I'd also suggest keeping detailed records of all your attempts to get your W-2. Screenshot any emails you send to your former employer requesting it, and keep copies of their responses (or lack thereof). This documentation becomes really important if you need to file Form 4852 or contact the IRS for help. One thing I learned the hard way - don't assume your employer will automatically send your W-2 to a new address. Even if you updated your address with HR before leaving, definitely send them a written request (email is fine) with your current mailing address specifically for tax documents. I've seen too many people miss their W-2s simply because of address mix-ups. Also, check if your employer uses a third-party payroll service like ADP or Paychex. Sometimes you can access your W-2 through their online portals even after termination. Worth looking into before going through the IRS process.

Just to add another perspective - if you're dealing with a particularly difficult former employer, you might want to consider reaching out to your state's Department of Labor as well. While the W-2 issue is primarily an IRS matter, some states have additional protections for workers regarding final pay and documentation. They can sometimes put pressure on employers who are being uncooperative. Also, don't forget that you can estimate your taxes and file even without the W-2 if you have your final pay stub. You'd use Form 4852 (Substitute for Form W-2) which asks for the same information. The key is to be as accurate as possible with your wage and withholding amounts. Keep your final pay stub safe - it's going to be your best friend if your employer tries to play games with your W-2. One last tip: if you do end up having to contact the IRS, try calling early in the morning (around 7-8 AM) when the phone lines open. You'll have much better luck getting through than if you call during peak hours.

Just want to say this thread is exactly what I needed to find right now! I'm in the same situation - got my 571 about 5 days ago and have been refreshing my transcript like a maniac waiting for that 811. The 810 freeze is just mocking me at this point 😤 It's both reassuring and terrifying to see everyone's different timelines here. Some lucky folks get their 811 in a few weeks, others are waiting months... the uncertainty is killing me! But at least we know our cases are moving with that 571 showing up. Thanks for sharing your experience - it helps knowing we're all in this waiting game together. Hopefully we'll all be celebrating our 811 releases soon! 🤞

I'm in the exact same situation and it's driving me absolutely insane! My 570 updated to 571 about 10 days ago and I've been obsessively checking my transcript every morning, afternoon, and night waiting for that magical 811 to appear. That 810 freeze is just sitting there like it's permanently glued to my account 😭 Reading through everyone's experiences here is both comforting and anxiety-inducing - some people wait 2-3 weeks, others are looking at 2+ months. The uncertainty is honestly the worst part! But at least we know our cases are actively being processed with that 571. Praying we all get our 811 releases soon and can finally get our refunds! 🙏

Hey Katherine! I completely understand your confusion - I was in almost the exact same boat when I first started renting out rooms in my house. The short answer is yes, you absolutely need to report that $2,200/month ($26,400 annually) as rental income on Schedule E, but the good news is you can offset a lot of it with legitimate deductions! Since you're renting out roughly 2/3 of your bedrooms while still living there, you can deduct approximately that percentage of your home-related expenses. Calculate the square footage of the rented bedrooms plus their share of common areas (kitchen, living room, bathrooms they use) divided by your total home square footage. Those big expenses you mentioned - the tree removal, fence repair, and furnishing costs - are definitely deductible! The tree removal and fence repair count as maintenance expenses (deductible in the year incurred), while furniture typically needs to be depreciated over 5-7 years, though items under $2,500 might qualify for immediate deduction under the de minimis rule. Here's what you can typically deduct a portion of: mortgage interest, property taxes, utilities, homeowner's insurance, repairs, maintenance, and even depreciation on the rental portion of your house. Given that you're only covering $1,400 of your $3,600 total housing costs, you'll likely show a rental loss, which could actually reduce your overall tax burden! Just make sure to keep detailed records of everything and don't double-count your mortgage interest between Schedule A (personal) and Schedule E (rental). You've got this!

Hey Katherine! I just wanted to add something that might help with your peace of mind - since you mentioned you're living paycheck to paycheck even with the rental income, you should know that if your rental expenses exceed your rental income (which sounds likely in your situation), those losses can actually help reduce your overall tax liability! Given that you're covering $1,400 monthly out of pocket ($16,800 annually) plus all the maintenance costs like that tree removal, you'll probably show a rental loss when you properly allocate all your deductible expenses. Since you actively manage the property yourself (collecting rent, handling maintenance, etc.), you can likely deduct up to $25,000 of rental losses against your software job income, assuming your adjusted gross income is under $100,000. This could actually result in tax savings rather than additional tax owed! The key is making sure you're capturing all your allowable deductions - the allocated portion of your mortgage interest, property taxes, utilities, insurance, plus maintenance and repairs like that tree removal and fence work. I'd suggest starting a simple spreadsheet now to track everything going forward. Include columns for the date, expense type, amount, and which area of the house it relates to. Take photos of all receipts with your phone immediately - paper fades and gets lost! Also keep a log of any maintenance activities with dates and descriptions. You're actually in a pretty good position tax-wise - you just need to make sure you're documenting everything properly to maximize your legitimate deductions!

I was in the exact same boat last year! Claimed 0 thinking I'd get a refund and ended up owing $600. My issue was that I had a second part-time job that wasn't withholding enough. The new W4 form actually has a multiple jobs worksheet that helps with this.

I had a similar issue when I first started working with investments! One thing that helped me was keeping track of my quarterly estimated taxes throughout the year. Since you're planning to open investment accounts, you might want to consider making quarterly payments for any investment income rather than trying to cover everything through W4 withholding. This gives you more control and prevents big surprises at tax time. For your current W4, I'd recommend using the IRS withholding calculator that others mentioned, but also consider talking to a tax professional since you're expanding into investments. They can help you set up a system for tracking and paying taxes on investment income as you go, which becomes really important once your portfolio grows. Also, keep in mind that investment income timing can be unpredictable - dividends, capital gains distributions, and realized gains from selling don't always happen evenly throughout the year, so quarterly estimated payments often work better than trying to spread it all through payroll withholding.

Does anyone use TurboTax Self-Employed for this stuff? I'm trying to figure out where to even put these meal expenses when I file. Last year was my first IC job and I completely missed tracking meals because I didn't know they could be deductible.

Great question! As someone who's been doing IC delivery work for about 2 years now, I can share what I've learned about meal deductions. The key thing to remember is that your meals need to have a clear business purpose beyond just "I was hungry." For delivery drivers, meals can be deductible when they're necessary to maintain your delivery schedule or efficiency. For example, if you're in the middle of a busy delivery block and need to grab something quick to keep going without losing income, that's typically deductible at 50%. What I do is keep a simple log on my phone noting: - Date and time of meal - Location where purchased - Amount spent - Brief business reason (like "grabbed lunch during 4-hour delivery block to maintain schedule") The IRS isn't looking to deny reasonable meal expenses - they just want to see that it was truly connected to your business activities rather than just your normal personal eating. Keep good records and you should be fine! One more tip: if you do multi-app delivery (DoorDash, Uber Eats, etc.), those meals during active delivery periods are usually your strongest deductions since you're clearly "on the clock.