That's really good advice, thank you! Do you know how long Form 4506 typically takes to process? I'm concerned about having proper documentation before next year's filing.

Form 4506 usually takes about 75 days to process, so it's definitely not a quick solution. That's why I'd recommend trying the certified letter to your accountant first since that would be much faster. For next year's filing, you should be fine even without a full copy of this year's return as long as you have your K-1. However, if you plan to switch accountants, having the complete return will help the new preparer understand your business situation better.

This is super important! My accountant filed my federal S-Corp return but completely forgot about my state filing. Ended up with a $400 penalty that took months to sort out.

Thanks for sharing your experience! Do you think it makes sense to form an S-corp right away when switching from single-member LLC to having employees? Or should I stay as an LLC taxed as a partnership first until I hit that $40-50k profit consistently?

I'd recommend staying as an LLC taxed as a partnership first until you're consistently hitting that profit threshold. You can always convert to an S-corp later, and it's much easier than going the other direction. The LLC with employees will still give you the liability protection you need, but with less administrative overhead. One thing I forgot to mention - with an S-corp, you must pay yourself a "reasonable salary" before taking distributions. The IRS watches this closely. For construction contractors, that's typically 60-70% of your profit as salary at minimum. So if your profits are tight or inconsistent, the S-corp advantages diminish since most of your income will need to be salary anyway.

This is so true. I undercharged for years and was always broke. When I finally raised my rates by 25%, I lost maybe 10% of clients but made WAY more money overall. And the clients I kept were the ones who respected my work and didn't nickel and dime me to death.

Thanks, this is super helpful. So if I understand correctly - transferring to Robinhood isn't taxable, but I need to make sure I have documentation ready for my cost basis when I do sell, since Robinhood won't have that info? Would it make more sense to sell on my current exchanges where at least some transaction history exists, rather than moving to Robinhood first?

That's exactly right - transferring isn't taxable, but you need to document your cost basis for when you do sell, since Robinhood won't have that information. As for whether to sell on current exchanges versus transferring to Robinhood first, that's a great question. There's a potential advantage to selling on exchanges where you have some transaction history, as you could potentially have more documentation to support your reported cost basis. However, if those are foreign exchanges, they might not issue U.S. tax forms, which could create other complications. If your current exchanges can provide transaction history reports that show your purchases, that documentation could be valuable regardless of where you ultimately sell. The key is having a defensible way to calculate and document your gains.

Is that true even for transactions that happened before they became a permanent resident? I thought you only had to worry about US taxes once you actually became a resident.

Oh no, I hadn't even thought about state taxes! We're in New York - do you know if they follow the federal rules for foreign income or have their own system? This is getting more complicated by the minute.

New York generally follows federal rules for income inclusion, so if you're reporting the rental income on your federal Schedule E, you'll need to include it on your NY return too. The one benefit is that NY does allow credits for foreign taxes paid, similar to the federal system. Some states like Nevada or Florida might be more advantageous for people with significant foreign income since they don't have state income tax. But for now, plan on reporting that Belgian rental income on both federal and NY returns.

Good point! Though I think Form 8833 is only required if you're taking a position that's contrary to the treaty or if you're claiming the treaty overrides an internal US law. Not everyone with foreign property needs it.

Wait really? I had no idea about quarterly payments! So even though I'm filing for 2024 now, I'm supposed to already be making payments for 2025? How do I even calculate how much to send if I don't know exactly what I'll make this year?

That's right! For 2025 income, you need to make four payments throughout the year. You have a couple of options for calculating how much to pay. The simplest is to take your total expected tax for the year and divide by 4. You can base this on what you expect to earn this year. Alternatively, you can use the "safe harbor" provision - if you pay either 90% of this year's tax or 100% of last year's tax (whichever is smaller) through withholding and estimated payments, you won't face penalties. So once you file your 2024 taxes, you could use that amount as your guide for 2025 payments. The IRS Form 1040-ES has worksheets to help calculate this. It seems complicated at first, but it gets easier after your first year!

Seconding FreeTaxUSA! The self-employment section is really straightforward. Plus it's way cheaper than TurboTax. They have good explanations about what counts as a business expense too. I was able to deduct part of my phone bill, internet, computer, camera equipment, editing software, and even some travel costs related to content I was making.