I'm so sorry you're dealing with this stress while caring for your mother. Reading through all these responses, it's clear that you need to take immediate action since payment plans don't automatically stop tax refund offsets. Based on everyone's shared experiences, here's what you should do RIGHT NOW: **Call these numbers TODAY:** - Treasury Offset Program: 800-304-3107 (check if your debt is certified for offset) - SSA: 800-772-1213 (request suspension using the exact language others have shared) **Key phrase to use:** "I need immediate discretionary suspension from Treasury Offset Program due to caregiver hardship and established payment compliance" **Your strong points:** - Consistent $85 monthly payments since April (proves good faith) - Documented caregiver role for mother's medical equipment needs - All confirmation numbers and payment records organized The timing issue everyone mentioned is critical - your March 15th overpayment determination likely triggered Treasury certification before your March 28th payment plan was even set up. But your payment history and caregiver hardship situation give you excellent grounds for discretionary suspension. Don't accept vague reassurances about payment plan protection. Ask specifically about the "offset indicator" in your account and demand written confirmation of any suspension. If the first rep isn't familiar with discretionary suspension, ask for the overpayment recovery department. Your mother's medical equipment needs are exactly the type of hardship these programs should accommodate. You have a strong case - just make sure to use the specific terminology and act immediately. Time is everything here!

I'm really hoping things work out for you! This thread has been incredibly educational - I had no idea that payment plans and Treasury Offset were separate systems that don't automatically communicate. One thing I wanted to add based on my own experience with federal agencies: when you call tomorrow, consider calling early in the morning (right when they open) and later in the afternoon. I've found that mid-morning and lunch hours tend to have longer wait times and sometimes less experienced representatives answering. Also, if you do get your suspension approved, make sure to ask for the confirmation in writing via mail AND email if possible. I learned this lesson the hard way with a different federal agency where a verbal confirmation wasn't enough when issues came up later. Your dedication to caring for your mother while dealing with this bureaucratic nightmare is really admirable. The medical equipment angle combined with your consistent payment history should definitely work in your favor. Keeping my fingers crossed that you get this resolved quickly! Please update us when you hear back from your calls - I think a lot of people in this community could benefit from knowing how your situation turns out.

I completely understand your concern about seeing someone else's name on your EIN documentation - this was exactly my reaction when I first got mine through a service! The good news is that what you're experiencing is absolutely normal and legitimate. When you use a third-party service to obtain an EIN, they fill out Form SS-4 on your behalf and designate themselves as the "third-party designee." This is an official IRS role that allows them to communicate with the IRS about your application and receive the EIN information. The key thing to understand is that this person has no ownership rights to your business or EIN - they were simply your authorized representative for the application process. What matters most is that your company name is correctly listed on the first line. That's what establishes ownership of the EIN for your business entity. The third-party designee name is just administrative. I've been using my EIN (which also has a service provider's name as the third-party designee) for over two years now without any issues. I've opened business bank accounts, filed taxes, signed contracts, and handled all sorts of business matters with no problems. Financial institutions and government agencies are very familiar with this arrangement since it's so common. As a fellow non-US citizen, I'd also recommend keeping good records of your correspondence with the EIN service just in case you ever need to document the authorization, though I've never actually needed to show this to anyone. You're all set to start using your EIN for any business purposes you need!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm also a non-US citizen who recently went through the EIN application process, and I had the exact same concern when I saw someone else's name on my documentation. What really helped me understand this was realizing that the IRS has built this third-party designee system specifically to accommodate situations like ours. As non-citizens, we often need assistance navigating US business requirements, and this official designation allows qualified services to help us without any issues. I ended up calling the IRS directly (after waiting on hold for what felt like forever) to confirm everything was legitimate. The agent I spoke with explained that thousands of businesses get their EINs this way every year, and it's considered completely standard practice. She also confirmed that the EIN belongs entirely to my business regardless of who helped obtain it. One thing I wish I'd known earlier is that you can actually verify your EIN information anytime on the IRS website or by calling their business helpline. Just having that confirmation gave me so much peace of mind. For anyone else in this situation - don't stress about it! Focus on getting your business operations set up. The EIN will work perfectly fine for all your banking, tax, and business needs.

bruh why even ask here when nobody knows ur full situation? get a professional or use software that can actually look at ur specific case

Also check if you qualify for the Additional Child Tax Credit! If your regular Child Tax Credit gets reduced because you don't owe enough taxes, the Additional CTC can still give you money back as a refund. With your income level and 2 dependents, you're probably looking at a pretty decent refund between EIC, CTC, and potentially ACTC. Just make sure you have all your documents ready - W-2s, dependent SSNs, etc.

Does anyone know if u need to set this up differently for different accounting software programs? Im using Xero and it just asks me to set up "tax rates" without this recoverable/non-recoverable distinction. So confused!!!

This is such a common confusion point for new business owners! You're absolutely right that US sales taxes are generally non-recoverable, unlike VAT systems. When setting up QuickBooks or any accounting software for a US business, you should select "non-recoverable" for sales taxes. The key thing to remember is that in the US, you collect sales tax from your customers and remit it to the state, but any sales tax you pay on your own business purchases becomes part of your cost of goods sold or business expenses. You can't offset what you pay against what you collect like you can with VAT. For your e-commerce business, make sure you're also registered for sales tax collection in states where you have nexus (physical or economic presence). Each state has different thresholds and rules. And don't forget - while the sales tax you pay isn't "recoverable" through the sales tax system, it is deductible as a business expense on your income tax return, which still provides some tax benefit. Good luck with your new business setup!

I'm dealing with a similar situation as a freelance consultant - had several business expenses in 2020 but very little income due to the pandemic. From what I've researched and discussed with other self-employed folks, you definitely can and should claim those legitimate business expenses even with zero income. The key things to remember: keep all your receipts and documentation organized, make sure the expenses were genuinely for business purposes (which yours clearly were - license, insurance, conference, supplies are all standard business costs), and don't let the software warnings scare you. A net loss from a business is completely normal and legal, especially during 2020. One tip that helped me - when entering everything in the tax software, I made notes in the description fields explaining the business purpose of each expense. It helps create a clear paper trail showing these were legitimate business costs, not personal expenses you're trying to write off.

This is actually a really straightforward situation that many self-employed people faced in 2020. You absolutely should report your business on Schedule C even without receiving any 1099s - the IRS doesn't require you to have received a 1099 to report business income (or in your case, $0 income). All of those expenses you mentioned - the license renewal, liability insurance, office supplies, and business conference - are completely legitimate business deductions. The fact that you had no income doesn't disqualify you from claiming them. You'll end up with a net business loss, which can actually help reduce your overall tax liability if you have other income. A few important points: Make sure you keep all receipts and documentation for these expenses. The conference expenses should be broken down properly (travel, meals at 50%, lodging, etc.). And don't worry about audit flags - business losses are normal, especially for 2020. The IRS understands that many businesses had extraordinary circumstances that year. Just file Schedule C with $0 gross receipts and list all your legitimate business expenses. Your tax software should handle this just fine.