Do you need any specific documentation to prove financial hardship? My rent and utilities already take up most of my paycheck, and with the garnishment I literally can't buy groceries.

You'll need documentation showing your income and necessary living expenses. Gather recent pay stubs, bank statements, utility bills, rent/mortgage statements, medical bills, and receipts for other essential expenses like groceries and transportation costs. Be thorough about documenting every necessary expense. The more comprehensive your documentation, the stronger your hardship case will be. For your specific situation about not being able to afford groceries, make sure to calculate your basic food needs as part of your essential expenses. The Taxpayer Advocate can put a rush on your case if you're facing immediate hardship like potential eviction or inability to purchase necessities.

This happened to me too! IRS had my old address from 3 years ago. I moved twice and the notices never got forwarded. By the time I realized what was happening, they'd already been garnishing for 2 months.

3 I did this last year. You can request it online through the IRS website or by calling. No setup fee, but you still pay interest and the failure-to-pay penalty during those 120 days. It was straightforward - I just needed to specify how much I owed and that I'd pay within 120 days. No financial statements needed.

It's a standard brokerage account, not retirement or anything special. She's owned it for about 12 years. The original investment was around $165k and it's grown to about $270k now. No special conditions other than she had to keep it for 10 years minimum per some agreement with the investment company.

Thanks for clarifying - that makes a huge difference! Since it's a standard brokerage account, she'll only pay capital gains tax on the growth portion (about $105k based on your numbers), not the entire $270k. If she's held it over 1 year (which she has at 12 years), she'll pay long-term capital gains rates, which are much lower than ordinary income tax rates - likely 15% for most people. Instead of withdrawing everything and then gifting cash, she could consider transferring shares directly to her children (in-kind transfer). This passes the tax obligation to the kids, who might be in lower tax brackets. They'd inherit her cost basis but could sell according to their own tax situations.

Good point. I ended up using both an advisor AND some tax software to model different scenarios when distributing my dad's investment account last year. The advisor cost me $400 but saved us about $8k in taxes by structuring the withdrawals properly.

Do you think its worth paying for a year-round tax person or just someone during tax season? My business is pretty small (only made about $12k last year on the side).

Even with a smaller side business, having access to your tax preparer throughout the year can be very valuable. You don't need someone on retainer, but you want someone who'll answer a quick email or call about estimated tax payments or potential deductions. For a business generating $12k, I'd recommend finding a preparer who offers a package deal rather than hourly billing. Many offer a single annual fee that includes your tax preparation plus reasonable access during the year for questions. This way you're not hesitating to ask important questions because you're worried about getting billed for every email.

Any tips on finding a good tax professional? I've heard horror stories about people who paid a lot but got terrible advice.

Hmm, that's a really good point. I never even thought to check that. How would I verify if they're withholding the correct state amount? Just compare my pay stub percentages to my state's tax rates?

The easiest way is to look at your last pay stub from the year and check the state withholding total. Then use your state's tax calculator (most state tax department websites have one) and enter your total income. Compare what you should owe versus what was withheld. Another approach is to check if the state code on your W-2 is correct - there should be a state code in Box 15. Make sure it matches your actual resident state. I've seen employers accidentally use the wrong state code, especially for remote workers.

This really depends on your income level though. $25 extra per check might work great for you guys but would be way too little for higher incomes and too much for lower incomes. It's not a one-size-fits-all solution.