This is actually a really common situation that freaks people out every tax season! Companies can absolutely disable your ADP access after you leave - it's standard security practice, not anything shady. Your employment records are still there, but your login gets cut off pretty quickly after termination. Your sister-in-law should definitely email HR directly (keep that paper trail!) since they're legally required to provide her W-2 by January 31st. Two important questions to ask: 1) Is her current address on file? and 2) Do they use a separate portal for tax documents? Some companies use ADP for regular payroll but have a completely different system for W-2s and tax forms. If she doesn't get her W-2 by mid-February, she can call the IRS at 800-829-1040 to report it missing - they'll contact the employer directly. And if she kept her final December pay stub, that has all the year-to-date totals she'd need for Form 4852 (substitute W-2) as a backup. This happens to tons of people every year, so don't stress too much about it - just work through the proper channels and it'll get resolved!

This is definitely a frustrating situation, but it's actually very normal! Companies routinely disable former employees' ADP portal access after termination as a standard security measure - it's not anything personal or shady, just their data protection policy. Your employment records still exist in their system, but your individual login credentials get deactivated pretty quickly. Your sister-in-law is absolutely on the right track. She should contact HR directly, preferably by email to create a paper trail, since they're legally obligated to provide her W-2 by January 31st. When she reaches out, I'd suggest asking two specific questions: 1) Do they have her current mailing address on file? (many "missing" W-2s are actually just address issues), and 2) Do they use a different system or portal for tax documents separate from the regular ADP payroll system? That second question is really important - I've seen many cases where people panic thinking their W-2 is lost when the company just uses a completely different vendor or portal for tax forms than they do for regular paychecks. If she doesn't receive her W-2 by mid-February, calling the IRS at 800-829-1040 is exactly the right next step - they'll contact the employer directly on her behalf. And as a backup, if she kept her final December pay stub, that should contain all the year-to-date wage and withholding information she'd need for Form 4852 (substitute W-2) if it comes to that. This situation comes up for lots of people every tax season, so try not to worry too much - just work through the proper channels and it'll get sorted out!

Your brother can definitely stop worrying about this! What you've described is exactly the kind of family coordination that happens every day without any tax implications. Since you're just temporarily moving your own money through his account to facilitate your truck purchase, there's no gift involved and no income being generated for him. The key thing to remember is that ownership of the money never actually changes - your brother is simply acting as your intermediary due to the geographic convenience. This is completely different from a taxable gift or income situation that the IRS would care about. Your $9,800 transfer is well below any reporting thresholds that would apply to actual gifts or business transactions, and Zelle transfers between family accounts for personal purposes like this aren't reported to the IRS anyway. Even if they were, there would be no tax consequences since you're just using him as a temporary custodian of your own funds. This type of family purchase coordination is extremely common - I've seen siblings, parents, and cousins help each other with car purchases, down payments, and other transactions when distance or banking logistics make it more convenient. You made a practical choice, not a tax mistake!

You and your brother can both breathe easy about this situation! What you've described is completely normal family coordination and won't create any tax issues whatsoever. The key point everyone here has made is absolutely correct - you're not giving your brother a gift, and he's not receiving income. You're simply using him as a temporary intermediary to facilitate your own truck purchase. The money never stops being yours, which means there's no taxable event for either of you. I've helped family members with similar situations (receiving transfers for car purchases, down payments, etc.) and it's never caused any complications. The IRS is concerned with actual income generation and legitimate gifts above certain thresholds - not practical family logistics like this. Your $9,800 Zelle transfer is well below any reporting requirements, and more importantly, Zelle transfers between personal accounts for family coordination like this aren't reported to the IRS anyway. Your brother is essentially acting as your purchasing agent due to geographic convenience, which happens in families all the time. You made a smart practical decision given your distance from your credit union and the seller. Your brother won't get audited for helping you buy a truck - this is just normal family teamwork, not something that creates regulatory headaches!

This has been such an incredibly helpful and comprehensive discussion! As a newcomer to this community and someone who's been wrestling with wash sale questions for my Roth IRA, I can't thank everyone enough for breaking this down so clearly. The core principle that wash sale rules exist specifically to prevent tax loss harvesting abuse really makes everything crystal clear. Since there's no tax deduction for losses in a Roth IRA, there's no tax benefit for the IRS to protect against - hence no wash sale concerns for trades entirely within the Roth. What I found most eye-opening were all the cross-account scenarios discussed here. I had no clue that selling at a loss in a taxable account and then buying the same (or substantially identical) security in a Roth within 30 days would trigger wash sale rules. The SPY/VOO example really drove home how "substantially identical" goes way beyond just matching ticker symbols. Aisha's real-world story about the $3,200 lesson is exactly the kind of cautionary tale I needed to hear. It perfectly illustrates how easy it would be to get comfortable with wash-sale-free Roth trading and then accidentally create problems when adding other account types without adjusting your approach. I'm bookmarking this entire thread as I plan my investment strategy going forward. For now, I feel confident I can trade actively in my Roth without wash sale worries, but I'll definitely be much more careful about coordination when I eventually open a taxable account. This community is amazing - thank you all for sharing such practical, real-world guidance that you simply can't find in official publications!

This discussion has been absolutely invaluable! As someone who's been actively trading in my Roth IRA but constantly second-guessing myself about wash sale implications, I finally have complete clarity on the situation. The fundamental principle that everyone keeps reinforcing - that wash sale rules exist specifically to prevent tax loss harvesting abuse - makes perfect sense when you think about it. Since you can't claim any tax deductions for losses in a Roth IRA, there's simply no tax benefit for the IRS to protect against. This means I can continue my current trading strategy within the Roth without any wash sale concerns. What really opened my eyes were all the cross-account scenarios discussed here. I had no idea that the wash sale rules could be triggered by selling at a loss in a taxable account and then buying the same security in a Roth within 30 days. The SPY/VOO example was particularly enlightening - it shows how "substantially identical" goes far beyond just ticker symbols to include ETFs tracking the same underlying index. Aisha's story about the $3,200 lesson really drives home the importance of coordination once you have multiple account types. It's easy to see how someone could get comfortable with the freedom of Roth trading and then accidentally create problems when adding a taxable account without adjusting their approach. I'm definitely bookmarking this thread for future reference, especially as I'm considering opening a taxable account next year. The practical advice about record keeping, timing considerations, and the various tracking tools mentioned will be incredibly helpful when my situation becomes more complex. Thanks to everyone who contributed their knowledge and real-world experiences - this is exactly the kind of practical guidance that makes navigating these complex tax rules so much easier!

I'm in a very similar situation - 7 years unfiled due to some major life upheavals. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful! One thing I wanted to add that might help you is to check if your employers from previous years are still in business. I found that some of my older W-2s were easier to get directly from the company's HR department than going through the IRS transcript process, especially for the years where I had multiple jobs. Also, I discovered that some states have their own amnesty programs for unfiled state returns that run parallel to federal issues. Since you're dealing with 9 years, it might be worth checking if your state offers any penalty relief programs too. The emotional weight of this stuff is real - I put it off for so long because it felt too overwhelming. But honestly, once I started gathering documents for just one year, it became much less scary. You're taking the right step by addressing this proactively. The IRS is generally pretty reasonable when you come to them voluntarily rather than the other way around.

I want to echo what others have said about you making a smart choice by addressing this voluntarily. I went through a similar situation with 5 years of unfiled returns and the relief I felt once I started tackling it was incredible. One practical tip that helped me immensely: create a dedicated email folder and physical filing system for each tax year before you start. As you gather documents and communicate with the IRS or former employers, having everything organized by year from the beginning will save you so much time and stress later. Also, don't underestimate the power of calling your former employers' payroll departments directly. I was amazed at how helpful most HR departments were when I explained my situation. Many were able to email me copies of old W-2s within a day or two, which was much faster than waiting for IRS transcripts. The hardest part really is just starting. Once you tackle that first year and see it's not as scary as your brain made it out to be, the momentum builds. You mentioned battling depression - I totally get how that can make paperwork feel insurmountable. But you're taking control now, and that's huge. You've got this!

Don't forget about state taxes in all of this! Some states have their own additional self-employment taxes or different rules for retirement plan contributions. I made this mistake a few years ago and ended up with a surprise state tax bill because I only focused on federal tax planning.

This is exactly the kind of complex tax situation where having all the details straight is crucial. Based on what everyone has shared, it sounds like your brother is in a good position to significantly reduce his tax burden through the Solo 401k strategy. One additional consideration - since he's dealing with both severance income and new consulting income, make sure to factor in the timing of when the consulting payments were actually received versus earned for cash accounting purposes. If some of the $168,750 was invoiced but not yet received by year-end, that could affect both his self-employment tax calculations and his available contribution room for the Solo 401k. Also, with that level of income, he might want to consider whether a SEP-IRA could be more advantageous than a Solo 401k in his specific situation. While Solo 401k generally offers more flexibility, the administrative requirements can be more complex, especially if he's planning to continue growing his consulting business. The advice above about getting direct IRS clarification is spot on - with this much money involved and the complexity of mixed income sources, having official confirmation of the calculations could save him from costly mistakes down the road.