Your mom definitely cannot use your 1098-T form for education tax credits if she's not claiming you as a dependent. The IRS is very clear on this - only the person who claims the student as a dependent can claim education credits like the American Opportunity Credit or Lifetime Learning Credit. The "reimbursement" and "keeping scholarships" explanations don't make sense from a tax perspective. Scholarships are managed between you and your school, not through anyone's tax return. If she's talking about FAFSA, that's a completely separate financial aid process that doesn't require your 1098-T form. Here's what I'd recommend: File your taxes ASAP claiming yourself as independent and use your 1098-T to claim any education credits you're eligible for (like the American Opportunity Credit if you qualify). Once your return is processed, it will prevent anyone else from claiming those same benefits. Make sure you keep all documentation showing you paid qualified education expenses if you're claiming credits. And don't give her your 1098-T - there's no legitimate tax reason she needs it if she's not claiming you as a dependent.

I'm a tax professional and want to add some clarity about the specific situation you described with the 2021 income reporting. It sounds like your mom might be confusing several different tax concepts here. The mention of reporting your income as "below $6,700" in 2021 suggests she may have been trying to ensure you qualified as her dependent under the gross income test (which was $4,300 for 2021, actually). However, if you're now 22, living independently, and paying your own expenses, you likely don't meet the dependency tests regardless of income. The "keeping scholarships" comment is particularly concerning because it suggests a fundamental misunderstanding of how scholarships work. Scholarships are awarded and maintained based on academic performance, enrollment status, and the specific terms set by the scholarship provider - not by who claims what on their tax return. What your mom might actually be thinking about is maximizing education benefits across both your returns, but she's going about it the wrong way. If she has legitimate education-related expenses (like Parent PLUS loan interest), she can claim those deductions without needing your 1098-T. But the education credits associated with your 1098-T can only be claimed by whoever claims you as a dependent - which in this case would be you. My advice: Have a direct conversation with her about what specific tax benefit she thinks she's missing out on, then you can address the actual issue rather than this confusing 1098-T request.

I'm experiencing the exact same delays! Sent my check on April 15th and it's been 12 days now with no clearing. This thread has been incredibly helpful and reassuring - I was starting to worry that my payment got lost in the mail or that something went wrong with my account. It's really eye-opening to see how widespread these processing delays are this year. The shift from the usual 2-3 day clearing to 2-3 weeks is such a dramatic change. I had no idea the IRS was dealing with such significant backlogs in their paper processing. The bank alert suggestion is brilliant - I've been obsessively checking my account balance multiple times a day and it's just adding to my stress. Definitely setting that up today so I can stop constantly refreshing my banking app and get notified immediately when it finally processes. This whole experience has convinced me to switch to electronic payments next year. The instant confirmation and peace of mind seems much better than this anxious waiting game we're all going through. Thanks to everyone for sharing their timelines and experiences - it's so comforting to know this is a widespread IRS issue and not something specific to our individual payments!

I'm going through this exact same situation! Sent my check on April 22nd and it's been 5 days now with no movement in my bank account. This entire thread has been incredibly reassuring - I was starting to get anxious thinking I might have made an error or that my payment got lost somewhere in the system. It's really helpful to see so many people documenting their experiences with these processing delays this year. The shift from the quick 2-3 day clearing we used to see to these extended 2-3 week wait times is quite a change. I had no idea the IRS was dealing with such widespread paper processing backlogs. I'm definitely going to follow the advice about setting up bank alerts instead of obsessively checking my account balance throughout the day. That should help reduce the stress of constantly wondering if something went wrong. Thanks to everyone for sharing their timelines and experiences here - it's really comforting to know this is a widespread processing issue affecting many taxpayers this season and not something specific to individual payments. This experience is definitely making electronic payments look very appealing for next year!

This has been such an informative and reassuring discussion! I'm actually the original poster (just using a different account now), and I can't thank everyone enough for sharing their experiences and expertise. When I first posted this question, I was honestly pretty anxious about potentially messing up my taxes or getting in trouble with the IRS over this generous gift from my aunt and uncle. Reading through all these responses - from tax preparers, people who've been in similar situations, banking professionals, and just helpful community members - has completely put my mind at ease. The consistent message that gifts to recipients are never taxable income, regardless of amount, is so clear now. The "already-taxed money being transferred" explanation really made it click for me. I'm also really grateful for all the practical tips about documentation, what to expect at the bank, and how to handle the deposit. I feel so much more prepared and confident now about accepting this gift and putting it toward my student loans without any tax worries. This community is absolutely amazing for helping navigate these confusing financial situations. Thank you all for taking the time to share your knowledge and experiences - you've made such a difference in helping me (and clearly many others) understand this situation properly!

As someone who went through a very similar situation recently, I can absolutely confirm what everyone else has said - you do NOT need to report that $20k gift on your tax return! I received $18k from my parents last year to help with credit card debt and was equally worried about the tax implications. The key thing that finally put my mind at ease was understanding that gifts are never taxable income to the recipient, no matter the amount. Your aunt and uncle already paid taxes on that money when they earned it, so the IRS won't tax it again when it's gifted to you. I kept simple documentation (just an email from my parents explaining it was a gift), brought it when I deposited the money, and had zero issues. The bank didn't even ask about it, but I felt more prepared having it ready. Your aunt and uncle sound absolutely wonderful for helping you tackle those student loans! That $20k is going to make such a meaningful difference in your financial future. Accept their generous gift with confidence - you're completely in the clear tax-wise and can focus on enjoying the relief of reduced debt!

Has anyone had luck deducting part of their cell phone bill for delivery work? I use my phone constantly for the apps, GPS, customer communication etc.

Great question! Yes, you definitely should be tracking your mileage for 1099 delivery work - it's one of the biggest deductions you can take. Here's what I recommend: **For odometer readings:** You don't need to record it for every single trip, but do take photos of your odometer at the beginning and end of each work day, plus at the start/end of each year. This gives you solid documentation. **What to track for each delivery:** - Date and time - Starting point and destination - Miles driven (business purpose) - Total miles for the day **Pro tip:** Stop estimating immediately! The IRS can be strict about mileage deductions, and estimates won't hold up in an audit. Either use a mileage tracking app (like Stride, Everlance, or MileIQ) or keep a simple log in your car. You can choose between the standard mileage rate (67¢/mile for 2024) or actual vehicle expenses - the standard rate is usually better for delivery drivers and much simpler to track. Since you just started last month, you can still go back and reconstruct your mileage using your delivery app records, bank statements, and any receipts you have. Better to get organized now than scramble at tax time!

One thing nobody's mentioned yet - if part of your HSA distribution was used for non-medical expenses, you'd only pay the penalty on that portion. For example, if $1500 of your distribution was for medical stuff but $350 was for something else, you'd only pay the penalty on the $350. I learned this the hard way last year when I accidentally used my HSA debit card for some regular pharmacy items that weren't medical (like paper towels and snacks along with my prescriptions). Had to pay extra tax but only on those specific non-qualified items.

This is a classic HSA reporting mistake that catches a lot of people! The dramatic jump in your tax bill is happening because your tax software is treating your entire $1,850 distribution as taxable income PLUS adding the 20% penalty for non-qualified distributions. Here's what's likely happening: When you entered your 1099-SA, you probably missed indicating that the distributions were for qualified medical expenses. Without that designation, the software assumes it was a non-qualified distribution and hits you with: 1. Regular income tax on the full $1,850 2. An additional 20% penalty tax (another $370) That explains your ~$810 jump in taxes owed ($1,590 - $780). Go back to your HSA section in your tax software and look for questions about whether the distribution was used for qualified medical expenses. Since you mentioned having receipts for doctor visits, prescriptions, and a procedure, you should be able to mark these as qualified distributions. Once you do that, your tax bill should drop back down significantly since qualified HSA distributions are completely tax-free. The key is making sure your software knows these were legitimate medical expenses!