Quick heads up - make sure you keep copies of EVERYTHING you send them. The IRS is known for losing mail these days with all the backlogs their dealing with. And when you do mail it, use certified mail with tracking so you have proof they received it.

Also worth noting - if you owe additional taxes after submitting the 8962, you'll get a separate bill for that amount plus interest from your original filing date. But if you end up getting a larger refund, they'll send you the difference. The whole process is annoying but at least they do eventually sort it out once they have all your forms.

One resource I've found super helpful is the "Sales Tax Institute" website. They have free state-by-state guides that outline service taxability. From my experience in running a marketing agency for 5+ years: - Pure marketing services (strategy, consulting, campaign management) are exempt in most states - Digital products (downloadable reports, templates, etc.) are taxable in about 30 states - SaaS tools you might resell to clients are taxable in ~20 states - Design services fall into a gray area in some states Multi-state sales tax compliance is honestly one of the biggest headaches of running a digital business. I ended up registering in the 5 states where I have the most clients just to be safe.

Something nobody's mentioned yet - make sure you're tracking where your CLIENTS are, not just where you're located. I made this mistake when I started my agency. Even if marketing services are exempt in your state, if you hit economic nexus thresholds in other states (usually around $100k in sales or 200 transactions), you might need to register and file there too. Some states also have different rules for digital products vs. services.

Has anyone used TurboTax or similar software to handle this kind of international situation? I'm in almost the exact same boat (moved to Germany in 2023, have US rental property) and wondering if regular tax software can handle the complexity or if I need something specialized.

I'm dealing with a very similar situation - moved to Germany in late 2023 and have been struggling with understanding how the tax treaty applies to my US rental income. From what I've researched, the key is that rental income from US property remains primarily taxable in the US under Article 6 of the treaty, but Germany will still include it in your worldwide income calculation. One thing I learned that might help: make sure you're properly calculating your German tax residency date. If you moved in September 2023, you likely became a German tax resident immediately upon arrival with intention to stay permanently. This affects how much of your 2023 income Germany will want to tax. For the rental property, you'll need to report it on both returns but can claim foreign tax credits to avoid double taxation. The German tax advisor's quote does seem excessive - I've seen quotes ranging from €800-1500 for similar complexity. Have you considered getting a second opinion from another German Steuerberater? Also, don't forget about depreciation on your rental property - you can claim it in both countries, which can significantly reduce your taxable rental income.

I'm at week 15 myself and completely feel your pain! Filed my amended return on March 5th to correct some 1099 income reporting that was missed on my original return. Still stuck on "received" status despite being so close to that 16-week mark. What's been driving me crazy is how random the processing seems to be. I've tracked posts on various forums and there really doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to who gets processed when. I've seen people who filed simple amendments in April already getting their refunds, while others with basic corrections from February are still waiting. The one thing that's given me some peace of mind is reading that the IRS is actually processing MORE amended returns than usual this year, but they're being extra thorough due to increased fraud detection measures. So the delays might actually be a sign that they're being more careful, which could be good in the long run. I'm planning to call next week when I hit 16 weeks, but honestly after reading all the experiences here about getting through to them, I might try one of those callback services if the regular phone lines don't work. At this point I just want to know my return isn't lost in some black hole somewhere! Stay strong - sounds like most people eventually get their refunds, it's just a matter of when!

I'm at week 10 with my amended return (filed March 20th to correct some retirement account distributions) and this thread is exactly what I needed to see! I was starting to panic thinking something was wrong, but it sounds like everyone is dealing with similar delays. What's been helpful for me is setting a reminder to check the "Where's My Amended Return" tool just once a week instead of obsessively checking it daily. It was driving me crazy to see the same "received" status over and over. Now I check every Friday morning and it's much less stressful. One thing I learned from my tax preparer is that certain types of amendments (like retirement account corrections, stock sales, or credit claims) often get routed to specialized review teams, which can add extra time. That might explain why some of us with more complex amendments are waiting longer than others with simple income corrections. I'm going to wait until week 16 before calling, but reading about the callback services here has me curious. If the regular IRS phone lines don't work out, I might give one of those a try rather than spending hours on hold. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's reassuring to know we're all in this together!

Be extremely careful when searching for IRS phone numbers online. I found what I thought was a legitimate number on a tax help website, called it, and it turned out to be a scam operation. They started asking for my SSN and payment info to "verify my identity." The ONLY safe place to get IRS contact info is directly from IRS.gov or the official IRS publication you received. Don't trust random Google search results like I did - lesson learned the expensive way.

For property tax deduction questions specifically, you might want to try the Individual Tax Line at 800-829-1040 and specifically ask to be transferred to someone who handles Schedule A itemized deductions. When you call, have your prior year returns ready and be prepared to explain that your question relates to property tax deductibility - this helps them route you to the right specialist faster. I'd also recommend calling right at 7am when they open, as the wait times are typically shortest then. If you're dealing with SALT (State and Local Tax) limitation issues on your property taxes, mention that specifically since it requires someone familiar with the $10,000 cap rules.