Thanks for the suggestion, but isn't the 83(b) election only available for restricted stock, not RSUs? From what I've read, it doesn't apply to standard RSUs because there's no actual ownership until vesting. But I'd love to be wrong about this if it could help with future grants!

You're absolutely right, and I apologize for the confusion. The 83(b) election typically doesn't apply to standard RSUs because, as you correctly noted, there's no actual ownership until vesting. It's more applicable for restricted stock awards (RSAs) where you have immediate ownership with restrictions. For standard RSUs, tax planning is more about timing your sales after vesting to manage capital gains. Some companies offer programs where they automatically sell enough shares at vesting to cover tax obligations, which might be worth looking into for future grants.

I had the opposite experience! TurboTax Premier handled my RSUs perfectly but H&R Block kept giving me errors. Maybe it depends on the specific company's reporting format?

Thanks for the suggestion! I just checked Where's My Refund and it does show "refund approved" with a date for direct deposit next Wednesday. So I guess my grandma was right! The letter was just confusing because it had all this technical language about adjustments. Do you know if the date they show is usually accurate?

The dates they show are usually pretty accurate. If it says next Wednesday, you'll likely see it that day or possibly a day earlier depending on your bank. Some banks process IRS deposits a bit faster than others. If you don't see it by the end of the day after the promised date, that's when I'd start looking into it further. But in my experience (aside from that one time I messed up my account number), the deposit dates they provide are reliable.

You're right! I just checked and it does have CP12 in the top right corner. I didn't even notice that before. So based on what people are saying here, it sounds like this is just confirming they adjusted something on my return and I am getting a refund. I checked Where's My Refund and it says I should get it next week. Thanks everyone for the help!

CP12 is definitely a good notice to get! It means they found a math error but processed your return anyway. Usually it means they're sending your refund with a small adjustment. Much better than some of the other notices they send out!

That's a great point! I completely forgot about my charitable donations last year. I gave about $2,200 to various organizations and I have all the receipts. Would that be worth including in my amendment too? Also, do I need to send in copies of my mortgage interest statement and donation receipts with the amendment?

Absolutely include those charitable donations in your amendment! $2,200 is definitely significant and will increase your refund further. Combined with your mortgage interest, you're well over the standard deduction threshold. You don't necessarily need to send in the documentation with your amendment, but you should absolutely keep all those receipts, donation acknowledgments, and your Form 1098 mortgage interest statement with your tax records. The IRS can request substantiation later, especially for amended returns which tend to be reviewed more carefully.

Yes, you actually can e-file Form 1040-X now! The IRS started allowing this in 2020. Most major tax software (TurboTax, H&R Block, TaxAct, etc.) supports e-filing amendments. It's wayyy faster than paper filing and you get confirmation that they received it.

Thanks for sharing this - makes me feel a bit better. Did you have to pay a lot in penalties when you amended for those stock gains? And how long did the whole amendment process take?

The penalty wasn't bad at all - I think it ended up being around $80 plus some interest on the unpaid tax. So all in maybe $120 extra beyond what I would have paid originally. The amendment took about 3-4 months to process completely, which I hear is actually pretty fast for the IRS these days. Just make sure you keep copies of absolutely everything you submit and proof that you sent it (certified mail is good).

This isn't always true - I tried to amend through TurboTax and they wanted to charge me for the "deluxe" version even though my original filing was free. Ended up having to pay like $60.

Thank you for mentioning this! I just checked the 1099-MISC more carefully and they actually did withhold some tax (about $405). So when I file the 1040-NR with Schedule NEC, do I just list that amount as already paid? Is there a specific line for this on the form?

Yes, you'll report the income on Schedule NEC, and then on Form 1040-NR, there's a line for "Federal income tax withheld" (typically line 25c or similar depending on the tax year). This is where you'll enter the $405 that was withheld. This is actually good news for two reasons: First, it shows the company properly classified you as a foreign person. Second, if you qualify for a lower tax rate under a treaty, you might get some of that withholding refunded back to you. Make sure you attach a copy of your 1099-MISC showing the withholding when you file your return. And remember that you'll likely need Form 8833 to claim any treaty benefits if you're eligible for a rate lower than 30%.

I tried TurboTax for my 1040-NR last year and it was a disaster. They don't really support all the international forms properly. I ended up using Sprintax which is specifically designed for nonresident returns. It handled Schedule NEC and treaty claims much better.