So annoying how everyone keeps talking about 1098-T and education credits when OP was asking about the 1098-E for loan interest 🙄 to clarify: a 1098-E is only issued if you paid at least $600 in student loan interest. Since you paid zero interest, you won't get this form and can't claim the interest deduction. Paying off loans early is ALWAYS better than getting a tax deduction for interest! You made the right financial move!

Great question! As others have clarified, you're mixing up two different forms. The 1098-T comes from your school for tuition payments, while the 1098-E is for student loan interest (which you won't get since you paid no interest). Here's the good news: paying off your loan early was absolutely the right financial move! You saved potentially thousands in interest over the life of the loan. The student loan interest deduction maxes out at $2,500 anyway and only reduces taxable income, not your actual tax bill. Focus on whether you qualify for education credits instead - these are way more valuable than the interest deduction would have been. Check if your school sent you a 1098-T for your actual tuition payments. If you used that loan money to pay qualified education expenses, you might be eligible for the American Opportunity Credit (up to $2,500) or Lifetime Learning Credit (up to $2,000). These credits reduce your tax bill dollar-for-dollar, which is much better than a deduction. You made a smart financial decision - don't second-guess yourself!

Has anyone here used FreeTaxUSA to report a 1099-R with rollover codes? I'm trying to figure out where to indicate it was a rollover in their system but can't find the right option.

I just went through this exact same situation with my Empower rollover! The BG code combination was throwing me off too, but after speaking with a tax professional, here's what I learned: The "B" indicates it's from a designated Roth account (like Roth 401k), and the "G" confirms it was a direct rollover. Since you rolled from one qualified plan to another, this should be completely non-taxable. The blank box 2a with "Taxable amount not determined" checked is actually normal for these situations. Empower is basically saying "we're not calculating the taxable portion because this should be handled as a rollover by the taxpayer." When I entered mine in TurboTax, I just had to make sure to answer "Yes" when it asked if this was a rollover. The software automatically treated it as non-taxable after that. You definitely still need to report the 1099-R on your return though - the IRS needs to see that you received it and properly handled it as a rollover. The different amounts in box 1 vs box 5 just represent your total distribution vs your original contributions. Since it was a proper rollover, you don't need to calculate anything - just report it correctly as a rollover and you should be all set!

Don't forget to check if Canada withheld any taxes from your wife's payment! If they did, you might be eligible for a foreign tax credit on Form 1116. This is especially important for larger amounts, but even for $2,700 it could make a difference. Also, since this is consulting work, make sure your wife keeps good records of any business expenses related to this income - home office, supplies, software subscriptions, etc. Those are all deductible on Schedule C against this income.

One thing that might help with the CashApp address validation issue - try entering the Canadian postal code in the ZIP code field but replace spaces with dashes. So if the postal code is "H3B 2Y7", enter it as "H3B-2Y7". Some tax software will accept this format even when they reject the standard Canadian postal code format. If that doesn't work, you can also try entering "00000" as the ZIP code, which is what many tax preparers use as a workaround for foreign addresses. The key is that you're still reporting all the income correctly on Schedule C - the address formatting is just a software limitation, not a tax compliance issue. Also make sure you're treating this as business income on Schedule C rather than miscellaneous income, since it's consulting work. This way your wife can deduct any related business expenses and the income will be subject to self-employment tax as required.

For international students on F-1 visas, tax filing requirements can be complex but manageable with the right approach. You'll definitely need to file taxes on that photography income - even $300-400/month puts you well over the $400 threshold for self-employment income reporting. A few key points to address your concerns: **Privacy Protection**: The IRS will only send correspondence to the address you provide on your tax return. Always use your current US address, and consider setting up an IRS online account for electronic notifications. No tax documents will automatically go to your home country. **Required Forms**: As a nonresident alien (which you likely are in your first 5 years), you'll file Form 1040-NR with Schedule C for your self-employment income. You'll need either an SSN or ITIN. **Deductions**: Keep detailed records of business expenses - camera equipment, editing software, travel costs for photo shoots, etc. These can significantly reduce your taxable income. **Critical Warning**: Before proceeding, definitely check with your university's international student office about visa compliance. F-1 students have strict limitations on off-campus work, and online sales might require CPT or OPT authorization to be legal under immigration law. The tax part is straightforward once you understand the requirements, but visa compliance should be your first priority. Getting this wrong could jeopardize your student status regardless of proper tax filing.

Great question about expense tracking and the IRS online account! For business expenses, yes - you can deduct reasonable business-related portions of your phone bill if you use it to communicate with photography clients, costs for maintaining portfolio websites, online marketplace fees, cloud storage for your photos, and even a portion of your internet bill if you use it primarily for your photography business. The key is keeping detailed records and ensuring the expenses are "ordinary and necessary" for your photography business. However, be conservative with mixed-use expenses like your phone or internet - the IRS expects you to only deduct the business portion. Keep a log of business vs. personal usage to support your deductions. Regarding the IRS online account - yes, nonresident aliens can absolutely create accounts on irs.gov! You'll need either your SSN or ITIN, and it's actually one of the best ways to manage your tax communications electronically. This helps with your privacy concerns since you can receive most notices online instead of through mail. You're absolutely making the right call prioritizing visa compliance first. Many international students get this backwards and end up with immigration issues that are much more serious than tax problems. Your international student office should be able to guide you on whether your photography work needs CPT authorization or if there are other compliant pathways. Once you get the immigration side sorted out, the tax filing process is much more straightforward, especially with all the digital tools available now for tracking expenses and preparing returns.

Also check your closing documents if you bought the house recently! When I purchased last year, I had to reimburse the seller for prepaid property taxes at closing, and that amount was also deductible but didn't show up on my 1098 at all. TurboTax has a separate section for property taxes paid outside of your mortgage escrow. Don't miss this if you had any special situations like buying a new home, paying taxes directly, or making additional tax payments.

Great to see you figured it out! For future reference, if anyone else runs into this issue, there's one more thing to watch out for - make sure you're not double-counting property taxes if you made any direct payments to your county during the year. I learned this the hard way when I got an IRS notice. My escrow account was short one year, so I had to pay part of my property tax bill directly to the county. I mistakenly entered both the escrow amount AND the direct payment in TurboTax, which inflated my deductions. The key is to add up ALL property tax payments made during the calendar year - whether through escrow, direct payments, or even amounts paid at closing when you bought the house. Just make sure you're not counting the same payment twice from different sources!