Does this mean I might not need to file if I was living outside the US for part of the year? I was actually working in Asia for about 4 months last year on a project. How does that affect my filing requirements?

You would need to qualify as a foreign resident under either the physical presence test (330 days outside the US in a 12-month period) or the bona fide residence test (established residence in a foreign country for an entire tax year). Based on what you described - just 4 months abroad - you wouldn't qualify for the higher foreign resident thresholds. You'd still use the standard domestic thresholds ($50,000 on last day/$75,000 any time for single). The higher thresholds are really designed for Americans who are living abroad permanently or for extended periods.

The most reliable source is the actual Form 8938 instructions document from irs.gov. Publication 54 is more general for Americans abroad. The specific rules for what counts as a "specified foreign financial asset" are detailed in the 8938 instructions. Generally includes: - Financial accounts at foreign financial institutions - Foreign stock or securities not held in a financial account - Interest in a foreign entity - Financial instrument with a foreign issuer or counterparty

This happened to my mom too! She got a text message with a link to "update direct deposit info" and almost fell for it. These scammers know exactly when tax season is and target people waiting for refunds. The IRS will NEVER text or email you asking for bank information.

The Taxpayer Advocate Service is really only for serious hardship cases or if you've tried multiple times to resolve an issue with the IRS without success. For a simple returned direct deposit that's being converted to a check, they probably won't take the case since the IRS has a standard procedure already in place.

Thanks for the clarification. Guess I'll just have to be patient and wait for the paper check to arrive. Seems like there's no way to speed up the process once the direct deposit has been rejected.

Thanks for this suggestion! I didn't realize there was an income threshold for free filing options. My income is actually around $78,000 so I just miss that cutoff, but $49 sounds way more reasonable than what H&R Block quoted me. Did you find TaxSlayer easy to use? I'm not super tax-savvy but can follow clear instructions.

TaxSlayer is pretty user-friendly with a straightforward interface. It walks you through everything step by step with explanations along the way. The questions are clear and it imports W-2s if you have your employer's EIN number. For mortgage interest, you just enter the information from your Form 1098. Even if you're not tax-savvy, these programs are designed for regular people. They have help sections and explanations for almost everything. And if you get stuck, most have support options where you can chat with a tax pro for specific questions.

Is the Peace of Mind guarantee even worth it? I've always wondered if these audit protection plans are just a way to scare people into paying more.

Municipal bonds can be a good strategy, but remember they typically have lower returns compared to taxable investments. They make the most sense if you're in a high tax bracket. If you're in the 22% bracket or lower, you might actually come out ahead with taxable investments even after paying the taxes.

Thanks for pointing that out! I was wondering why my paycheck summary shows both OASDI and Medicare as separate items. So even if OASDI stops after hitting the cap, the Medicare part (1.45%) continues indefinitely?

Yes, exactly! While the OASDI portion will stop once you hit the cap ($168,600 for 2025), the Medicare portion never stops. You'll continue paying the 1.45% Medicare tax on all your earned income regardless of how much you make. And if your income exceeds $200,000 for single filers or $250,000 for married filing jointly, you'll also pay that additional 0.9% Medicare surtax on the amount above those thresholds. This is part of the Additional Medicare Tax that was implemented as part of the Affordable Care Act.

This is helpful but what about if your income fluctuates? I get paid base + commission so each paycheck is different.