Your mileage tracking sounds completely legitimate and well-documented! 23k miles for $21k in delivery income is actually quite typical, especially for someone learning the ropes. The fact that you kept contemporaneous daily logs puts you in a great position if questions ever arise. Don't artificially reduce your documented mileage - that's essentially giving away money you're legally entitled to deduct. The IRS expects delivery drivers to have high mileage, and your documentation approach (daily logs plus total vehicle mileage) is exactly what they want to see. Regarding audit risk, most returns with proper documentation like yours process without issue. Even if selected for review, having accurate records means you're prepared. Your refund timeline shouldn't be affected by claiming legitimate business mileage deductions. Keep those logs safe (digital copies are fine) and file with confidence. You did the work to track everything properly - now claim what you're entitled to!

I completely understand your anxiety about this - I felt the exact same way when my spouse started doing delivery work! But honestly, your mileage numbers and documentation sound completely normal and legitimate for delivery driving. The 23k miles for $21k income actually makes perfect sense when you consider all the unpaid driving that happens - driving to hotspots, returning from deliveries to busy areas, and like you mentioned, accepting lower-paying orders while learning the business. That's exactly the kind of learning curve every new delivery driver goes through. Your daily mileage logs are gold standard documentation. The IRS wants to see exactly what you're doing - tracking as you go rather than estimating later. Never reduce legitimate numbers out of fear! If anything, that could cause more problems than claiming what you actually drove. One thing that might give you extra peace of mind - consider noting your general work areas or patterns in your logs (like "worked downtown lunch shift" or "evening north side zone"). It's not required, but it can help show the business purpose if anyone ever asks questions. You're doing everything right. File with confidence and claim every mile you legitimately drove for business!

One thing nobody has mentioned yet - if you do end up giving more than the annual exclusion amount, it doesn't automatically mean you'll owe gift taxes. It just means you have to file a gift tax return (Form 709) and it counts against your lifetime estate and gift tax exclusion (which is over $13 million per person in 2025). So even if you accidentally go over the $18k per person annual limit, you probably won't actually pay any gift tax unless you've given away millions over your lifetime. The annual exclusion is just about whether you need to report the gift or not.

This is really helpful information! I'm in a similar situation with wanting to help my son with his first home purchase. One additional tip I learned from our family attorney - if you're doing the December/January strategy to maximize gifts across tax years, make sure the checks are actually deposited in the correct years. So if you write a check in late December but your daughter doesn't deposit it until January, the IRS considers that a gift in the year it was deposited (January), not when it was written. This could mess up your timing if you're trying to use both the 2025 and 2026 annual exclusions. We ended up doing electronic transfers to make sure the timing was crystal clear - $36K transferred on December 28th, 2024, and another $36K on January 3rd, 2025. Worked perfectly and gave our son the full $72K for his down payment!

I'm going through literally the exact same situation right now! My spouse and I got married last year, moved twice, and just filed jointly for the first time. We also got our refund about 3 weeks ago and now have two separate IRS letters showing up in informed delivery today. Reading through all these responses has been such a huge relief - I was completely spiraling this morning thinking we were about to get audited or something. The explanation about Individual Master File updates makes so much sense given all the life changes we've had (marriage, name change, address changes, filing status change). It's really reassuring to see how many people have gone through this exact scenario with routine verification notices. The timing of getting letters AFTER the refund processed is definitely encouraging - if there were serious problems they would have caught them before sending our money. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and expertise! This thread has been incredibly helpful for managing the anxiety of waiting for scary-looking government mail. I'll be following along to see what your letters actually say - hoping it's as routine as everyone expects! 🤞

I'm pretty new to this community but had to jump in because I'm dealing with almost the exact same anxiety right now! My partner and I also got married recently, moved last year, and just filed jointly for the first time. Seeing IRS letters in informed delivery is absolutely terrifying even when you know you did everything correctly. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been so reassuring though. The pattern is really clear - when you have major life changes like marriage, address changes, and switching filing status, routine verification notices are super common. The fact that your refund already processed without issues is definitely a good sign. I've learned so much from this thread, especially about the Individual Master File system and how the IRS maintains separate records even for joint filers. That totally explains why couples get separate notices for what should be routine updates. The waiting is definitely the worst part! But based on everyone's stories here, it sounds like you're probably going to open those letters and realize you stressed over basic administrative paperwork. Please keep us updated when you find out what they actually say - I think we're all invested in this mystery at this point! 😅

Quick question about the mailing process - how do you actually submit 6 years worth of returns? Should I mail them all together or separately? I've heard mixed things.

Just to add another perspective on the 6-year requirement - while the IRS typically focuses on the last 6 years for compliance purposes, the specific years can depend on your situation. If you haven't filed any returns, they generally want 2018-2023 (counting back from when 2023 returns were due). However, if you filed some years but not others, they might focus on just the missing years. Also worth noting that if you had very low income (below the filing threshold) for certain years, you might not have been required to file at all - though you'd miss out on potential refunds like the Earned Income Tax Credit. Given that you mentioned mostly gig work around $25k annually, you were likely required to file (especially with self-employment income over $400), but you probably are due refunds for most years. I'd recommend starting with 2021-2023 since those are the only years you can still claim refunds for, then tackle the older years for compliance. Good luck with getting everything sorted before your mortgage application!

This entire situation is infuriating and I'm really glad you're taking action. As someone who's dealt with tax preparer issues before, I want to add one more important point - make sure you get a written acknowledgment from the CPA that they filed without your authorization. When you contact them (definitely do this in writing as others suggested), don't just ask for copies of what was filed. Specifically ask them to confirm in writing what authorization they believed they had to submit your return electronically. This puts them in a position where they either have to admit they had no authorization, or they have to produce documentation that doesn't exist. Also, if you're filing the amended return yourself, double-check that you're claiming all legitimate business deductions for your side income. Things like business use of your phone, any equipment purchases, professional memberships, or even business-related travel can add up quickly. Since the original preparer clearly didn't do their due diligence, you want to make sure you're getting every deduction you're entitled to. The silver lining here is that you caught this early in tax season, so you have plenty of time to get it sorted before any deadlines. And honestly, the fact that you're potentially getting a refund instead of owing money makes this a much stronger case for preparer misconduct. Keep fighting this - you're absolutely in the right and this preparer needs to be held accountable for their actions.

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this nightmare situation. What happened to you is a serious breach of professional ethics and IRS regulations. No tax preparer should EVER file a return without your explicit written authorization - this is absolutely not normal or acceptable. Based on what you've described, here are the key steps I'd recommend taking immediately: 1. **Document everything** - Write down all details of your interactions with this CPA while they're fresh in your memory. Save any texts, emails, or notes from your meeting. 2. **Contact the preparer in writing** - Send an email (keep a copy) demanding they explain what authorization they believed they had to file your return and requesting complete copies of everything submitted to the IRS. 3. **File Form 1040X** - You'll need to file an amended return to correct the errors. Since you calculated a refund instead of owing money, this actually strengthens your case that the original filing was inadequate. 4. **Report the misconduct** - File IRS Form 14157 to report the preparer, and contact your state's CPA licensing board. This behavior likely violates multiple professional standards. The $925 fee for such minimal work that ignored your legitimate deduction questions is another red flag. A basic return with simple side business income should cost much less, and any competent preparer would have explored the deductions you specifically asked about. You're absolutely doing the right thing by fighting this. Don't let this preparer's misconduct cost you money you don't actually owe!