This is such valuable information! I've been meaning to look into this for months but kept procrastinating. The step-by-step guidance from @NightOwl42 about using the IRS.gov Get An IP PIN tool is exactly what I needed. And wow, I had no idea about checking for existing credit reports for kids - that's genuinely terrifying that theft can go undetected for years. Definitely setting calendar reminders for December renewals and keeping everything in my password manager. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and making this feel less overwhelming!

This thread has been incredibly eye-opening! As a parent of two young kids (ages 5 and 8), I've been worried about data breaches but didn't know there was something proactive I could do. The advice about getting IP PINs for ALL children regardless of age really hit home - it makes total sense that younger kids are actually more vulnerable since the theft would go undetected longer. I'm planning to set this up this weekend along with checking for any existing credit reports. Quick question though - when you check for credit reports for minors, do you just contact the three major bureaus directly? And should I expect any pushback since kids shouldn't have credit files in the first place?

Has anyone here actually moved specifically for tax purposes and was it worth it? I'm considering leaving California for Nevada or Wyoming before selling my business next year (looking at a gain around $1.2 million), but wondering if the hassle is really worth the tax savings.

With a $1.2 million gain, you're looking at potentially saving around $159,600 in California state taxes (13.3% top rate) by establishing residency in Nevada or Wyoming before selling. That's definitely life-changing money and worth the hassle for most people. However, California is notoriously aggressive about auditing people who move right before large financial events - they call it the "golden handcuffs" audit. You'll need to be absolutely meticulous about establishing true residency. I'd recommend: 1. Move at least 12-18 months before selling if possible 2. Spend at least 183+ days physically in your new state each year 3. Change EVERYTHING - voter registration, driver's license, bank accounts, doctors, etc. 4. Keep detailed records of where you spend each day 5. Consider selling your California residence entirely to show clear intent The audit risk is real but manageable if you truly commit to the move. Just don't try to fake it - California has sophisticated methods for tracking where people actually live and the penalties for getting caught are severe.

According to 11 U.S.C. § 541(a)(5), tax refunds can be considered property of the bankruptcy estate, but exemptions vary by jurisdiction. Per In re Nunez, 2021 Bankr. LEXIS 1287, courts have consistently held that properly documented exclusions in confirmed Chapter 13 plans are binding on trustees. If your attorney included this protection, your refund should process normally, though it may be subject to additional review per IRS Manual 5.9.17.4.2 regarding bankruptcy flagged returns. Most importantly, keep documentation of all communications with your attorney and trustee regarding this matter.

I went through Chapter 13 a few years back and had a similar situation with tax refund protection. One thing that really helped me was staying proactive about monitoring the process. Since you mentioned your attorney included provisions to protect your refund, that's great - but I'd recommend getting a copy of those specific provisions if you don't already have them. In my case, the refund did come directly to me as expected, but it took about 6-8 weeks longer than usual because of additional IRS verification steps. The key is making sure your trustee has been properly notified and that there are no conflicting interpretations of your plan terms. Have you received any communication from your trustee's office about the refund handling process? Sometimes they send out standard letters explaining their procedures, which can give you a better timeline expectation.

Has anyone tried just ignoring the error and continuing anyway? I had a similar "required field missing" error with TaxAct last year but when I clicked "File Anyway" it still went through fine. Sometimes these tax programs have non-critical errors that don't actually stop your filing.

I just went through this exact same nightmare with H&R Block! After reading through all these suggestions, I found my county field hiding in the most ridiculous place - under "State and Local" taxes, then "Locality Information." What's crazy is that H&R Block's system knew my county from my zip code for the federal return, but somehow couldn't carry that over to the state section. I had to manually select it from a dropdown that only appeared after I clicked "Edit" next to my address in that specific section. The error message is completely misleading because it says "add your County Name" but doesn't specify it's looking for it in the state tax locality section, not your personal information. Spent 3 hours going in circles before I found it buried in there. For anyone still stuck - check every single section that mentions "local" or "locality" in your state return. The field location seems to vary by state but it's almost never where you'd logically expect it to be!

Have you considered alternating years? That's what my ex and I do - I take odd years, he takes even years. No Form 8332 needed if you follow the tie-breaker rules and have it specified in your custody agreement. Saves a lot of paperwork and potential disputes. We just make sure our custody agreement clearly states which parent claims the child in which years, and then we each take the exemption, Child Tax Credit, and any medical expenses we personally paid in our designated years. Much simpler than dealing with Form 8332 every year.

As someone who went through a similar situation with significant medical expenses for my child, I can share what I learned from both my tax preparer and direct experience with the IRS. The key insight that helped me was understanding that Form 8332 creates a very specific split of benefits - it ONLY transfers the dependency exemption and Child Tax Credit to the non-custodial parent. Everything else stays with whoever is entitled to it under normal rules. For your medical expenses specifically, you can deduct them if YOU paid them, period. The IRS doesn't care who claims the dependency exemption when it comes to medical expense deductions - they only care who actually wrote the checks or used their credit card. I claimed $3,200 in medical expenses for my daughter even though my ex claimed her as a dependent that same year. No issues whatsoever. Just make sure you have solid documentation (receipts, insurance statements, etc.) showing you were the one who paid. One tip: if you're close to the 7.5% AGI threshold for medical deductions, run the numbers both ways to see if it makes more sense for you or your ex to claim the medical expenses, assuming you both contributed to the costs.