This thread has been incredibly helpful - I'm dealing with a similar situation but with some additional complexity. I was working for a US company but stationed in their London office from 2018-2021, and I'm just now discovering that I may have been filing incorrectly the entire time. My company's UK payroll team told me I didn't need to file US returns since I was paying UK taxes, which I now know was completely wrong. I've been out of compliance for multiple years and potentially owe significant amounts, but I also think I overpaid in some years where I might have been entitled to refunds. Reading through all the advice here about financial disability exceptions, account transcripts, and US-UK treaty provisions has given me hope that there might be paths forward I hadn't considered. The information about requesting comprehensive transcripts to see what the IRS actually has on file is particularly valuable since I'm not even sure what documentation they've received about my UK employment. Has anyone dealt with similar employer misinformation situations where the company's international payroll team provided incorrect US tax guidance? I'm wondering if this could support an equitable tolling argument similar to what was discussed earlier in the thread. The fact that I was receiving professional advice from my employer's tax specialists (even though it was wrong) seems like it might be relevant. Also curious if anyone knows whether the US-UK tax treaty has similar provisions to the US-Japan treaty mentioned earlier that might affect statute of limitations or filing obligations for employees on international assignments.

I've been reading through this entire thread and want to add some additional perspective on the financial disability exception that might be helpful. While major depression can qualify, the key is having your physician specifically document that the condition prevented you from managing your financial affairs during the relevant period. I work in tax resolution and have seen successful financial disability claims where the physician's statement included specific language about the patient's inability to handle complex financial decisions, difficulty with paperwork and deadlines, and cognitive impacts that affected their capacity to understand tax obligations. Generic treatment records usually aren't sufficient - you need a targeted statement from your treating physician. Also, don't overlook the "equitable tolling" possibilities mentioned earlier. Given your international assignment and the complexity of coordinating between US and Japanese tax obligations, if you can document that you received conflicting or incomplete guidance about your filing requirements, this could strengthen your case beyond just the health issues alone. One practical suggestion: consider filing Form 843 (Claim for Refund and Request for Abatement) even if you're not 100% certain about qualifying for an exception. The IRS will review your specific circumstances, and sometimes they identify relief options that weren't immediately obvious. The worst they can do is deny it, but you might be surprised at their flexibility when there are genuine extenuating circumstances like yours. The combination of your depression diagnosis, international tax complexity, and pandemic timing really does create a unique situation that goes beyond typical "I forgot to file" scenarios.

I really appreciate everyone's detailed responses here! This is exactly the kind of guidance I needed. It sounds like my main mistakes were: 1. Both my wife and I claiming our child on our separate W-4s (should only be one of us) 2. Not completing Step 4c with the additional withholding amount from the Multiple Jobs Worksheet @Freya Larsen - your explanation about the child tax credit being claimed twice makes perfect sense now. No wonder we're underwithholding! I think I'll start with the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator that @QuantumQuest and @CyberNinja mentioned since it's free and seems to handle the complexity of dual-income situations automatically. If that doesn't work out or I run into issues, I might consider some of the other services mentioned. One follow-up question: when I update our W-4s, should I submit the changes right away or wait until the start of the next payroll period? I want to make sure we start withholding correctly ASAP but don't want to mess up any current payroll processing. Thanks again everyone - this community is incredibly helpful!

Great advice from everyone here! I went through this exact same situation a couple years ago and learned some hard lessons. One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned much - if you're making these W-4 corrections mid-year (like now in April), you might want to consider having a bit more withheld than the calculators suggest since you've already been underwithholding for several months. The IRS estimator and other tools assume you're starting fresh at the beginning of the year. Since you've potentially been underwithholding since January, you might need to "catch up" with slightly higher withholding for the remaining pay periods. Also, don't forget that if you end up owing more than $1,000 when you file next year, you could face underpayment penalties even if you fix your W-4 now. The IRS generally wants you to pay at least 90% of your current year tax liability or 100% of last year's liability (whichever is smaller) through withholding and estimated payments. Keep good records of when you made the W-4 changes - this documentation can be helpful if you need to explain any underpayment situations to the IRS later.

As someone who just joined this community specifically because of IRS phone frustrations, I can't express how grateful I am for this thread! I've been dreading making a call about my missing stimulus payment credit for weeks after hearing all the horror stories about endless hold times. Reading through everyone's success stories with the 7am Eastern strategy has completely changed my approach. I was planning to call during my lunch break (terrible idea based on what I've learned here), but now I'm setting my alarm for 4am Pacific tomorrow to try the early morning method. I've already printed my tax transcript, highlighted my AGI, and downloaded the IRS2Go app based on all the preparation tips shared here. The checklist idea from the recent posts is genius too - I'm making one tonight with all my reference numbers and key dates so I don't fumble around when I finally get connected. It's honestly mind-blowing that we need this level of strategic planning just to talk to someone about our taxes, but I'm so thankful this community has figured out what actually works. The transformation from 3+ hour failed attempts to 20-30 minute successful calls gives me hope that there's light at the end of this tunnel. I'll definitely report back with my results to add to the success stories (fingers crossed!). Thank you all for turning this from a nightmare into a manageable challenge with proven strategies!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I've been putting off calling the IRS for three weeks now because every time I psyche myself up to deal with their phone system, I remember the last time I spent 2.5 hours on hold only to get disconnected when I was transferred to a "specialist." Reading through all these success stories with the 7am Eastern strategy is giving me actual hope for the first time. I'm dealing with a 1099 correction that's preventing my return from processing, and I've been dreading the call because I assumed it would be an all-day ordeal. I'm definitely trying the early morning approach on Wednesday - alarm set for 4:00am Pacific (ugh, but worth it!). Already have my tax transcript printed and organized all my documentation tonight. The preparation tips here are incredible - I never would have thought to have my AGI ready or download the IRS2Go app beforehand. It's absolutely insane that we need PhD-level strategy just to get basic tax help, but I'm so grateful this community has figured out what actually works. The transformation stories from hours of failed attempts to 20-30 minute successful calls are exactly the motivation I needed to finally tackle this. Thanks everyone for sharing your hard-won wisdom - this thread is legitimately more helpful than anything on the IRS website!

Has anyone used TurboTax to report trustee fees and expenses? Does it walk you through where to put this stuff or do I need to use a CPA? I'm getting a modest fee ($8,000) for handling my mom's trust but spent about $2,100 on expenses.

I'm currently going through a similar situation as successor trustee for my grandmother's estate. One thing I learned from my tax preparer is that the IRS Publication 559 (Survivors, Executors, and Administrators) has specific guidance on trustee fees and deductible expenses. For your $3,200 in expenses, the key is that they must be "ordinary and necessary" for administering the trust. Travel costs to manage trust property, office supplies for record-keeping, and postage for beneficiary communications typically qualify. However, the value of your unpaid time off work is not deductible. Whether you use Schedule C or report as "other income" depends on the scope and nature of your trustee activities. If you're actively managing properties, making investment decisions, or running a business within the trust, Schedule C is likely appropriate. If your role is more passive oversight, "other income" might be correct. Given the complexity and the potential tax implications, I'd recommend getting clarity from your CPA before filing. The difference in how you report this could affect both your income tax and self-employment tax liability.

As someone who went through this process recently, I can confirm it's much simpler than it initially seems! The key thing to remember is that you don't need to do anything special when requesting the withdrawal from your brokerage - just ask for a regular distribution. They'll send you a 1099-R that shows the total amount withdrawn, but it won't break down contributions vs. earnings. The real work happens at tax time with Form 8606 Part III. You'll need to know your total contribution basis (all the money you've put in over the years), which is why keeping good records is so important. If your withdrawal amount is less than your total contributions, you won't owe any taxes or penalties. One tip that helped me: when I called my brokerage to request the distribution, I specifically asked them NOT to withhold any taxes since I knew it would be a tax-free withdrawal of contributions. This saved me from having to wait for a refund later. Most brokerages will ask if you want taxes withheld, so just decline that option. The whole process took about a week from request to having the money in my bank account, and filing Form 8606 with my tax return was straightforward once I had all my contribution records organized.

Just want to add a practical tip that saved me some headaches - when you're gathering your contribution records, don't forget to check if you ever made any recharacterizations or returned excess contributions in previous years. These adjustments can affect your total contribution basis and might not be obvious from just looking at your Form 5498s. I found a recharacterization from 2019 that I'd completely forgotten about, which would have thrown off my calculations if I hadn't caught it. Your brokerage statements should show these transactions, but they might be labeled differently than regular contributions. Also, if you've ever changed brokerages and transferred your Roth IRA, make sure you have records from ALL previous custodians. The new brokerage won't necessarily have your complete contribution history from before the transfer, so you'll need to piece it together yourself. I had to contact my old brokerage to get statements going back several years, but they were surprisingly helpful once I explained what I needed.