I just checked and my state return was accepted 3 days ago! That's a relief to hear that it's a good sign. Does that definitely mean my federal return data is correct too?

Yes, that's definitely a positive indicator! State and federal returns share most of the same basic information (SSN, income details, etc.), so if the state accepted your return, the core data is likely correct. The federal return is more complex and the IRS systems are handling a much larger volume than any individual state, which explains why your federal return might still be pending while the state is already accepted. I'd say you can relax a bit - your return is probably fine and just working its way through the IRS queue.

TaxAct has an e-file status page in your account. Go to your account, find your 2024 return, and click on "Check E-file Status". It should show "Transmitted to IRS" even if it's still pending acceptance. There's also usually a timestamp of when it was transmitted.

I don't see a Code V in my Box 12. Does that mean my employer didn't properly report my RSU income on my W-2? I had about $45,000 in RSUs vest last year.

Not necessarily. Some employers include RSU income directly in Boxes 1, 3, and 5 without separately identifying it with Code V. This is actually pretty common. The total income reported in Box 1 should include your regular salary plus the value of any vested RSUs. If you have your last paystub of the year or a December paystub that shows your RSU vestings, you can compare that to your W-2 Box 1 to verify everything was included. You could also check with your company's payroll department to confirm how they reported it.

Yep! TurboTax doesn't automatically adjust for this. You have to manually edit each transaction after import. Go to the section where you review each stock sale, then look for an option like "adjust basis or purchase information." There you can increase the cost basis by the amount that was already taxed as ordinary income on your W-2.

Wait what?? I had no idea about these state filings. I'm in Michigan - do you know what might be required here? Is this something completely separate from the tax extension stuff?

Michigan requires an Annual Statement for LLCs, due February 15th each year, and there's a $25 filing fee. This is completely separate from your tax extension - it's more about keeping your business registration active with the state. You file it with Michigan's Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), not with the tax authorities. The good news is that Michigan sends reminder notices, but don't rely solely on those. Missing the filing can result in your LLC being not in "good standing" which could affect your liability protection. You can file it online through Michigan's LARA website. This is definitely something to add to your annual business compliance calendar!

30% seems high though? Doesn't it depend on your profit margins and tax bracket? I've been setting aside about 20% and it's been enough so far for my freelance work.

Thank you so much for this specific advice! When you got audited, did they specifically ask for documentation proving the separation, or was it more about proving your dependent status? I'm trying to figure out what paperwork I should be gathering now just in case.

They asked for both! They wanted proof that my dependent lived with me (school records, medical records, etc.), AND they wanted evidence that my spouse and I were truly living separately for the last 6 months of the year. For the separation evidence, I provided my spouse's foreign tax returns showing he paid taxes in another country, his rental agreement overseas dated before July, utility bills in his name at the foreign address, and employment records showing he worked abroad. I also had some flight information showing when he left the US. The more documentation you can gather, the better!

I second this! I tried doing it myself with software for two years and missed out on credits I could have claimed. A professional who knows international situations is worth every penny. Plus, when the IRS sent me a letter questioning my EITC claim, my tax pro handled the response for free as part of their service.

Is there a specific certification or credential I should look for when finding someone who specializes in these international situations? There are so many "tax preparers" out there and I don't want to end up with someone who just knows the basics.

I'd definitely be interested in seeing that code! My Python skills are pretty basic but I can probably figure it out with some examples. Would it work for someone who's not a developer but can follow instructions?

Absolutely! It's actually pretty straightforward, even for Python beginners. The code is about 25 lines and mainly uses the camelot library which does most of the heavy lifting. You just need to install Python (if you don't already have it), then pip install camelot-py and pandas. I'll set up a simple version that works with the standard Workforce Intuit format and share it via DM. It basically loops through a folder of PDFs, extracts the tables, and outputs them to either CSV or Excel. You'll just need to point it to your folder of PDFs by changing one line in the code. I've documented it well with comments so you can see what each part does.

We tried that route and got a flat "no" - they said it was an enterprise-only feature and wanted an extra $5k per year to upgrade our whole account just for that functionality. Total ripoff.