Oh, I didn't realize I had to pay part of the offer upfront. Is the 20% non-refundable even if they reject my offer? And how do they determine if I qualify for the Low-Income Certification?

The 20% payment is non-refundable, unfortunately, even if your offer is rejected. That's why it's so important to make sure your offer is realistic and well-documented. For Low-Income Certification, it's based on your household size and income. For 2025, if your household gross income is at or below 250% of the federal poverty guidelines, you qualify. For a single person, that's about $36,450. If you're receiving unemployment, you might qualify. Check Box 1 on Form 656 and the IRS will verify your eligibility - if approved, both the $205 application fee and the 20% initial payment are waived.

Does including a hardship letter help with OIC applications? I've heard mixed things about whether personal statements make any difference.

Thanks for this breakdown! Do you think it makes more sense to put the emergency fund in a regular savings account or one of those high-yield savings accounts? And any suggestions for a reasonable "treat" that won't make me feel guilty?

Definitely go with a high-yield savings account for your emergency fund! Regular savings accounts are paying almost nothing (like 0.01%) while high-yield accounts are offering around 4-5% right now. That's a huge difference and it's just as easy to set up. Most online banks have no minimum balance requirements for these accounts too. For a reasonable treat that won't trigger guilt, look for something that improves your daily life rather than a one-time splurge. Maybe upgrading something you use daily like a good coffee maker if you're a coffee drinker, better headphones if you listen to music a lot, or even a meal prep service for a month to save you time and reduce food waste. These kinds of purchases can actually save money long-term while still feeling like a nice reward.

This is actually really good advice! I adjusted my withholding last year and now instead of getting a $2400 refund, I get about $200 more in my monthly paychecks. It's helped me keep up with bills way better instead of struggling all year then getting one big check.

I've seen those "W" markings on some of his trades but wasn't entirely sure what they meant. Do I need to do something special with those during tax filing?

Those "W" markings are exactly what I'm talking about - they indicate wash sales. When you see that marking, it means your husband sold something at a loss and then bought back the same (or very similar) security within 30 days before or after that sale. The special handling required is that you can't claim the loss from that sale on your taxes right away. Instead, the loss amount gets added to the cost basis of the replacement shares. It essentially defers the loss until you finally sell the replacement shares without buying back in again. Most good tax software will handle this correctly if you import properly, but it's worth double-checking those specific transactions after import to make sure they're coded as wash sales.

DON'T just use the summary! I did that last year and got a CP2000 notice from the IRS months later saying I underreported my income. The summary doesn't always capture everything correctly, especially for wash sales and cost basis issues. The IRS gets the detailed information directly from Robinhood, so they know exactly what trades happened. If your summary numbers don't match their detailed records, you'll likely get flagged.

We actually do have some student loan interest from my wife going back to school part-time! I completely forgot about that. And I think we might qualify for the child care credit since we pay for after-school programs. Do you know if TurboTax automatically checks for these or do we need to specifically enter them somewhere?

TurboTax should ask about these items during the interview process, but sometimes it's easy to miss them if you're rushing through. Look specifically for the "Deductions & Credits" section in TurboTax and make sure you go through every category. For student loan interest, you should have received a Form 1098-E from the loan servicer showing how much interest was paid last year. For child care expenses, you'll definitely need to enter those manually. Look for the Child and Dependent Care Credit section. You'll need the provider's tax ID number and the total you paid for each child. This credit can be worth up to $1,200 per child depending on your income, so it could significantly reduce what you owe!

This is really helpful! Does filing Form 2210 complicate your return though? I've always been nervous about filing anything that might increase audit risk.

Thanks for the suggestion. How long does it typically take to get help from the Taxpayer Advocate Service? Do they have the same backlog as regular IRS services?

The Taxpayer Advocate Service does have some backlog, but generally they can get to you within 1-2 weeks which is much faster than waiting for regular IRS correspondence. They prioritize cases with imminent deadlines, so if you explain you're trying to file before the deadline, they often expedite. When you contact them, be very clear that you've attempted all normal channels for obtaining your IP PIN with no success. They can often issue temporary PINs or provide alternative filing guidance.

Yes! This happened to my cousin. She filed paper without her IP PIN (after identity theft) and it took 14 months to resolve the issues it created. They froze her refund and she had to go through a whole identity verification process in person.