has anyone ever had their wfh stipend audited? i'm getting $200/mo but honestly my internet is only $65 and i don't really spend much on supplies. kinda worried im going to get in trouble someday but also my company doesn't ask for receipts?

This is such a timely question! I'm dealing with something similar and want to share what I've learned through research and talking to my HR department. The key thing to understand is that there are really two different approaches companies can take with WFH stipends, and they have very different tax implications: 1. **Taxable stipend/allowance**: The company just adds the money to your paycheck. This gets taxed as regular income, and since most of us are W-2 employees, we can't deduct the home office expenses to offset it (thanks to the TCJA changes through 2025). 2. **Accountable plan reimbursement**: You submit receipts/documentation for actual expenses, and the company reimburses you. This isn't considered taxable income. To figure out which one you have, look at your paystub. If you see the $250 listed in your gross wages, it's option 1. If it doesn't appear there at all, your company likely has an accountable plan set up. One thing I'd recommend is keeping detailed records of your actual home office expenses regardless of how your company handles it. Even if you can't deduct them now as a W-2 employee, it's good documentation to have, and tax laws could change in the future. Plus, if you ever transition to freelance/contract work, you'll want that history!

Just an FYI - the Final Notice to Pay (CP90/Letter 1058) gives you the right to request a Collection Due Process hearing within 30 days. This can buy you time to get everything in order and also gives you appeal rights if you disagree with anything. File Form 12153 to request the hearing. While the hearing is pending, they can't levy your assets (though liens may still be filed). It's a legitimate way to pause collections while you get your missing returns filed and set up a payment plan.

Based on everyone's experiences here, it sounds like you're at a critical juncture but you still have options. The fact that you're now financially able to address this is huge - many people dealing with Final Notices don't have that advantage. Your immediate priorities should be: 1) Get those missing returns filed within the 30-day window (even if they're not perfect), 2) Call the IRS to let them know you're actively working on compliance, and 3) Consider requesting a Collection Due Process hearing using Form 12153 to buy yourself time if needed. Don't let the TurboTax issues derail you - if you can afford a CPA now, that's probably your best bet for getting accurate returns filed quickly. The IRS cares more about having something on file than perfection at this stage. The key is showing good faith effort before that 30-day deadline hits. Once you're filing compliant and have the returns submitted, the payment plan options everyone mentioned become available. Stay proactive and you should be able to avoid the levy nightmare that some others described.

The IRS website is straight 🗑️ fr fr... been trying since last week

Have you tried using a different browser or clearing your cache/cookies? Sometimes the IRS site gets glitchy with stored data. Also, if you recently moved or had any address changes with USPS, there might be a mismatch in their system. You could try using your address exactly as it appears on your driver's license or voter registration - sometimes that format works better than the tax return format.

One important thing nobody has mentioned - make sure you understand how the title is currently held. Is it joint tenancy? Tenants in common? The way the ownership is structured on the deed makes a huge difference in how the gift tax works. In joint tenancy, each person owns an equal share. With tenants in common, the ownership can be split in any proportion (like 70/30). This affects the gift calculation when someone is removed. I learned this the hard way with my own family property!

This is definitely a complex situation that requires careful planning. One thing I'd strongly recommend is getting a professional appraisal of the property before any transfers happen. You'll need this to establish the fair market value for gift tax purposes. Also, consider the timing carefully. If your in-laws are older, there might be estate planning benefits to keeping them on the deed versus removing them now. Sometimes it's better from a tax perspective to inherit property rather than receive it as a gift because of the "stepped-up basis" rules. Before making any moves, I'd suggest consulting with both a tax professional and an estate planning attorney. The gift tax implications are just one piece of the puzzle - you also need to consider capital gains tax when you eventually sell, property tax reassessment in your state, and how this affects your in-laws' estate planning. The $375k value minus $220k mortgage leaves $155k in equity. If your in-laws own 50% of that equity, we're talking about a potential $77,500 gift per person, which would require gift tax reporting but likely no actual tax due given the lifetime exemption amounts.

7 One thing nobody's mentioned yet is that you should check if your foreign contractors might be considered "effectively connected" with a US trade or business. If they're working remotely but technically performing services in the US market (it's complicated), you might have different reporting requirements. I got caught on this when hiring some Canadian freelancers who occasionally came to the US to work on projects. The IRS considered some of their income as US-sourced even though they were Canadian residents.

5 Hey! Something nobody's mentioned - make sure your record-keeping is solid for PAYMENTS too, not just the tax forms. I audit small biz tax returns and see people get hit with penalties bcuz they cant prove how much they actually paid to overseas contractors when asked. PayPal histories can disappear or get limited after certain time periods.