Question: has anyone dealt with the actual process of cashing these HH bonds? I've heard some banks won't even cash savings bonds anymore, especially the older series. Do you have to mail them somewhere?

Just want to add another perspective based on my experience with my nephew's bonds last year. Since your daughter is 16 and the bonds are in her name, reporting on her return is definitely the way to go given her low income level. One thing to keep in mind - make sure you get the 1099-INT from the Treasury when you cash the bonds. It will break down the taxable interest clearly. For HH bonds that were converted from EE bonds, there can be two components: the deferred interest from the original EE bonds (which becomes taxable now) and any interest earned by the HH bonds themselves. Also, even though your daughter might not technically be required to file if her total income stays under the standard deduction, it's probably worth filing anyway. She'll likely get back any taxes withheld from her summer job, and it establishes a good paper trail for the bond interest reporting. The IRS likes to see consistency, especially with larger amounts like this. The whole process was much simpler than I expected once I understood the rules. Good luck!

I completely understand your frustration - I went through the same nightmare when I first moved here! One thing that helped me was calling the IRS's dedicated line for international taxpayers at 267-941-1000. Since you're dealing with new resident filing questions, they're specifically trained for situations like yours and often have shorter wait times than the main number. Also, try calling right at 7 AM Eastern when they open - I've had much better luck getting through early in the morning. If you still can't get through, the Taxpayer Advocate Service mentioned by others is definitely worth trying. They can often help navigate complex situations for new residents. Good luck!

I've been through this exact same struggle! Here's what finally worked for me after weeks of frustration: Try calling 800-829-1040 and when you get to the automated system, press 1 for English, then 2 for personal tax questions, then 1 again for form/tax law questions, and finally 3 for all other tax questions. This specific sequence seems to bypass some of the endless loops. Also, I discovered that calling on Wednesday or Thursday afternoons around 2-3 PM Eastern actually had shorter wait times than the early morning rush everyone talks about. And definitely have your Social Security Number and last year's AGI ready - they ask for it immediately. As a fellow newcomer, I also recommend checking if your local library offers free tax preparation services through the VITA program - they helped me understand the new resident filing requirements without the phone hassle!

Just got those same codes last week! lets hope we both get paid soon

TC 571 is actually a good sign! It means the IRS is releasing a previous hold or reversing an adjustment. Combined with TC 971, you should be getting a notice explaining what happened. I had the same codes last year and got my refund about 3 weeks later. The waiting is brutal but you're probably in the home stretch now. Check your transcript weekly for TC 846 - that's when you'll see your actual refund date!

A warning from someone who learned the hard way - if you're selling on multiple platforms, they ALL count toward that $600 threshold! I was selling on eBay, Mercari, and Facebook Marketplace thinking each platform had its own separate $600 limit. Nope! You have to combine all your sales across all platforms. Also, some payment processors like PayPal or Venmo might send separate 1099-Ks too. I ended up with THREE different 1099 forms for what I thought was a small selling hobby. The IRS computer systems match these forms to your tax ID, so don't forget to report all of them!

I totally get the frustration @Rebecca! I was in the same boat last year - just wanted to declutter and make a few bucks, then suddenly I'm drowning in tax forms. Here's what I wish someone had told me from the start: keep it simple but organized. Create one spreadsheet with columns for: item sold, what you paid for it originally, sale price, shipping costs, and platform fees. That's literally all you need. The good news is you're only taxed on actual profit, not gross sales. So if you bought something for $20, sold it for $35, and paid $3 in fees, you only owe taxes on $12 profit. All those scary 1099 forms just show gross sales - they don't tell the full story of what you actually made. Don't let the complexity scare you away from selling! Just start tracking everything now and you'll be fine next tax season.

Has anyone noticed that the IRS letters this year are super delayed? I just got my Letter 6475 last week even though they were supposed to mail them out in January!!!

I had the exact same confusion with Letter 6475 last year! The key thing to understand is that when you're married filing jointly, you DO need to add both amounts together. Each spouse gets their own letter showing their individual portion of the Economic Impact Payment, but since you're filing as one household, you report the total combined amount. So if both your letters show the same dollar amount, that means you each received that amount individually - add them together for your joint return. This is totally normal and the IRS expects married couples to combine these amounts when filing jointly. One tip: keep both letters with your tax records in case the IRS ever asks for documentation. And don't worry about triggering an audit over this - as long as you report the correct total amount you actually received, you'll be fine!