediate red flag. The IRS doesn't send out surprise payments via text, and they definitely don't ask you to "provide accurate personal information" through suspicious links. Always remember: if it sounds too good to be true and comes through an unexpected channel, it probably is a scam.

Based on your situation with 3 kids, one income of $95k, and a recent home purchase, getting married in December would very likely provide significant tax advantages! Here's why: The marriage bonus kicks in when there's a large income disparity between partners (like your situation with one working, one stay-at-home parent). You'd benefit from: 1. **Higher standard deduction**: $27,700 for married filing jointly vs. $20,800 for head of household 2. **Better tax bracket treatment**: Your $95k income gets spread across more favorable joint brackets 3. **Child Tax Credit optimization**: Up to $2,000 per child remains the same, but income thresholds are higher for joint filers 4. **Homeowner benefits**: Mortgage interest and property tax deductions often work better on joint returns The December timing is perfect - being married by Dec 31st means you're considered married for the entire tax year. With your income level and family situation, you're looking at potentially $2,000-$4,000 in tax savings by filing jointly versus your partner filing as head of household. Given the complexity though, I'd definitely recommend running the actual numbers with a tax professional or reliable tax software to confirm the exact savings in your specific situation!

This is such a timely question! I went through the exact same decision process last year with my partner and our 2 kids. Based on your situation - one income at $95k, stay-at-home parent, 3 kids, and a recent home purchase - getting married in December would almost certainly save you money on taxes. The key factors working in your favor are the higher standard deduction for married filing jointly ($27,700 vs $20,800 for head of household), better tax bracket treatment when there's only one income, and the fact that your income level won't trigger any phase-outs for child tax credits. The mortgage interest deduction will also likely be more beneficial on a joint return. We ended up saving about $2,800 by getting married before the end of the tax year in our similar situation. The December timing is perfect since the IRS considers you married for the entire year if you're married by December 31st. That said, everyone's situation is unique, so I'd definitely recommend getting the actual numbers run for your specific circumstances before making the final decision. But based on what you've shared, the tax math strongly favors getting married sooner rather than later!

Just a quick tip - if you're using TurboTax to file back taxes for a partnership, make sure you buy the BUSINESS version, not just Self-Employed. I made this mistake and had to repurchase the correct software.

I went through almost the exact same situation last year with my consulting partnership. The key thing to remember is that you're not the first people to fall behind on partnership filings - the IRS sees this regularly with small businesses. Here's what worked for me: I found a local CPA who specializes in small business tax issues rather than trying to DIY it with software. Yes, it cost more upfront (around $800 for both the late 1065 and help with our personal returns), but they knew exactly how to handle the penalty abatement requests and got us set up properly going forward. The CPA was also able to file everything electronically, which was faster than paper filing, and they included a letter explaining our situation as first-time filers who were unaware of the partnership requirements. We ended up getting most of the penalties waived under the First Time Abatement program. Don't panic - just act quickly. The longer you wait, the more penalties accumulate. And once you get caught up, set up quarterly estimated tax payments to avoid this situation in the future.