Thanks for this tip. I just checked the IRS website and there's definitely no record of my 2022 return. I didn't know I needed to specifically check the IRS site after filing through TaxAct - I thought the "completed" status meant everything was done. Do you know if TaxAct has any responsibility here since their interface was misleading?

Unfortunately, if you read the fine print in TaxAct's terms of service, they probably have language that places the responsibility on you to verify successful transmission. Most tax software companies include clauses stating they're not liable for transmission failures or penalties. You might still have recourse though. Check if your TaxAct account shows any specific error codes related to your 2022 return. Sometimes there are failed submission codes that can help prove you attempted to file but their system had an issue. Also, print out your complete 2022 return from TaxAct to show it was completed on time, which will help with your penalty abatement request to the IRS.

Did the Taxpayer Advocate actually answer the phone when your sister called? I've tried calling them multiple times and always get a message saying they're too busy and to call back another time.

That's a good suggestion, I hadn't thought about checking for accounts using my name! I just did a search and found THREE different Facebook business accounts using variations of my name, which is pretty unique. One of them even has a profile picture that looks like it was AI-generated to look vaguely like me from my LinkedIn photo. That's super creepy but at least gives me something concrete to report. I'll definitely contact my state tax office too. Did your friend end up having to pay the taxes initially and then get a refund later, or was he able to resolve it before filing?

My friend filed his taxes without including the incorrect income, but he attached a detailed explanation and all his documentation showing he was attempting to resolve the issue. His return was initially flagged for review which delayed his refund, but once a human examiner looked at his documentation, they processed his return correctly without the fraudulent income. The key was having extremely thorough documentation showing multiple attempts to contact the company, the identity theft reports, and evidence that he had taken all reasonable steps to resolve the issue. Make screenshots of those fake accounts you found immediately before they disappear!

META's investor relations email is investorrelations@meta.com if that helps. I had success getting a response from them when nothing else worked. They won't handle your issue directly but can usually forward you to someone who will.

Does your CPA think it's better to lease these vehicles instead of buying them outright? I've heard leasing changes the tax treatment somehow.

He actually said it depends on your specific situation. Leasing has different tax treatment - you can deduct the actual lease payments rather than using Section 179 or depreciation. This can sometimes be advantageous if you don't have enough income to utilize the full Section 179 deduction in one year. The luxury auto lease rules can make things more complicated though. For expensive vehicles, the IRS requires an "inclusion amount" that effectively reduces your deduction for leased vehicles above certain thresholds. Definitely something to discuss with your own tax professional based on your specific business needs and financial situation.

You're exactly right. Those videos almost always exaggerate the savings. It's a deduction, not a credit. And they never mention self-employment taxes in the calculation either, which can add significant savings for sole proprietors.

Thanks for bringing up the income limits! I'm definitely under those thresholds as a grad student living on ramen, so that's not an issue for me. Do you know if the qualified expenses for the Lifetime Learning Credit include the same things as the American Opportunity Credit? Like textbooks and supplies?

The Lifetime Learning Credit has slightly different rules for qualified expenses compared to the American Opportunity Credit. With the Lifetime Learning Credit, qualified expenses generally include tuition and fees required for enrollment. For textbooks and supplies, they're only included if they're paid directly to the educational institution as a condition of enrollment. This is different from the American Opportunity Credit, which allows for textbooks and supplies to be included even if purchased elsewhere (like Amazon or another bookstore) as long as they're required for the course. So keep your receipts, but be aware of this distinction when claiming expenses.

Totally agree! I almost filed incorrectly last year because I misunderstood the 4-year rule. I thought it meant "4 academic years" not "4 tax years" and almost claimed AOC a fifth time. Would've been a disaster if I got audited!

Thank you for pointing this out! I was actually confused about which tax year to report the missed distribution in. So to clarify - we take the missed 2022 RMD amount now, report it on our 2023 taxes, but file the Form 5329 with our 2022 taxes (or separately if we already filed)? And we still need to take the full 2023 RMD by the end of this year? That means double distributions this year, right?

That's correct. The missed 2022 RMD that you take now will be reported on your 2023 tax return because that's when you actually received the money. The Form 5329 reporting the missed RMD goes with your 2022 return because that's the year you were supposed to take it. Yes, you'll need to take both distributions this year - the missed 2022 one and your regular 2023 RMD. This sometimes creates a slightly higher tax situation since you're bunching two distributions in one tax year. If the combined amount might push you into a higher tax bracket, you might want to talk to a tax professional about timing the distributions to minimize the impact.

Good point about the spousal vs non-spousal differences. My understanding is that spouse beneficiaries have more flexibility. Can you explain what documentation we should keep if we're trying to get a waiver? Did your father use a tax professional for the appeal?