Would you recommend mailing it certified so I have proof they received it? I've had stuff "lost" by the IRS before.

Absolutely use certified mail with return receipt. That gives you proof of when it was received and by whom. Keep a complete copy of everything you send (EVERYTHING) including the certified mail receipt. Also good practice to follow up by phone about 30 days after sending to confirm it's been received and assigned to someone. Ask for the status and document who you speak with. If you get nowhere with that call, wait 2 weeks and try again.

I did it in 2022 and got approved! The key is showing that you've been consistently treating the business as an S-corp in all your filings and operations. In my case I had filed corporate returns, taken reasonable salary, etc. They approved it retroactively even though I was like 18 months late with the election.

Do you need to attach any kind of explanation to your return if you're reporting an amount different from the 1099? Or just be ready to explain if they ask later?

You don't need to attach an explanation to your electronic filing. Just be ready to explain if they ask later. The best approach is to keep detailed records of all your income - bank deposits, invoices, payment confirmations - so if there is a discrepancy, you can easily show why your reported amount is correct. For significant discrepancies (I'd say anything over $500), you might want to reach out to the company first to see if they'll issue a corrected 1099-NEC. But if they won't or you can't reach them, filing with your accurate records is the right move.

Use the most recent one they sent, but double-check it against your own records. Companies can issue corrected 1099s (they should be marked as "CORRECTED" on the form), but multiple corrections is definitely unusual and annoying.

22 Thanks for the terminology correction! I always mess that up 🤦‍♂️ So to get a bigger refund, do I just put a specific dollar amount on line 4(c) of the W-4? Or do I need to change other parts of the form too?

7 Yes, line 4(c) on the W-4 is exactly where you'd put additional withholding. You can specify an extra amount to be withheld from each paycheck. As for how much to add, a rough calculation would be to decide how much extra refund you want, then divide by the number of pay periods remaining in the year. For example, if you want an extra $1,200 in your refund and get paid twice a month, you might put $50 in line 4(c) ($1,200 ÷ 24 pay periods = $50 per paycheck).

16 The standard deduction actually does increase with inflation each year. For 2025 it's $14,600 for single filers, up from $14,350 in 2024. The problem is that tax brackets also adjust with inflation, but when you get a big raise that outpaces inflation, you still move into higher brackets regardless. What really doesn't scale well are certain credits and deductions that start to phase out at higher income levels. That could be another factor in why OP's refund was smaller despite paying more tax.

You definitely need Form 1098-T from your school, but you don't have to attach it to your return. Just keep it with your tax records. If your 1098-T is incomplete, you should also keep your receipts for qualified expenses and course information to back up your claim if you get audited.

Thanks for the clarification! So I don't need to send the 1098-T with my return, just keep it in my records. That makes things easier.

Does this Social Security benefit apply even if both spouses work their whole careers? I thought that only mattered if one spouse didn't work much or at all.

Yes, it can still matter even if both work their full careers. Each person gets their own benefit based on their earnings, but they're also entitled to 50% of their spouse's benefit if that amount is higher than their own. So if one person consistently earned more, the lower-earning spouse could potentially get a higher benefit through the spousal benefit. It also matters tremendously for survivor benefits. If one spouse passes away, the surviving spouse can switch to the deceased spouse's full benefit amount if it's higher than their own. Unmarried partners don't have access to this option regardless of how long they've been together.

This is really helpful. Question though: for education credits, do both parents' incomes count anyway if they both claim the child as a dependent in alternating years (even if unmarried)? Or does it only look at the income of whoever claims the child that year?