Has anyone actually successfully gotten an Offer in Compromise accepted? I hear they reject like 60% of applications and the process takes forever.

I went through a similar situation last year with a $28k unexpected tax bill. Here's what I learned after talking to multiple tax professionals and the IRS directly: The payment plan is almost always your best bet when you have retirement funds available. The IRS considers your IRA as an asset you could access, which makes OIC approval very unlikely in your case. Even if you could qualify for an OIC, the application fee alone is $205 (non-refundable even if rejected), and the process typically takes 8-12 months during which interest and penalties continue accruing. For the payment plan, you can request up to 72 months as others mentioned. The key is to apply ASAP - the longer you wait, the more interest accumulates. You can apply online at irs.gov/payments if you owe less than $50k, which makes the process much faster. Regarding your IRA - only consider touching it as an absolute last resort. Even without early withdrawal penalties, you'd still owe income tax on any distribution, which could push you into a higher tax bracket for that year. Plus you lose all future tax-deferred growth on those funds. My advice: Set up the payment plan first, then reassess your financial situation in 6-12 months. If you find you're struggling with the payments, you can always modify the plan later or consider a partial IRA withdrawal at that point.

Whatever you do dont use Jackson Hewitt, there even worse than H&R. File yourself and save the $$

fun fact: you can file for free on the IRS website if you make under 73k

4 Has anyone dealt with HSA Bank for their account? My employer uses them and their website is SO confusing to navigate. I'm trying to adjust my contribution amount based on this thread and can barely figure out where to do it!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm in a very similar situation but with a twist - my husband and I both have family HDHPs through our respective employers, and we're covering different kids (from previous marriages). From what I'm reading here, it sounds like we'd each be able to contribute the full family limit ($8,300 each for 2025) since we have separate qualifying plans. But I'm worried about the IRS marriage limitation rule someone mentioned earlier. Has anyone dealt with this specific scenario where both spouses have family HDHPs covering different dependents? I want to make sure I understand the rules correctly before we max out both accounts. The last thing I want is to deal with excess contribution penalties!

I worked at HR Block for 5 tax seasons. Here's some real talk: what you're experiencing is normal but not ideal. During busy season they're desperate for people to handle the volume. You can use this to your advantage though! I started as a CSP with zero knowledge and by my third season was a tax professional making decent money.

I went through something very similar when I started at a different tax prep chain last year! The lack of training was honestly shocking - they threw me right into client meetings without even explaining the basic software. What helped me was being upfront with clients about my role. I started saying something like "I'm going to gather all your information and get everything entered, then one of our tax professionals will review everything with you and handle any questions." Most clients were actually fine with this once they understood the process. Also, don't be afraid to take notes during your shifts about things you don't understand, then look them up later or ask the senior preparers when they're not swamped. I kept a little notebook of common forms and what they meant. It gets easier once you see the same situations a few times! The good news is this experience will actually teach you a lot about real-world tax situations that you won't get in textbooks. Just remember - you're doing data entry, not making tax decisions, so don't stress too much about being the expert.

Just want to point out that even if you miss the deadline, it's not the end of the world. I completely missed my CP566 response deadline by about 3 weeks because the notice got lost in the mail and I only found out when I called to check on my application status. I still sent in the requested documents with a letter explaining why I was late, and my ITIN was approved without any issues. It just delayed the whole process by a few weeks. The IRS isn't as rigid as people think, especially for ITIN applications where they understand many applicants have international complications.

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now with my ITIN application. Got my CP566 notice last week and I'm supposed to be out of the country for work until mid-January. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea there were so many options available. I think I'm going to try calling the IRS directly first using that number Connor mentioned (1-800-908-9982) to see if they can note my account about the travel. If that doesn't work, the Claimyr service sounds promising based on the experiences shared here, especially since Natasha had success with it after being initially skeptical. One question for those who've been through this - when you called the IRS to explain international travel, did you need to provide any proof of your travel plans (like flight confirmations) or did they just take your word for it? I want to be prepared with whatever documentation they might need when I call. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. This community has been a lifesaver for navigating these confusing IRS processes!