That pre-filing freeze from February is a red flag - it usually means the IRS had your SSN flagged in their system before you even submitted your 2023 return. This could be due to identity verification issues, prior year problems, or suspected fraud activity on your account. The codes 971/977 from June likely represent IRS-initiated adjustments rather than something you filed. When the IRS finds discrepancies during processing, they sometimes code it as an "amended return" even though it's their internal correction. Your cycle 1305 puts you in a later processing batch, but with that 810 freeze active, cycle timing becomes irrelevant until it's resolved. The sequence numbers indicate your case is in manual review. I'd strongly recommend: 1. Call the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040 to ask about the February freeze 2. Request all notices sent to your address - you may have missed something 3. Consider contacting Taxpayer Advocate Service if you've been waiting over 21 days past your cycle date Don't expect movement until that 810 code is cleared. The amendment processing will add 16+ weeks once the freeze is lifted.

The February freeze date is definitely the key issue here - that's what's holding everything up. When you see an 810 code dated before your filing date, it usually means the IRS had a systematic flag on your account, possibly from identity theft, prior year issues, or income reporting discrepancies they detected through third-party matching. Those 971/977 codes from June are likely IRS-generated adjustments, not something you filed. They often code their internal corrections as "amended returns" even when the taxpayer didn't submit anything. A few things to check: - Log into your IRS online account to see if there are any notices posted there - Call 1-800-829-1040 and ask specifically about the February 8th freeze code - Check if someone may have attempted to file a return using your SSN early in the year The cycle 1305 timing becomes irrelevant with that active freeze. Until the 810 is resolved, your refund stays frozen regardless of processing cycles. Once lifted, you're still looking at additional weeks for the amendment processing. This situation definitely warrants a call to Taxpayer Advocate Service (1-877-777-4778) since you've been impacted for months without clear communication from the IRS.

Just adding in case this helps - for scholarship or fellowship grants to non-resident aliens, the portion for tuition and books isn't taxable, but the portion for living expenses is considered FDAP subject to 30% withholding unless a tax treaty applies. I learned this after receiving a small research stipend as a visiting scholar at a US university. The university withheld 30% automatically from the living allowance portion.

Great question about FDAP income reporting! You're absolutely correct - as a non-resident alien, you generally only need to report FDAP income that's from US sources. Your Canadian accountant's confusion is understandable since this is a specialized area. For your specific situation with dividends from US stocks, these would definitely be US-source FDAP income subject to reporting. The good news is that under the US-Canada tax treaty, dividend withholding is typically reduced from 30% to 15% if you properly complete Form W-8BEN with your broker. One thing to watch out for - make sure your brokerage is applying the correct treaty rate. I've seen cases where non-resident aliens had too much tax withheld because they didn't properly claim treaty benefits, then had to file Form 1040-NR to get a refund. Your Japanese and European dividends, as others have mentioned, aren't reportable to the US - those would be handled under Canadian tax rules as a Canadian resident.

The 'overtime isn't worth it' myth caused me to turn down shifts for YEARS before I learned better. Here's a simple way to think about it: Let's say you're in the 22% federal bracket plus 7% state taxes. That means you keep 71% of each additional dollar (100% - 22% - 7% = 71%). So: - Regular time at $42.50/hr = about $30.18 after taxes - Time and a half at $63.75/hr = about $45.26 after taxes - Double time at $85.00/hr = about $60.35 after taxes - Triple time at $127.50/hr = about $90.53 after taxes Tell me where in that calculation it's "not worth it" to work more? Even at your lowest overtime rate, you're making more per hour after taxes than your regular rate before taxes!

Your buddy is spreading one of the most persistent tax myths out there! I used to believe the same thing until I actually did the math. Here's what's really happening: When you work that much overtime, your paycheck withholding might look scary because payroll systems often calculate as if you'll earn that same amount every pay period. But that's just withholding - not your actual tax liability. With your income levels, you're likely in the 22% or 24% federal bracket, plus whatever your state charges. Even if overtime pushes some income into a higher bracket, you're still keeping 70-75% of every overtime dollar you earn. Think about it this way: even your lowest overtime rate (time and a half at $63.75) nets you more after taxes than your regular rate before taxes. Your triple time is basically printing money at nearly $90/hour take-home. The real question isn't whether overtime is "worth it" financially - it always is. The question is whether the extra money is worth the physical and mental toll of working 84-hour weeks. That's a personal decision only you can make, but don't let tax bracket myths be the reason you turn down shifts!

Has anyone dealt with the tax consequences if the IRS accepts the revocation? I'm thinking about revoking my S-Corp too, but I'm worried about how to handle things like the built-in gains tax or other penalties.

I've been through this exact scenario with a client earlier this year. The timing is actually in your favor since you're still within the same tax year. Here's what worked for us: We submitted Form 8832 with a detailed letter explaining that the S-Corp election was made in error and requesting to revert to disregarded entity status. The key was emphasizing that no S-Corp tax returns had been filed and no payroll had been processed under the election. The IRS approved our request within about 6 weeks. What really helped was including a copy of the original S-Corp election acceptance letter and clearly stating that we wanted the entity treated "as if the S-Corp election had never been made." For New Jersey, you'll definitely want to contact them separately. NJ doesn't automatically follow federal changes, so you may need to file additional paperwork there. Honestly, if your client is having serious doubts this early, it's probably worth pursuing the revocation rather than being stuck with an unwanted election for 5 years. The administrative burden of S-Corp compliance isn't worth it if it doesn't fit their business model.

Has anyone used TurboTax for reporting crypto with all these fee adjustments? Their crypto section confused me last year.

I had the exact same confusion about bitcoin trading fees last year! After going through this myself, I can confirm what others have said - these fees definitely adjust your capital gains but aren't separate deductions. What really helped me was creating a simple spreadsheet to track everything. For each bitcoin sale, I had columns for: original purchase price, purchase fees, sale price, sale fees, and adjusted gain/loss. The formula was basically: (Sale Price - Sale Fees) - (Purchase Price + Purchase Fees) = Actual Gain/Loss. So for your $1,275 in fees, make sure you're adding purchase fees to your cost basis and subtracting sale fees from your proceeds before calculating gains. This will naturally reduce your taxable gains without needing to claim them as a separate deduction anywhere. Keep all your exchange statements showing these fees - the IRS loves documentation for crypto transactions. Good luck with your filing!