June, I'm so sorry you're experiencing this with MyHealth CCM. Your situation is a perfect example of what happens when these questionable tax shelter schemes prioritize collecting upfront fees over actually delivering legitimate business services. The fact that you can't get basic customer support after paying $75,000 is completely unacceptable and frankly typical of these operations. The broken video platform preventing you from completing the required 100 hours of compliance training sounds like it could be intentionally designed to create barriers - giving them excuses to avoid providing promised services or benefits. Here's what I'd recommend doing immediately: 1. **Document everything** - Screenshot the broken video platform, save all unanswered emails/calls, and create a timeline of your attempts to get help 2. **Contact your credit card company** if you used one - you may have dispute rights for services not provided 3. **File complaints** with your state Attorney General's consumer protection division and the Better Business Bureau 4. **Consult with attorneys** - both a consumer protection lawyer and a tax attorney given the IRS concerns raised throughout this thread Given all the tax shelter red flags discussed here by Miguel and others, you might actually want to proactively contact the IRS about this arrangement. If they determine it's an abusive tax shelter, that could work in your favor for getting out of this investment. Don't give up - there are likely legal remedies available. Your experience serves as a crucial warning for others considering similar schemes. Thank you for sharing this despite what must be a frustrating situation.

June, I'm absolutely appalled by what you're going through with MyHealth CCM. Your experience is the perfect real-world validation of every red flag we discussed in this thread. Paying $75k and then being completely ignored by customer service - including the owner just forwarding your complaint to the same person who's been ghosting you - shows these people have zero integrity. The broken video platform preventing you from completing the mandatory 100-hour training sounds deliberately sabotaged. I suspect they make it nearly impossible to actually complete their program so they can later claim you didn't meet requirements if you demand results or try to get your money back. This is classic predatory behavior: collect massive upfront fees, provide terrible service, create impossible compliance requirements, then blame the victim when things don't work out. Beyond the consumer protection and legal remedies others have suggested, I'd also recommend: - Posting detailed reviews on Google, Yelp, and any business rating sites - Checking if there's a class action lawsuit forming (other victims may be organizing) - Contacting local news consumer protection reporters - they love exposing these schemes Your courage in sharing this experience is invaluable. It provides concrete proof of what happens when people fall for these "too good to be true" tax shelter pitches. Thank you for potentially saving others from this same nightmare. Don't let them get away with this. Fight back through every legal avenue available.

This thread has been absolutely incredible - I've learned more about W-4s and withholding from reading through everyone's experiences than I ever did from official IRS guidance! I'm in a somewhat similar situation but with a twist - I have one regular W-2 job and also do some freelance 1099 work throughout the year. The 1099 income varies quite a bit month to month, which makes it tricky to know how to adjust my W-4 withholding at my regular job. From what I've gathered here, it sounds like the IRS withholding estimator can handle mixed W-2/1099 situations, but I'm wondering if anyone has specific experience with this scenario? Do you typically update your W-4 every time your 1099 income changes significantly, or do you try to estimate an average and stick with it? Also, I've been making quarterly estimated tax payments for the 1099 work, but I'm wondering if it would be simpler to just increase my W-4 withholding at my regular job to cover both income sources and skip the estimated payments altogether. Has anyone tried this approach? Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed and practical advice - this community is incredibly helpful for navigating these complex tax situations!

I've dealt with a very similar W-2/1099 combination situation! The IRS withholding estimator actually handles this really well - it has specific sections for both types of income and can calculate the optimal approach for your situation. For the varying 1099 income, I found it worked best to estimate conservatively high for the year when using the estimator, then make quarterly adjustments to my W-4 if my 1099 income was tracking significantly different than projected. I usually did this review along with my quarterly estimated tax payment deadlines, so it became part of the same routine. Regarding using W-4 withholding instead of estimated payments - I actually switched to this approach last year and it's been much simpler! I increased my W-4 withholding at my regular job to cover both income sources and stopped making separate estimated payments. The key is making sure your W-2 withholding meets the safe harbor requirements (90% of current year or 100%/110% of prior year depending on your AGI). The main advantage is that W-4 withholding is treated as paid evenly throughout the year for tax purposes, even if you make the adjustment mid-year, whereas estimated payments need to be made quarterly to avoid penalties. Just make sure your regular job has enough pay periods left in the year to withhold the additional amount you need. I'd recommend running your numbers through the estimator with both approaches to see which works better for your specific income pattern!

I went through this same frustration last year with my small partnership. After trying several options, I ended up going with FreeTaxUSA for around $60. What I liked about it was that it walked me through each section step-by-step and caught a few things I would have missed if I'd tried to do it manually. One thing to consider - if your partnership is really straightforward with just basic income and standard deductions, you might want to check if your state has any free business filing programs. Some states offer free e-filing for small partnerships even when the federal doesn't. It's worth a quick search on your state's tax website. Also, don't forget that the partnership filing fee is a deductible business expense, so factor that into your actual cost calculation. The $50-80 range for software isn't too bad when you consider the time savings and reduced error risk compared to paper filing.

Another option worth considering is TaxSlayer Business - they typically charge around $47 for 1065 filing and K-1 generation. I used them for my small consulting partnership last year and found their interface pretty intuitive for basic returns. One thing that helped me save even more was timing - if you can wait until later in the filing season (like March), many of these services run promotions. TaxAct dropped their price to $35 during a spring promotion, and FreeTaxUSA had a similar deal. Also, since you mentioned you're a simple two-person partnership, make sure you're not overcomplicating things. If you don't have rental properties, multiple business activities, or complex allocations, even the basic versions of these programs should handle everything you need. Sometimes people pay for premium features they don't actually require.

As a newcomer to this community, thank you so much for this incredibly detailed breakdown! I just completed my identity verification on March 18th and was feeling pretty overwhelmed by the "up to 9 weeks" timeline they gave me. Reading through everyone's real experiences here is so much more helpful than the vague official IRS information. It's really encouraging to see that most people are getting their refunds in the 4-6 week range rather than the full 9 weeks, and your step-by-step explanation of what actually happens during the process makes the wait feel much more manageable. My verification was for what they called "routine identity verification" - no specific issues mentioned with my return. Based on what others have shared here, I'm optimistic that puts me in the faster processing timeline. I'm definitely going to follow the advice about setting up bank account alerts after week 4 instead of obsessively checking WMR and transcripts. It sounds like those tools aren't very reliable for post-verification tracking anyway, and I love that several people mentioned their refunds just appeared without warning. One thing I'm wondering about - has anyone noticed if the time you call to verify (like morning vs afternoon) makes any difference in how quickly they process your case? I completed mine around 2 PM on a Tuesday and I'm probably overthinking it, but curious if there are any patterns people have noticed. Thanks for creating this thread - it's exactly the kind of real-world information that helps so much during this stressful waiting period!

As a newcomer to this community, this breakdown is incredibly helpful! I just completed my identity verification on March 19th and was feeling really anxious about the "up to 9 weeks" timeline they quoted me. What I find most reassuring from reading everyone's experiences is how the actual timelines are so much more reasonable than the worst-case scenario the IRS initially presents. The 4-6 week range that most people are experiencing gives me so much more realistic expectations. My verification was for what they called "standard identity verification" - the agent said it was routine with no specific issues identified on my return. Based on what others have shared here, I'm hoping that puts me in the faster processing category. I'm definitely going to follow the advice about setting up bank account alerts after week 4 instead of constantly checking WMR and transcripts. It sounds like those tracking tools aren't reliable for post-verification monitoring anyway, and I love hearing that refunds often just appear without any advance warning from the system updates. One question I have - has anyone noticed if completing verification later in the tax season (like mid-March) affects processing times compared to those who verified earlier in February? I'm wondering if the IRS might be less backlogged now or if it doesn't really matter. Thanks for creating this thread and to everyone sharing their real experiences - it's exactly the kind of practical information that helps reduce the stress of not knowing what to expect during this waiting period!

I'm dealing with a similar inherited stock situation and this thread has been incredibly helpful! One thing I'd add from my recent experience is to check if your current UTMA custodian has any historical cost basis records they can provide before you transfer. Even if they don't have complete information for pre-2011 holdings, they might have some documentation that could save you research time. Also, when you're gathering all the spinoff allocation information, make sure to note the exact dates of each distribution. The IRS can be particular about using the correct valuation dates, especially for inherited securities where the stepped-up basis calculation is involved. Having precise dates will help if you need to look up historical stock prices for any manual calculations. Good luck with the transfer process - it sounds like you're getting great advice here about the various resources available to help with these complex basis calculations!

Based on my experience helping clients with similar inherited stock situations, I'd estimate the entire process typically takes 4-8 weeks from start to finish, depending on how responsive the various parties are. Here's what you can generally expect: Week 1-2: Gathering documentation from your current custodian and requesting corporate action information from the companies involved. This is usually the fastest part. Week 2-4: Waiting for historical documents like Form 8937s and allocation statements. Some companies respond quickly, others can take 2-3 weeks. If you need to use services like the ones mentioned earlier in this thread, this is when you'd typically get results. Week 4-6: Calculating cost basis allocations and preparing transfer paperwork. If you're doing manual calculations, this can take longer. If using professional help or automated tools, it's much faster. Week 6-8: Completing the actual transfer to your new brokerage and ensuring all cost basis information transfers correctly. One tip that can speed things up: start gathering documentation even before you decide which brokerage to transfer to. You can request historical corporate action information and Form 8937s while you're still researching brokers. The documentation process is often the biggest bottleneck, so getting that started early can save weeks. Also, consider calling ahead to your target brokerage to discuss their process for handling complex inherited stock transfers. Some have specialized teams that can walk you through exactly what documentation they'll need, which prevents delays from missing paperwork.