The same thing happened to me but with Spotify! Tax was like 14.2% and I was so confused. Turns out I had moved counties but my billing address was still using my old address which had higher local taxes. Check your billing address in your Apple account. Even if you updated your Apple ID info, sometimes the billing address for subscriptions updates separately.

I work in tax compliance for a digital services company, and what you're experiencing is actually quite common. The 13.6% rate you're seeing is likely a combination of multiple tax layers that Apple has to collect based on your billing address. Here's what's probably happening: your base state sales tax, plus any county tax, city tax, and potentially a specific digital services tax. Many jurisdictions have added special taxes on streaming and digital subscriptions in recent years - some call them "amusement taxes" or "digital goods taxes." Chicago is notorious for this - they have a 9% amusement tax on top of regular Illinois sales tax. If you're in a high-tax area, 13.6% is unfortunately not unusual for digital subscriptions. The key thing to check is your billing address in your Apple account settings. Make sure it's current and accurate, because Apple calculates tax based on that address, not where you physically are when you use the service.

Just went through this exact process last month! Everyone here is right - 800-830-5084 is the correct number and it's the same nationwide. One thing I'd add is to make sure you're calling from the phone number that matches what's on your tax return if possible. They sometimes verify that too. Also, if you get disconnected (which happened to me twice), don't hang up immediately - sometimes they'll call you back within 15 minutes. The whole process took about 20 minutes once I got through, and they were actually pretty helpful. Your refund should process within 6-9 weeks after successful verification. Hang in there!

I went through this same identity verification process about 6 months ago and can confirm what everyone is saying - 800-830-5084 is definitely the right number and it's nationwide. One tip that really helped me: when you call, have a pen and paper ready because they'll give you a confirmation number at the end of the call. Write it down! I almost forgot to do this and had to call back just to get that number for my records. Also, don't be surprised if they ask you questions about credit accounts or loans you might have had years ago - they pull this info from credit bureaus to verify it's really you. The questions caught me off guard at first but it's totally normal. The agent I spoke with was actually pretty patient and walked me through everything step by step. Your refund timing might be delayed, but at least you'll know your return is being processed securely. Good luck!

Does anyone know how the mortgage interest deduction works in this situation? If I own 3 properties (my primary home, a vacation home, and my mom's rental that's below market), can I still deduct the mortgage interest on all of them? Tryin to figure out if I'm hitting some kinda limit.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is the importance of keeping detailed records of all your expenses related to the property. Since you're renting at below market rate, the IRS may scrutinize your deductions more closely if you're ever audited. Make sure to track everything - property taxes, mortgage payments, insurance, maintenance, repairs, even mileage when you drive over to check on the property. If the IRS does limit your deductions proportionally (like others mentioned with the 75-80% rule), you'll want solid documentation to support every expense you're claiming. Also, consider getting a formal appraisal or at least documenting comparable rentals in your area when you set the rent. This creates a paper trail showing you made a good faith effort to determine fair market value, which helps justify your rental amount if questioned later. I learned this the hard way when my accountant couldn't find enough documentation to support my below-market family rental and I had to scramble to recreate everything during tax season.

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who went through this exact same confusion last year! I had Texas Medicaid too and was totally stressed about the 1095-B form. Everyone here is absolutely right - you do NOT need to file it with your return. What helped me was understanding that the 1095-B is basically just a receipt showing "hey, you had qualifying health coverage this year." The IRS uses it to verify you weren't uninsured (which could trigger a penalty in some cases), but YOU don't need to do anything with it when filing. TurboTax will ask if you had health insurance coverage - just answer yes. It won't ask for any specific numbers or info from your 1095-B. Keep that form safe with your other tax records, but don't stress about entering anything from it into your tax software. You're good to go ahead and file!

I went through this same confusion with my 1095-B from California Medicaid last year! The stress is real when you're not sure if you're missing something important. Everyone here has given you solid advice - the 1095-B is purely for your records to prove you had qualifying coverage. What really clicked for me was realizing that the IRS already knows you had Medicaid coverage because they receive that information directly from the state. The 1095-B is just your copy of that same information. You're not missing any steps by not entering it into TurboTax. One thing that might give you extra peace of mind: if you look at the actual tax forms (like Form 1040), there's no line that asks for 1095-B information. There IS a line that asks if you had minimum essential coverage, which you did (Medicaid), but that's just a yes/no question. You're all set to file! Keep that 1095-B with your tax records for at least 3 years in case you ever need to prove you had coverage, but don't let it hold up your filing.

As a tax professional, I want to emphasize that everyone here is giving you correct advice - you absolutely do not need to report that second job on your tax return if you earned $0 from it. The IRS tax code is very clear: you only report actual income received, not potential income or employment relationships where no compensation was paid. Think of it this way - if the IRS required people to report every job they held regardless of income, millions of Americans would need to list volunteer positions, unpaid internships, and situations exactly like yours. The tax system simply doesn't work that way. Your situation is actually quite common, especially with on-call, seasonal, or gig economy positions where people get hired but may never actually work shifts. Since no money changed hands and no tax documents were issued, there's literally nothing for you or the IRS to track. Focus your energy on making sure your main W-2 is accurately entered, and you'll be in full compliance with all tax requirements.

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who went through this exact situation! I had three different "jobs" last year where I completed all the paperwork and onboarding but never actually earned a penny - one was a seasonal position that never had openings, another was a delivery driver role where I never got assigned routes, and the third was similar to your on-call situation. I spent way too much time worrying about this when I was doing my taxes, but after consulting with a tax preparer and doing my own research, I learned that the IRS literally has no record of these employment relationships existing. No W-2s were issued, no income was reported by the employers, and there's no paper trail connecting me to these companies from a tax perspective. The relief I felt when I realized I was overthinking this was huge! Now I just focus on the simple rule: if there's no income and no tax documents, there's nothing to report. Your main job with the actual W-2 is all that matters for your tax return. Hope this helps ease your mind like it did mine!