


Ask the community...
I actually had the exact opposite problem last year - spelled my son's name correctly but transposed two digits in his SSN. My return was accepted initially but then I got a notice about 3 weeks later asking for verification of his SSN. Had to send in a copy of his social security card and birth certificate. It delayed my refund by about 6 weeks but wasn't a huge deal in the end. The most important part is responding quickly if they do request verification. Don't ignore those notices!
Did you have to file an amended return or did they just request the verification and then process your original return once they had the correct information?
I didn't have to file an amended return. The IRS just sent a notice requesting verification documentation, and once I provided copies of my son's social security card and birth certificate, they continued processing my original return with the correct information. They actually handled it pretty efficiently once I sent in the documents. I just had to wait about 6 weeks longer for my refund than I would have normally. The key was responding to their notice immediately - I've heard horror stories from people who ignored those letters and had much bigger headaches later.
Just to add another perspective - I'm a volunteer tax preparer, and we see name/SSN mismatches fairly often. In my experience, the IRS is most concerned that the SSN is correct, as that's their primary identifier. Name spelling issues for dependents are common and usually resolved without amendments. The system is designed to handle variations in names (like Bob vs Robert, or hyphenated last names entered differently). Your case is borderline since "Davus" vs "Davis" changes the 4th letter, but it's still recognizably the same name. If you get a letter from the IRS, respond promptly with the correct info. Keep a copy of your daughter's social security card handy just in case. But I wouldn't lose sleep over this - the vast majority of these minor issues resolve without any action needed on your part.
Have you checked out the IRS Direct File program? It's new this year and completely free. I think it's limited to certain states for now, but worth checking if yours is included. It handles basic investment income including Schedule B without charging.
I've been using FreeTaxUSA for years and it handles Schedule B no problem. Federal is completely free regardless of which forms you need. They only charge like $15 for state filing. Way cheaper than TurboTax or H&R Block's "upgrades.
Just want to add - I'm a delivery driver too and I track all my car expenses with the Stride app. Even if you can't deduct the insurance directly, you could just take the standard mileage deduction instead (65.5 cents per mile for 2023). That covers gas, insurance, depreciation, everything. Way easier than tracking actual expenses and you don't need to worry about whose name is on what.
Does the standard mileage rate usually work out better than tracking actual expenses? My car is pretty old and fuel efficient but I'm driving a TON for deliveries.
In my experience, standard mileage usually works out better for newer cars or fuel-efficient vehicles. I drive about 25,000 miles a year for deliveries in a 2018 Corolla, and the standard deduction gives me around $16,000+ in deductions which is way more than I'd get itemizing. For older vehicles that might need more repairs or gas guzzlers, tracking actual expenses could potentially be better. The key is to try calculating both ways for a month and see which gives you the bigger deduction. Just remember if you choose actual expenses in the first year, you're generally stuck with that method for the life of that vehicle.
Wait, I'm confused on one thing - are you saying you personally drive the car, but the insurance is in your brother's name? Or is it his car too? Because if it's your car but just his insurance policy, that seems like a major insurance problem regardless of taxes. Insurance follows the car AND driver, and if you're the primary driver but not listed, they might deny claims anyway.
Something similar happened to my brother last year. The identity theft department will help, but here's what you absolutely need to do right now: 1. File a police report about the identity theft - some IRS departments require this 2. Pull your husband's credit reports to check for other fraud 3. Put a fraud alert on his credit reports with all three bureaus 4. File Form 14039 (Identity Theft Affidavit) if the IRS hasn't already sent it 5. Consider freezing his credit while this is sorted out Even though it sounds like an IRS error rather than someone actively stealing his identity, these steps protect him in case there's more to it. When this happened to my brother, they discovered someone had somehow gotten access to his SSN and was using it for other purposes too.
Thanks for all these suggestions! We didn't think about checking his credit reports - doing that right now. Do you know if the IRS will require the police report even if they're the ones who made the mistake? And did your brother eventually get his refund?
The police report is a good idea regardless of where the error originated. When the IRS sees you've taken formal steps, they tend to prioritize the case more. Some IRS divisions won't process certain claims without it, so it's better to have it and not need it. My brother did eventually get his refund, but it took about 5 months total. The identity theft department issued him a new IP PIN to use for future tax filings as well, which adds an extra layer of security. Make sure your husband asks about getting an IP PIN once this is resolved - it's the best way to prevent similar issues in the future.
Just to give you a realistic timeline - I went through this exact situation in 2022. The IRS sent my $2300 refund to someone with a similar name. It took exactly 9 months from start to finish to get my money. The identity theft department is thorough but extremely slow. The thing that finally broke the logjam was contacting my congressional representative's office. Their constituent services team has liaisons with the IRS who can often cut through red tape. After 7 months of no progress, I reached out to my representative, and within 6 weeks, the issue was resolved and I had my refund. Don't hesitate to take this step if you're getting nowhere after a few months. It's literally their job to help constituents with federal agency issues.
StarStrider
As someone who purchased an EV last year, make sure you also check that the vehicle itself qualifies! There are price caps on the vehicles too - used EVs must be under $25,000 to qualify for the credit. And the dealer has to be a registered dealer, not just any private sale. Also, the credit is nonrefundable, meaning you need to have at least $4,000 in tax liability to get the full benefit. With your income level that shouldn't be an issue, but something to be aware of.
0 coins
Malik Davis
ā¢Thanks for mentioning the other requirements! I've been so focused on the income limits I forgot about vehicle price caps. Do you know if the $25,000 limit is before or after any dealer add-ons and fees?
0 coins
StarStrider
ā¢The $25,000 limit is based on the sales price of the vehicle itself, before taxes and fees. However, dealer add-ons that are included in the purchase price (like extended warranties sold by the dealer) would count toward that limit. Be careful about dealers who might try to structure the deal in ways that artificially lower the vehicle price while adding "mandatory" add-ons to get around the price cap. The IRS looks at the actual purchase price of the vehicle as reported on your sales documentation.
0 coins
Sean Doyle
Important point nobody's mentioned yet - if you buy the EV for your rideshare work, it will be a business vehicle (at least partially). This affects how you claim both the EV credit AND your future business deductions. If you use the EV 100% for business, you can take the full credit but then you can't also claim the standard mileage rate for those miles in future years. You'd need to use actual expenses method instead. If you use it partially for personal use (like 70% business/30% personal), the situation gets more complex.
0 coins
Zara Rashid
ā¢this isnt correct, i got the ev credit last year and still claim mileage. my tax guy said its fine cause the credit is for buying the car, deductions are for using it. totally different things.
0 coins