19 This is great advice. My mother got a letter because she forgot about a small stock sale that generated a capital gain. The brokerage reported it to the IRS but she forgot to include it on her return. Does your grandmother have any investments or retirement accounts?

7 Both great questions! For unusual income, she did sell some stocks last year after my grandfather passed away. She's not very financially savvy and has been relying on their longtime accountant who's getting up there in age himself. Regarding prior notices, that's actually very possible. She doesn't open all her mail right away and sometimes sets aside things she doesn't understand. I'm going to visit her tomorrow and go through her mail from the past few months to see if there were earlier notices. The investment angle seems most likely based on your experiences. I'll definitely check on that specifically when I see the letter. Thank you both for the helpful suggestions!

6 Those gift card scams are terrible! My neighbor fell for one of those and lost $2000. Definitely check the payment methods requested. The real IRS offers multiple payment options and NEVER asks for gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency.

That's a really good point I hadn't even considered. I've lived in the same state this whole time, but I should definitely look into their policies. Is there an easy way to find out about state voluntary disclosure programs?

The easiest way is to just google "[your state] tax voluntary disclosure program." Most state tax department websites have a section for this. Some states are surprisingly forgiving if you come forward voluntarily. Be aware that some states have shorter lookback periods than the IRS. For instance, my state only required me to file 3 years back, even though federally I had to do 6 years. Some state programs will waive penalties but not interest on what you owe.

Did you file all 7 years at once or space them out? I heard you should do the most recent ones first.

That's a good suggestion. There's a senior manager who seems approachable - maybe I could ask her if she'd be willing to do quick pre-reviews for me on the more complex returns. Did you find your mentor within your firm or through a professional organization?

I found my mentor within my firm initially, but I also connected with another experienced expatriate tax professional through our local CPA society's international tax committee. Professional organizations like that are goldmines for finding people who are willing to help. My in-firm mentor would spend 15 minutes with me before I submitted anything complex, which cut my review notes down dramatically. The external mentor was great for bigger-picture career advice. Don't underestimate how willing people are to help someone who shows genuine interest in improving!

The IRS actually has some decent webinars specifically about international taxation. There's also a certification program through the American Academy of Attorney-CPAs focused on international tax that goes into much greater depth than regular CPE.

Thanks for the tip about saving for taxes! Do you think I should open a separate savings account just for setting aside tax money? Also, do you know if I need to make quarterly payments or can I just pay everything when I file next year?

Opening a separate savings account for taxes is honestly one of the smartest moves you can make! I wish I had done that when I first started freelancing. It helps you mentally separate that money so you're not tempted to spend it. For quarterly payments, it depends on how much you'll earn this year. If you expect to owe more than $1,000 in taxes for the year, you should make quarterly estimated payments. Otherwise, you might get hit with an underpayment penalty. The IRS has a form called 1040-ES that helps you calculate these payments. As a new freelancer, it's definitely worth looking into since you don't have an employer withholding taxes from each paycheck.

They're totally different forms for different work relationships. A W-4 is for employees (people who get a regular paycheck with taxes already taken out). A W-9 is for independent contractors (people who get paid the full amount and have to handle their own taxes). If the company is asking for a W-9, that means they're treating you as an independent contractor, not an employee. This affects your taxes a lot - you'll pay more in self-employment taxes, but you can also deduct business expenses. Make sure this classification is correct for the type of work you're doing!

Wouldn't filing an identity theft form when your identity wasn't actually stolen cause more problems? I'm worried that might flag my account in a bad way for future years.

That's a good question. When you can't verify your identity through normal channels, the IRS actually recommends filing Form 14039 with the box checked for "I received a notice from the IRS and believe someone may have used my SSN." Since you received notices about identity verification, this is technically accurate. It doesn't create problems for future years - actually, it creates an extra layer of protection. After resolving my case, they added additional security to my tax account and gave me a special PIN to use for future filings. Made me feel more secure, honestly!

I'm a tax preparer and yes, this can definitely help! If we prepared your return, we can go with you to the appointment and bring our records which often helps verify everything more quickly. We can also contact the Practitioner Priority Service on your behalf, which is a special IRS hotline only for tax professionals that usually has much shorter wait times.