3 You definitely need to check your paystubs throughout the year to catch withholding problems before filing time! A good rule of thumb for single filers is that roughly 12-15% of your gross income should go to federal taxes when you make $30k-$40k. So with $36k income, you should have had about $4,300-$5,400 withheld throughout the year. If you only had $105 withheld, that's less than 0.3% of your income! No wonder you owe so much. For the future, always check your first couple paystubs after starting a new job or submitting a new W-4 to make sure the withholding looks reasonable.

14 This is why our tax system is so messed up! You shouldn't need special tools or services just to pay the right amount. I had a similar issue last year - thought I was doing everything right and still ended up with a huge bill. Has anyone used any good tax software that helps prevent this kind of surprise? I've been using FreeTaxUSA but it doesn't really help with planning for next year.

If you have your bank statement showing the payment cleared, another option is visiting your local Taxpayer Assistance Center in person. You need to make an appointment first by calling 844-545-5640. They often can pull up your records on the spot and see what happened to your payment. When I had a similar issue, the in-person IRS assistant saw that my estimated payment had been correctly received but was applied to the wrong tax year (they applied it to 2021 instead of 2022). She fixed it right there in the system while I waited!

Did you check your IRS online account to see if the payment shows up there? Sometimes the payment posts correctly to your account but doesn't get matched to the return properly. Go to irs.gov and create/login to your online account - you can see all payments received there.

For cheap filing of 1040-NR with such a small amount, go with FreeTaxUSA. They charge around $15 for the federal nonresident return. I've used them for the past three years for my 1040-NR filings with an ITIN. Just be aware that the interview process doesn't always address every nonresident situation, so you might need to double-check some entries. But for a simple return with just $410 in business income, it should be straightforward.

Just a heads up - make sure you're actually required to file. For nonresidents with just US business income, you generally need to file if you have a US trade or business regardless of the amount. If it's just passive income under $4000 though, you might not need to file at all. But since your goal is keeping the ITIN active, filing makes sense. Just wanted to clarify that point.

Does anyone know if there's a tax benefit to paying back a 401k loan early? Like can I deduct the interest or anything if I pay it back faster than the 5 year term?

Something that really bit me - I took a 401k loan and then my company got acquired 3 months later. The new company's plan didn't accept loan transfers, so I had to either repay the full amount within 30 days or have it treated as a distribution. I ended up with a huge tax bill because I couldn't come up with the cash that quickly. Just something to consider if there's any chance of company changes on the horizon!

I just went through a PCS from Germany back to Fort Hood last year and had to pay $3400 to bring our two cats. I asked the JAG office tax attorney about this before filing and they specifically advised NOT to claim pet expenses on Form 3903. Their explanation was that while military members can still claim moving expenses (unlike civilians after the tax law changes), the IRS has consistently treated pets differently than household goods. They said the pet transportation costs would be considered personal expenses, not moving expenses. I know it sucks to hear since pet transportation internationally is crazy expensive, but thought I'd share what military legal advised us.

LPT: don't forget that while most of the military moving expenses are covered, you can still deduct anything that wasn't reimbursed! This includes things like extra weight charges if you were over your allowance, temporary storage beyond what the military covered, and miscellaneous moving-related expenses. The key with Form 3903 is that you can only deduct costs the military didn't reimburse you for. So document everything carefully, especially for an OCONUS move!