Another option nobody's mentioned yet - if you used an IP PIN last year, check your old tax return! Your previous year's tax software might have saved a copy of the form with your IP PIN on it. I lost mine last year and nearly panicked until I realized I had a saved PDF of my entire return from the previous year which included the IP PIN letter. Might be worth checking your email for tax receipt confirmations too - sometimes they include that info. If that doesn't work, definitely try the specialized unit number (800-908-4490) that someone mentioned above - they're usually more accessible than the main IRS lines.

Has anyone had success getting their refund without the IP PIN? I'm wondering if I can just file without it and explain the situation on the return somehow? I'm worried my stimulus money will go to someone else if I don't file soon.

Honestly with all those different forms and income sources, you should definitely hire someone this first time. I tried doing mine myself last year with multiple 1099s and crypto and ended up missing a bunch of deductions. Paid an accountant this year who found like $2,800 more in refunds than I would have gotten doing it myself. Ask friends for recommendations for accountants who work with younger people/first time filers. Many offer student discounts. And the money you spend will likely be saved in either reduced tax liability or avoiding penalties for mistakes.

If your income isn't crazy high, check if there's a VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program near you. They do free tax prep for people making under $60k. I used them when I was in college and they handled my W-2s, 1098-T, and even some basic investment stuff. Not sure about crypto though.

Another option to consider is a 1031 exchange if you want to invest in another rental property instead of taking the capital gains hit. You can defer all the capital gains, though you'd still have to pay the depreciation recapture. I did this with a property last year - sold my rental and rolled all proceeds into a new investment property. The key is you need to identify the replacement property within 45 days and close within 180 days. And you need to use a qualified intermediary to hold the funds between sales.

One thing nobody's mentioned yet - if you claimed any rental losses during those 3 years when it was a rental property, check if any of those were suspended passive losses. When you sell the property, you can use those suspended losses to offset some of the gain or recaptured depreciation. This caught me by surprise when I sold my rental last year - had about $8k in suspended passive losses from years where my income was too high to claim the rental losses, and my accountant was able to apply those against my depreciation recapture amount.

A quick tip that helped me with a similar issue - request your "Account Transcripts" directly from the IRS before filing any amendments. These will show how your business is classified in their system. You can get these online through the IRS website by creating an account at https://www.irs.gov/payments/view-your-tax-account. The transcript will show if you're on record as an S-corp or LLC, which helps confirm whether your election was properly processed. This saved me a ton of headache because I could prove to my new accountant that the S-corp election was in the IRS system even though my old preparer had been filing incorrectly.

Quick warning based on personal experience - when you amend from LLC to S-corp returns, make sure your new preparer correctly handles any state tax implications too. I fixed my federal returns but completely overlooked that my state returns also needed to be amended to match the corrected filing status. Ended up with a mess at the state level when they couldn't reconcile my federal and state filings. Some states also have different rules for S-corps vs LLCs, so you might have overpaid state taxes too that could be refundable.

Based on my experience settling my cousin's estate, you absolutely need a tax professional who specializes in estates with tax problems. I'd recommend looking for an Enrolled Agent rather than a CPA - they often charge less but have specific expertise in dealing with the IRS. You should find someone in the deceased's state since they'll be familiar with both the state tax laws and potentially have relationships with the local IRS office. Most work can be done remotely, but having someone who understands the local requirements is invaluable. One thing nobody mentioned - if the estate doesn't have enough liquid assets to pay the tax debt, you might qualify for an Offer in Compromise specifically for estates. An EA can help determine if that's feasible given your situation.

One warning from my own experience - do NOT file any tax returns yet until you get the transcripts and understand what the IRS already has on record! I made this mistake with my father's estate and created a huge mess. Get Form 56 filed first to establish your authority, then get the account transcripts which will show assessments and balances. Also request the wage and income transcripts which show all income reported to the IRS on forms like W-2, 1099, etc. If the IRS has already made assessments (called Substitute for Returns), filing returns without understanding what they've already processed can create duplicate assessments or conflicting information that takes forever to resolve. You mentioned liens - check the exact type of lien. If it's a "Notice of Federal Tax Lien," that's public and affects property sales. If it's just a "Notice of Intent to Lien," you might still have time to request a Collection Due Process hearing.