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Pro tip: If you're getting stuck in the TurboTax interface, try switching browsers or using incognito mode. I had this exact same issue where direct deposit and payment plan options weren't showing up. Turns out my browser extensions were interfering with some elements on the page. Switched to Edge (which I never use) and suddenly all payment options appeared!
Really? What browser extensions would cause that? I'm using Chrome with adblock and a few others. Could that be why I'm only seeing credit card options too?
I think it was my ad blocker causing the issue. It was blocking some elements on the TurboTax payment page. I'm not 100% sure which extension was the culprit, but when I tried in Edge with no extensions, everything loaded properly. Another possibility is to try clearing your cache and cookies for the TurboTax site. Sometimes data from previous sessions can cause weird display issues.
Has anyone tried calling TurboTax support directly? I had this problem and called them - turns out there's a glitch in their system that sometimes doesn't display all payment options depending on how you answer previous questions in the tax interview. The rep had me go back and change my answer to the question about "how do you plan to pay your taxes" much earlier in the process, then the direct payment option finally showed up.
Sharing my favorite tax meme: "Tax Season is just finding out if you sent the government the right amount of your money that they already took from your paycheck all year." š I feel this in my soul right now as I'm digging through receipts.
That's painfully accurate! My personal favorite is "Why is the 1040-EZ form 36 pages long? NOTHING about taxes is EZ!
Hahaha that one hits too close to home! I've been sending that exact meme to everyone. My other favorite is the one with the dog sitting in the burning room saying "This is fine" but photoshopped with tax forms all around š
Serious question - does anyone else find that tax memes are actually educational sometimes? I learned what a W-9 was from a joke about freelancers, and now I understand Schedule C better from all the self-employment memes floating around.
YES! I literally learned about quarterly estimated payments from a meme that was like "When you realize April, June, September and January are actually quarterly" with a shocked face. My accountant was impressed I even knew about them for my side gig.
Just wanted to share that many H&R Block and some Jackson Hewitt offices are Certifying Acceptance Agents who can handle the ITIN application right there when they prepare your taxes. They verify your original documents on the spot so you don't have to mail anything to the IRS. We did this for my mother-in-law last year and it was SO much less stressful than sending her Philippine passport through the mail. It cost a bit extra but the peace of mind was worth it.
Do they speed up the actual processing time though? Or just help with the document verification part?
They don't speed up the IRS processing time once it's submitted, but they eliminate the extra time your documents would spend in transit to and from the IRS. They also help prevent errors that could cause delays or rejection. In our case, the tax preparer caught that we had the wrong type of visa documentation before submission, which definitely would have caused issues. Overall, our total wait time was about 9 weeks from submission to receiving the ITIN, which seemed faster than friends who mailed everything themselves.
WARNING! Be careful with who prepares your W-7. My cousin used some "tax preparer" from Facebook who charged $200 to handle her husband's ITIN application, and it was rejected TWICE because they filled out Section 6 completely wrong. Wasted 5 months and had to pay penalties for late filing! The IRS is super picky about the W-7 form. Make sure whoever helps you is actually qualified. Ask specifically about their experience with ITINs, not just general tax preparation.
This happened to my neighbor too! They used some random preparer and later found out the person wasn't even a legitimate Certifying Acceptance Agent. So many scammers target immigrants specifically :
As someone who worked for a tax resolution firm, I want to add something important: look into the IRS Fresh Start Program. It's designed specifically for people with significant back taxes. Depending on your current financial situation, you might qualify for an Offer in Compromise (settling for less than you owe), Currently Not Collectible status (temporary pause on collections), or a manageable payment plan. Also - this is crucial - if you had years where you made under the filing threshold, you might not even need to file for those years. But you'll need to verify that with a professional who can look at your specific situation. Good luck! Taking the first step is always the hardest part.
Thank you so much for mentioning the Fresh Start Program. I had no idea that existed. Do you think I should try to figure out which years I actually need to file before contacting them? Or should I just reach out and see what they say I need to do?
I'd recommend getting an understanding of your situation first before contacting them about Fresh Start. Request your tax transcripts for the past 6-10 years - this will show what income information the IRS already has on file for you. That way you'll be prepared for the conversation. As for which years to file, generally focus on the last 6 years as a priority. For years where your income was below the filing threshold (around $12,950 for 2022 as a single filer, but it varies by year and filing status), you might not technically be required to file - but there could be exceptions if you were self-employed or had certain other situations.
One thing nobody's mentioned yet - if your income really was under $25k for most of these years, you might actually be due refunds for some years rather than owing money! I had a friend in a similar situation who didn't file for 7 years, and when he finally did his taxes, he was owed refunds for 4 of those years. Just be aware that you can only claim refunds for the past 3 years (so 2022, 2023, and 2024 for this year's filing season). Any refunds for earlier years are lost forever, but you still need to file those returns if required.
Jacob Lee
Your dad is probably confused about who owes what. With below-market loans, it's the LENDER (your dad) who would potentially have tax implications, not you as the borrower. And as others have mentioned, loans under $10K are generally exempt anyway. What might be happening is your dad reported this loan on his taxes (which he didn't need to do for this amount), and now thinks you need to pay the tax. Or he might be trying to retroactively charge you interest by calling it a "tax." Either way, you should ask him to show you exactly what tax form or notice he's referring to. If he can't produce anything official from the IRS, that's a red flag.
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Emily Thompson
ā¢Could it be that the dad is thinking about the gift tax? Like maybe he's thinking that since he didn't charge interest, it counts as a gift and he has to pay gift tax on it?
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Jacob Lee
ā¢You're on the right track. In theory, the forgone interest on an interest-free loan can be considered a gift from the lender to the borrower. But there are two important points here: First, the annual gift tax exclusion is $17,000 per person (in 2023), so the imputed interest on a $9,500 loan would be well below that threshold. Second, even if it were above the threshold, it would just require reporting on a gift tax return - actual gift tax typically wouldn't be owed until someone gives away millions over their lifetime. So either way, there shouldn't be any actual tax payment required. The dad might be confused about these concepts or might be trying to retroactively charge interest and calling it a "tax" to make it seem official.
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Sophie Hernandez
Just to add a different perspective - could this be a misunderstanding about state taxes? Some states have different rules about personal loans. I got hit with a surprise tax in New Jersey when I loaned money to my cousin, even though it was below federal thresholds. Might be worth asking your dad specifically which tax form or rule he's referring to. If he's actually received tax documentation about this, ask to see it.
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Daniela Rossi
ā¢That's interesting! Which states have different rules? I'm in California and planning to loan money to my sister for her down payment, so now I'm worried!
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