I'm kinda shocked nobody's mentioned that Oregon has its own witholding form too (OR W-4). If you're only adjusting your federal W-4, you're missing half the equation. Oregon's state tax rates are pretty high (up to 9.9%!) and that might explain why your state refund was smaller than expected last time. You should check if your employer has you fill out a separate Oregon withholding form or if they just use your federal W-4 settings for state witholding too. Could make a big difference!

This is such great advice about the Oregon W-4! I honestly had no idea there was a separate state form. I just filled out the federal W-4 when I got hired and assumed that covered everything. Looking at my paystub now, I can see they're taking out Oregon state tax, but I have no clue what rate or how it was calculated. I'm going to check with HR tomorrow to see if I need to fill out a separate Oregon form. Oregon's tax rates being up to 9.9% is pretty scary - that could definitely explain why my state refund was so much smaller than I expected. Between potentially higher federal rates if TCJA expires AND making sure my Oregon withholding is right, I feel like I have a lot more to figure out than I thought! Thanks for pointing this out - I probably would have just focused on federal and gotten another surprise next year.

I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation! Filed in early April and still stuck with Tax Topic 152 and that frustrating "delayed beyond normal timeframe" message. The no status bars thing is what really gets me - like, give us SOMETHING to show progress is being made. I've been reading through all these comments and it sounds like getting your transcript is really the key to understanding what's actually happening. Going to try setting up that IRS account tonight and see if I can get some real answers about why this is taking so long. Has anyone had success with just waiting it out vs. actively trying to contact them? I'm torn between being patient and trying to get through to an actual person who can help move things along.

I'm in almost the exact same boat - filed in late March and still getting that same "delayed beyond normal timeframe" message with Tax Topic 152. The lack of any status bars is so frustrating because you have no idea if any progress is being made at all. From reading through all these comments, it really seems like getting your transcript is the most important first step. That's where the real information is hiding that the Where's My Refund tool doesn't show you. I'm definitely going to try setting up an IRS account this weekend to see what codes are actually on my return. The calling services people mentioned sound helpful but I'm wondering if I should try the transcript route first before spending money on those. Has anyone here found that just having the transcript information was enough to understand the delay without needing to actually call? Also really appreciate the tip about contacting your congressman's office - I had no idea that was even an option for tax issues!

Don't overthink this. I've been sports betting for years and here's my simple approach: 1. Track all deposits into betting accounts 2. Track all withdrawals from betting accounts 3. At end of year: if withdrawals > deposits = report the difference as gambling income 4. If deposits > withdrawals = potential gambling loss (deductible if itemizing) The IRS doesn't care about individual bets, bonus money, etc. They just want net numbers. Unless you're winning so much you're getting W-2Gs, this method keeps it simple and accurate.

I've been dealing with this exact situation and want to share what I learned after consulting with a tax professional. The key thing to understand is that bonus money creates a timing issue for tax reporting. When you receive a $65 bonus with wagering requirements, that bonus isn't taxable income yet because you can't actually access it. However, once you meet those requirements and the money becomes withdrawable, ANY amount you can withdraw (including the original bonus) becomes taxable income at that point. So in your example, if you complete the $130 wagering requirement and end up with $80 withdrawable (your $65 deposit + $15 net win from the bonus), you'd report $15 as gambling income. If you had won more and could withdraw $150 total, you'd report $85 as income ($150 - $65 original deposit). The tricky part is keeping detailed records of when bonuses become unlocked vs. when you actually withdraw. I use a simple spreadsheet tracking: deposit date/amount, bonus received, wagering requirement completion date, and final withdrawable amount. This way I can clearly show the IRS what portion represents actual gambling income versus return of my original deposits. Most importantly, don't try to separate "bonus money wins" from "real money wins" - the IRS doesn't recognize that distinction once the money is all in your account.

Has anyone tried filing as Head of Household instead? I've heard that might be an option if your spouse is a nonresident alien and doesn't live with you in the US. Could save on taxes compared to MFS.

I went through this exact situation two years ago when I got married to my husband who was still in the UK waiting for his green card. Here's what I learned from experience: You absolutely cannot e-file with "NRA" in the SSN field - every tax software I tried (TurboTax, H&R Block, FreeTaxUSA) rejected it immediately. The IRS e-filing system requires a valid 9-digit identifier. My recommendation is to go the ITIN route if you plan to file jointly in future years or if your spouse will be coming to the US soon. Yes, it takes 8-10 weeks to get the ITIN, but it's worth it for the convenience of e-filing. You'll need to submit Form W-7 along with your tax return and original or certified copies of your spouse's identification documents. If you need to file immediately and don't want to wait for an ITIN, paper filing with "NRA" written in the spouse SSN field is perfectly acceptable. I did this my first year and had no issues - just make sure to clearly write "NRA" and don't leave it blank. One tip: if you do decide to get an ITIN, consider using a Certified Acceptance Agent (CAA) who can verify your spouse's documents instead of mailing originals to the IRS. It's safer and often faster.

2 Has anyone used Koinly for this purpose? I'm looking at options for sorting out my crypto taxes and that's one I've heard mentioned.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is checking if you have any old email confirmations from your 2021 purchases. Coinbase used to send detailed transaction confirmations that included the exact amount, price, and fees for each purchase. I was in a similar situation last year and found these emails buried in my Gmail - they were a lifesaver for reconstructing my cost basis. Even if you can't find the emails in your inbox, try searching for "Coinbase" or "You bought" in your email from 2021. Also, if you linked a bank account for your purchases, your bank statements from 2021 will show the exact dollar amounts you transferred to Coinbase on specific dates. You can then cross-reference those dates with historical crypto prices to get a pretty accurate cost basis estimate. The IRS accepts reasonable reconstruction methods when original records are unavailable, so don't stress too much about getting it perfect down to the penny. Just document your methodology clearly.