Hey Lauren! As a newcomer to this community, I just wanted to reach out because I literally went through this exact same situation with my small business just a few months ago - the embarrassment, the lost paperwork, the avoidance of calling the accountant... all of it! First, please don't beat yourself up about this. The first year of running a business is like trying to drink from a fire hose, and getting overwhelmed with paperwork is honestly more of a rite of passage than an exception. Here's what I wish someone had told me when I was in your shoes: **Quick wins to try first:** - Search your email for "CP575" - that's the actual form number for the EIN assignment letter - Check your business bank account opening paperwork one more time, specifically looking for any "business profile" or "account application" documents - If you filed any annual reports or business renewals with your state, sometimes those reference your federal EIN **The IRS call strategy that worked for me:** Call 800-829-4933 at exactly 7:00 AM on a Tuesday or Wednesday. I know everyone says this, but it really does make a difference. Have your SSN, LLC legal name, and formation date ready. Even if you're fuzzy on the address details, they can work with you. **About your accountant:** I totally get the embarrassment factor, but here's the thing - they've probably been wondering how you're doing and would likely be relieved to hear from you! A simple "Hey, I got overwhelmed with everything but I'm ready to get back on track. Could you help me locate my EIN?" is probably all you need. You've got this! This is just a speed bump, not a roadblock. 🙂

Hey Lauren! As a newcomer to this community, I just wanted to say that your situation resonates with me so much - I went through almost the exact same thing with my consulting business earlier this year, including the whole "ghosting the accountant out of embarrassment" part! One approach that hasn't been mentioned yet: if you remember roughly when you applied for your EIN (you mentioned November), try checking your browser's download history from that time period. If you applied online through the IRS website, the confirmation PDF might still be sitting in your Downloads folder even if you forgot you saved it. Also, if you used any business formation services or legal document providers when setting up your LLC, they sometimes send follow-up emails weeks or months later with "next steps" information that might reference your EIN. I found mine in an unexpected email from my business registration service that was titled something like "Don't forget these important tax steps" - definitely not where I expected to find it! The IRS phone line advice everyone's giving is solid, but if you want to avoid that wait time, honestly consider just reaching back out to your accountant. I was dreading that conversation for months, but when I finally did it, they were actually relieved to hear from me and had my EIN within 5 minutes. Sometimes the anticipation of awkwardness is way worse than the actual conversation. You're definitely going to figure this out - this thread shows how supportive this community is and how common your experience really is! 😊

Don't forget to consider state tax implications too! I went through something similar last year and discovered that while federal treatment was straightforward, our state had different rules for trust distributions. In our case, California treated the distribution differently than the feds did, and we ended up with an unexpected state tax bill because the trustee didn't withhold for state taxes. Make sure to check your state's treatment of trust distributions, especially if the trust and beneficiaries are in different states.

For Illinois to Wisconsin situations, you'll want to check both states' tax codes on trust distributions. Illinois generally follows federal treatment for basis calculations, but Wisconsin has some quirks around accumulated trust income. I'd recommend starting with Illinois Department of Revenue Publication 101 (Income Tax) and Wisconsin's Publication 102 for trust and estate taxation. Both states have specific sections on distributions to non-resident beneficiaries. The key thing to watch for is whether either state treats the distribution as carrying out accumulated income differently than the federal rules. Wisconsin in particular sometimes requires beneficiaries to pay state tax on trust distributions even when the trust paid Illinois tax on the same income. Your trustee should be able to help coordinate the state filings, but definitely get clarity on this before making the distributions. State tax surprises on large stock distributions can be really expensive!

I've been dealing with these MCFT TREAS 310 deposits for years as both a service member and now working with other military families, and I can tell you they're always legitimate Treasury payments - no need to panic! Given that it's scheduled for January 15th and you're active duty, here are a few additional possibilities that haven't been covered yet: **Military-specific scenarios:** - **Clothing/uniform allowance adjustments** - These sometimes get recalculated and paid separately, especially if there were rate changes - **Imminent Danger Pay (IDP) or Hardship Duty Pay (HDP)** - If you served in qualifying locations, retroactive payments sometimes process months later - **Move-related per diem corrections** - PCS moves often have travel expense adjustments that get sorted out through Treasury rather than regular finance **Pro tip while you wait:** Check your myPay account under the "Correspondence" section - there are sometimes notifications about pending Treasury payments that explain what's coming before it actually hits your bank. The January timing is actually perfect for these types of military pay adjustments. DFAS typically processes year-end corrections in the first few weeks of January, so your deposit fits right into that normal cycle. Once it posts, the transaction details will include specific military pay codes that will make everything crystal clear. In my experience, service members are always pleasantly surprised to discover it's legitimate back-pay they'd forgotten about or didn't even know they qualified for!

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Got a TREAS 310 deposit scheduled for next week and have been losing sleep over what it could be. This thread has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea there were so many legitimate reasons for these unexpected Treasury payments. Reading through everyone's experiences, it sounds like these mystery deposits almost always turn out to be money we're actually owed but either forgot about or didn't realize was coming. The military-specific possibilities mentioned here are eye-opening - I never would have thought about things like retroactive BAH adjustments, combat pay corrections, or TSP-related issues. I'm definitely going to check my LES statements more carefully and look at the myPay correspondence section like some folks suggested. It's such a relief to know that the January timing actually fits the normal pattern for year-end military pay adjustments rather than being something to worry about. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and expertise - this community is amazing for helping navigate these confusing government payment situations! I'll update once my deposit posts and I figure out what it was for.

As someone who just finished their second tax season, I can offer some perspective on starting out. I went with Drake after agonizing over the same decision and it was the right choice for me. The key thing is that Drake's automation really shines when you're handling the volume you're expecting (50-200 clients). Yes, there's a learning curve, but honestly it's not that steep if you take advantage of their training resources. They have webinars specifically for new users and the documentation is solid. For your assistants, I'd recommend having them focus on one type of return at first (like basic 1040s) until they get comfortable with the interface. Drake's consistency across different return types actually makes training easier once they understand the basic workflow. One tip - definitely take advantage of Drake's free trial period to test it out with some practice returns before committing. That way you and your team can get a feel for the interface before tax season hits. The time you invest in learning it upfront will pay dividends when you're in the thick of filing season. Budget-wise, when you factor in the time savings from automation, Drake usually comes out ahead even if the upfront cost is slightly higher.

I've been using Drake for about 5 years now and can definitely vouch for it being a solid choice for new practices. One thing I'd add to the conversation is that Drake's diagnostic system is incredibly helpful when you're starting out - it catches errors and missing information that might slip by when you're still learning the ins and outs of tax preparation. For your business returns (1120s and LLCs), Drake handles depreciation schedules and multi-state filings really well, which could be important as your practice grows. The built-in calculators for things like Section 199A deductions are also a huge time-saver. Regarding training your assistants, I'd suggest starting them on the data entry for simple 1040s first, then gradually introducing more complex returns. Drake's interview-style input makes it pretty intuitive - it asks the right questions in the right order, which helps prevent mistakes. One cost consideration that hasn't been mentioned yet is that Drake includes unlimited amendments in their pricing, while some other software charges extra for each amended return. As a new preparer, you might find yourself filing a few more amendments than expected in your first year, so this could save you money. The customer portal feature is also great for client communication - clients can securely upload documents and review their returns online, which reduces back-and-forth emails and phone calls.

I'm going through a very similar situation - applied for my EFIN in late January and it's been stuck on "in process" for over 7 weeks now. The timing couldn't be worse with tax season in full swing. After reading through all these responses, I think I'm going to try the Claimyr service that several people mentioned. The idea of having someone else deal with the IRS hold times while I can actually work with clients sounds like a godsend right now. The fact that even the skeptics here ended up having success with it gives me hope. One additional tip I learned from my CPA network: if you do get through to someone, ask specifically about your "suitability review" status. Apparently that's the technical term for the background check portion, and knowing where that stands can help determine if the delay is fingerprint-related or something else entirely. It's reassuring to know I'm not alone in this nightmare, but frustrating that the IRS system seems so broken for something as essential as EFIN applications. Really hoping we all get resolution soon!

I went through this exact same nightmare last year! My EFIN application was stuck for almost 10 weeks during peak season. What I learned is that the IRS e-services system has some serious bottlenecks, especially with the suitability review process that involves both background checks and fingerprint verification. A few things that helped me finally get resolution: First, when calling the e-help desk, ask specifically about your "suitability review status" and whether there are any "quality flags" on your fingerprint submission. Second, if you've been waiting over 60 days, you can contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service - they have some ability to intervene in cases of unreasonable delays. One thing that really caught my attention in the responses here is how many people found success with services like Claimyr and taxr.ai. I was initially skeptical too, but honestly, when you're losing clients and revenue every day, sometimes you need to try unconventional solutions. The IRS phone system is genuinely broken for most people. Also, make sure you're checking your e-services account daily. Sometimes they'll post messages or requests for additional information that aren't immediately obvious. I missed a request for clarification on my business address that sat there for two weeks because I wasn't checking the right section of the portal. Hang in there - most EFIN applications do eventually get approved, but the communication during the process is absolutely terrible. Hope you get resolution soon!