9 Just adding another suggestion: call your employer's payroll department directly (not your manager). I work in HR and we can generate duplicate W-2s instantly with our payroll system at no charge. It's ridiculous they're trying to charge you $75! If it's a larger company, go above your boss's head and contact corporate payroll. By law, employers must provide W-2s to employees, and most companies don't charge for replacements.

As a tax preparer, I want to emphasize that you have several legitimate free options before paying your employer anything. The IRS wage and income transcript is your best bet - it's official, free, and most financial aid offices accept it. You can get it instantly online at irs.gov if you can verify your identity, or request it by phone. Also, definitely try calling your employer's corporate HR or payroll department if it's a larger company. Many employers don't charge for duplicate W-2s, and your manager might not be following company policy. The $75 fee sounds excessive and potentially against company guidelines. If all else fails and you're still within the tax filing deadline, you can actually file your taxes without the W-2 using Form 4852 (Substitute for Form W-2) based on your final pay stub, but check with a tax professional first since you're a dependent.

Don't forget about state taxes! While the federal government generally doesn't tax foreign inheritances, some states do have inheritance taxes. What state do you live in? That could make a difference too.

I went through something similar when my grandmother in France passed away and left me some money. One thing I learned that might help you - make sure you keep detailed records of EVERYTHING from the moment you're notified about the inheritance. I'd recommend creating a file with: the original will (and English translation), all correspondence with the Italian lawyer, bank transfer documents showing the source of funds, any Italian tax documents, and records of the exchange rate on the day you receive the money. The IRS loves documentation, and having this paper trail ready will save you headaches if they ever have questions. Also, don't rush to transfer the money immediately. Take time to understand all the requirements first - both the Form 3520 reporting and any potential FBAR obligations if the money sits in Italy for a while. I made the mistake of moving too quickly and had to reconstruct some of the documentation later. The €120,000 is a significant amount, so even though you won't owe income tax on it, getting professional help for at least the first year's filing is probably worth the cost to make sure everything is done correctly.

7 One thing nobody's mentioned yet - remember you can choose SPECIFIC LOTS when selling RSUs. You don't have to sell entire batches. Many brokers default to FIFO (first in, first out) but you can typically select exactly which shares to sell. This lets you fine-tune your tax strategy even further.

5 Just adding another consideration - if you've got other income/loss events this year, that might influence your decision. I ended up selling some underwater RSUs (at a loss) to offset gains from other investments. Tax-loss harvesting can be a powerful strategy!

My sister-in-law works at the IRS and said they NEVER just freeze accounts out of nowhere for simply filing late. They have to send multiple notices including a final certified letter with 30 days to respond before taking any action like that. The whole process takes at least 6+ months minimum, often years. The only time they move faster is if they suspect actual tax fraud or if someone is actively hiding assets, which doesn't sound like your situation at all. Just file ASAP, pay what you can, and respond to any notices you get.

I totally understand your panic - I was in almost the exact same situation two years ago. Missed the deadline by about 6 weeks and was convinced the IRS was going to empty my account overnight. Here's what actually happened: I filed late (with penalties), set up a payment plan for what I owed, and never heard from them again except for the monthly payment confirmations. No scary letters, no account freezing, nothing dramatic at all. The key things that helped me: 1) Filed as soon as I realized my mistake, 2) Paid what I could upfront (even though it was only about 30% of what I owed), and 3) set up an automatic payment plan for the rest. The IRS website makes it pretty easy to do the payment plan online. Your $5,300 estimate sounds very manageable for a payment plan. Even if you could only pay $200/month, that would show good faith and keep you in compliance. The relief you'll feel once you just file and get it sorted is incredible.

My tax guy told me there's a way to partially benefit from both if you have 2+ kids and don't max out the FSA. For example: - 2 kids with $20k in childcare expenses - Put $3k in FSA (not the full $5k) - Now you can claim $3k of expenses for the credit ($6k limit - $3k FSA) - Get 20% credit on that $3k = $600 tax credit This way you get both the tax-free FSA benefit AND a partial childcare credit. Might be worth running the numbers to see if this combo approach works better for your specific tax situation.

This is exactly the kind of frustrating tax situation that trips up so many parents! I went through the same confusion last year with my daughter's daycare costs. The key insight everyone's sharing is correct - with one child, the $3,000 expense limit for the childcare tax credit is what kills your ability to use both benefits. Since you're already using $5,000 in FSA funds, you've exceeded that $3,000 limit before you even get to claim the credit. One thing to consider for next year: if your daycare costs are that high anyway, you might want to run the numbers on whether maxing out the FSA at $5,000 gives you more tax savings than trying to optimize between the two benefits. In most cases, the pre-tax savings from the FSA (especially when you factor in avoiding FICA taxes) beat the 20% credit rate. Also worth noting - some employers offer dependent care assistance programs beyond just FSAs that might help with those brutal daycare costs. Mine offers backup care services and discounts at certain daycare centers. Might be worth checking with HR to see what other family benefits are available that you might not be utilizing.