Good idea about checking emails! I just did a search through my inbox for "tax return" and "1040" and found an email from April 2022 that has my 2021 return attached, but nothing for 2022 or 2023. I'm going to try reaching out to coworkers who might know what software our tax preparer used.

Glad that helped with at least one year! Another thing to try is looking at your bank statements from when you paid to have your taxes done. The charge might list the name of the tax software, not just the preparer's business name. Also, if you received tax refunds for those years, check your bank deposits around tax time - the deposit details sometimes include information about which service processed your return.

This happened to me too! Found our returns in my husband's email (he had forwarded them to himself from his accountant and then completely forgot). Always check with your spouse first before going through the hassle of IRS requests.

My wife and I have been searching everywhere! We looked through all our devices, cloud storage, and email accounts. I even found some older tax documents from 2020, but nothing for 2022 or 2023. I'm starting to think our tax preparer never actually gave us copies, which is frustrating. I've called our mortgage lender, and they confirmed they need the actual 1040 forms, not just transcripts. They need to verify some specific deductions that apparently don't show up on the transcript. Going to try the IRS Form 4506 route and see if I can get expedited processing.

Have you used it for reporting inherited stocks? That's the part that's tripping me up with my grandma's investments. Need to make sure I get the cost basis right.

Yes, I've used it for inherited stocks. It handles the stepped-up basis correctly - there's a specific section where you can indicate the shares were inherited and enter the fair market value on the date of death as your basis. It also has a surprisingly helpful help section that explains the inheritance rules clearly. Way better than some of the more expensive options I tried previously that made this unnecessarily complicated.

TaxHawk and FreeTaxUSA are actually run by the same company! So if FreeTaxUSA doesn't support certain forms you need, TaxHawk probably won't either. They have identical limitations on which tax situations they support.

Is there a time limit on when a financial institution can issue a corrected 1099-R? My mom's situation happened almost 2 years ago and we're just now discovering the mistake.

There's technically no specific time limit for a financial institution to issue a corrected 1099-R. They can (and should) correct erroneous information even years later. For your situation with your mom, you generally have 3 years from the original filing deadline to file an amended return to correct mistakes. So even at 2 years out, you still have time to get this fixed. The financial institution may be resistant since it creates extra work for them, but they are obligated to provide accurate tax reporting. Be persistent and escalate to management if needed.

Yes, I had success getting penalties (but not all interest) waived by requesting penalty abatement due to reasonable cause. I explained that the error was made by the financial institution, not me, and provided their admission letter. The IRS has discretion here and often waives penalties when you can prove the error wasn't your fault.

Thanks for the specific guidance on Taxport Convey! I found the "Review Exceptions" option and it shows all 42 errors in one place. If I implement the 90-day grace period approach, will I need to go back and amend these later if we don't receive the TINs within 90 days?

Yes, if you don't receive the TINs within the 90-day period and you've applied treaty rates, you would technically need to file amended returns using the higher withholding rate (typically 30% for Chapter 3). However, there's an exception for certain passive income, including some types of dividends, where you may be able to continue applying treaty rates if you have other sufficient documentation. I would recommend documenting all your follow-up attempts to obtain the TINs. If you can show reasonable efforts to obtain the information, it can help if there's ever an IRS review of your filings.

Publication 515 was super helpful when I was learning, but it's like 100+ pages. Any tips on finding the relevant sections quickly?

Does the IRS actually check every single form against what they have on file? I thought they just randomly audit a small percentage of returns?

The IRS uses automated matching programs that compare what's reported on your tax return with the information they receive from employers, banks, and other institutions. It's not a manual process checking every form, but their systems will flag discrepancies. This automated matching happens for most returns, not just those selected for audit. So if the income on your missing 1099 doesn't match what you reported, you might receive a notice from the IRS later. That's why it's important to report the income accurately even if you don't have the form.

Yes! Definitely call the company directly. Most businesses can easily generate a new copy of your 1099. I had this issue with a 1099-INT from my bank and they emailed me a PDF version within an hour of calling. Some companies even have portals where you can download your tax documents yourself.