As someone who's been through multiple tax seasons, I want to emphasize how important it is to stay calm when you get these notices. The fact that you already received your refund is actually a good sign - it means the IRS processed your return without any immediate red flags that would have delayed your refund. One thing I'd add to all the great advice here is to keep documentation of everything. If HR Block is contacting you about an issue, save that email (after verifying it's legitimate), screenshot any messages in your online account, and keep notes of any phone conversations you have with them. If this does turn into something that needs to be corrected with the IRS later, having a paper trail of when you were first notified and how you responded can be really helpful. Also, don't beat yourself up about making mistakes on your return. The tax code is incredibly complex, and even professional tax preparers make errors sometimes. The education credit timing rules that you discovered are particularly tricky because they don't always align with when you actually pay the tuition. You handled this exactly right by verifying the email and addressing the issue proactively!

This entire discussion has been incredibly reassuring and educational! I've been dealing with tax anxiety for years, always worried that I'm going to make some catastrophic mistake that will get me in trouble with the IRS. Reading through everyone's experiences - especially learning that post-refund notices are becoming more routine due to improved IRS matching systems - has really helped put things in perspective. The multi-step verification approach that several people mentioned (logging into accounts directly, calling official numbers, checking mobile apps) is something I'm definitely going to use going forward. And Miguel's explanation about tax preparers acting as intermediaries makes so much sense - I always wondered why I'd get notices from my tax software company instead of directly from the IRS. One thing that really stands out to me is how supportive this community is. Instead of making people feel stupid for tax mistakes or for being cautious about potential scams, everyone's sharing practical advice and real experiences. The education credit timing issue seems to trip up a lot of people, so at least we know we're not alone in finding those rules confusing! Thanks to everyone who contributed - this is exactly the kind of helpful discussion that makes navigating tax season less stressful.

Has anyone tried using the IRS Transcript service instead? You can request a Wage and Income Transcript as the executor which would show all info reported to the IRS including the SSA benefits. Might be easier than going through SSA directly.

I went through this exact situation with my grandmother's estate two years ago. The IRS Transcript route that Ana mentioned is actually one of the most reliable options - Form 4506-T as the executor will get you a Wage and Income Transcript that includes all the SSA benefit information reported to the IRS. But if you need something faster, I'd recommend the in-person SSA office visit that Victoria suggested. Call ahead to make an appointment and bring your death certificate, letters testamentary, and your ID. They can often print the benefit verification letter on the spot. One thing to keep in mind - if your father received both Social Security retirement benefits AND Medicare premium deductions, make sure whatever document you get shows the net amount actually received, not just the gross benefit amount. The Medicare premiums are deducted before the check is issued, so you want to make sure you're reporting the right taxable amount. Also, don't stress too much about getting the exact form. The IRS is generally understanding about estate situations where original documents aren't available, as long as you can document your efforts to obtain them and use reasonable estimates based on available records.

Just wanted to add another perspective here. I've dealt with this exact situation for the past four years with my kids' college expenses and 529 plans. The key thing to understand is that the 1099-Q is primarily an informational return. If ALL the money was used for qualified education expenses, then there's no taxable event regardless of who the recipient is. The IRS cares about: 1) Were the funds used for qualified education expenses? 2) If not, who needs to pay tax on the earnings portion? Since your 1098-T shows expenses far exceeding your 529 withdrawals, and assuming you have documentation showing all funds were used for qualified expenses, there's no taxable event here. For your own 1099-Q (with you as recipient), you'll need to report it on your return, but it won't generate any tax if used for qualified expenses. For your daughter's 1099-Q, since she's below the filing threshold, there's no need for her to file just for this.

The 1099-Q situation can be super confusing. One thing to keep in mind is that the IRS gets a copy of every 1099-Q that's issued. They do have a matching program, but they also understand that most 529 distributions are tax-free. In my experience, as long as you have sufficient qualified education expenses, you won't trigger any issues. I've been handling my kids' college expenses with 529 plans for years, sometimes with the student as recipient and sometimes with me as recipient. I report my 1099-Qs on my return, and my kids don't file returns if they're below the filing threshold, even with their 1099-Qs. Never had any issues or notices from the IRS about this. Just make sure you're not claiming education credits for the same expenses that were paid with 529 funds.

I went through this exact situation about 8 months ago and I completely understand the panic you're feeling! I was working remotely from Japan for a US software company after my J-1 visa expired, and I also mistakenly submitted a W9 instead of a W8-BEN. The good news is this is definitely fixable and happens more often than you'd think. Here's what worked for me: **Immediate steps:** - Submitted corrected W8-BEN to my employer immediately (they were understanding - apparently this happens frequently) - Started gathering documentation of my Japanese residency: passport stamps, apartment lease, bank statements, etc. - Researched the US-Japan tax treaty to understand what benefits might apply **Filing process:** - Filed Form 1040NR with a detailed explanation letter about the honest mistake - Used Form 8833 to claim benefits under the US-Japan tax treaty (saved me quite a bit!) - Included timeline showing physical presence outside the US to establish nonresident status **Results:** No penalties, processed in about 6-7 weeks, and I got a refund due to treaty benefits. Zero immigration issues - I've visited the US twice since then with no problems at the border. The key is acting quickly (which you did) and being thorough with documentation. The IRS has established procedures for these honest mistakes when corrected promptly. Your anxiety is completely understandable, but you're handling this correctly and it will work out fine! One thing that really helped my peace of mind was speaking directly with an IRS agent to confirm my approach. If you want that extra reassurance, some folks here have mentioned claimyr.com for getting through their phone lines more easily.

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm currently dealing with this exact same nightmare - accidentally submitted a W9 instead of W8-BEN while working remotely from Germany for a US startup after my H-1B expired. I've been absolutely terrified about potential penalties and what this might mean for my ability to return to the US in the future. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly reassuring. It's amazing how common this mistake apparently is, yet it's not something you easily find clear guidance on when you're panicking and searching online at 2am! I'm particularly grateful for the mentions of the tax treaty benefits - I had no idea there was a US-Germany tax treaty that could actually work in my favor here. I've been dreading having to pay full US tax rates on my contractor income, so the possibility of treaty benefits is a huge relief. The timeline information everyone has shared (6-8 weeks for processing) is also really helpful for managing expectations. I was imagining this dragging on for many months. I submitted my corrected W8-BEN to my employer yesterday along with an explanation letter, and now I'm gathering all my documentation to file the 1040NR. Based on everyone's advice here, I'm planning to include Form 8833 to claim treaty benefits and attach a detailed timeline of my physical presence in Germany. Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences - knowing that so many others have successfully navigated this exact situation makes it feel manageable instead of catastrophic!

I'm so sorry for your loss, Kiara. Losing a grandmother is incredibly difficult, and having to deal with government bureaucracy while you're grieving just makes everything so much more challenging. I went through this exact same frustration when I needed an EIN for my uncle's estate about 10 months ago. The restricted hours are absolutely maddening when you're trying to coordinate with banks and meet deadlines during an already stressful time. The reason the online system isn't available 24/7 is because EIN applications trigger real-time updates across multiple federal databases - IRS, Social Security, Treasury, and state tax systems. When these database synchronizations fail (which happens more often than you'd expect), they need technical staff available to manually resolve the issues. Otherwise applications can get stuck in limbo for weeks. Here's what finally worked for me after several failed attempts with the online system: Call 800-829-4933 at exactly 7:00 AM Eastern Time on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning. Set your alarm for 6:57 AM and be ready to dial right at 7:00. Avoid Mondays and Fridays completely - the call volume is much heavier those days. Before calling, organize everything on paper: your grandmother's full legal name exactly as it appears on her death certificate, her date of death, your SSN as the responsible party, and the precise legal name you want for the estate. Having it all written out prevents any fumbling when you finally get an agent on the line. The actual conversation took about 15 minutes once I got through, and I had the EIN immediately. It's so much better than fighting with that online system that seems designed to kick you out at the worst possible moment. If the phone approach doesn't work out, Form SS-4 faxed to 855-641-6935 processes in 4-5 business days, which should still work for your bank timeline. Your grandmother would be proud of how you're taking care of everything for her. Once you get past this EIN step, opening the estate account becomes much more straightforward. Hang in there during this difficult time.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Kiara. Having to navigate government bureaucracy while grieving is incredibly difficult and emotionally draining. I went through this exact same situation with my father's estate about 8 months ago and experienced the same frustration with those restricted hours. After multiple failed attempts with the online system, I finally succeeded using the phone method that others have mentioned. Here's what worked for me: Call 800-829-4933 at exactly 7:00 AM Eastern Time on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning. Set your alarm for 6:58 AM and be ready to dial immediately - those first few minutes after they open make a huge difference in wait times. I waited about 22 minutes and the actual conversation took only 11 minutes once I got through. Before calling, organize all your information on paper: your grandmother's full legal name exactly as it appears on the death certificate, her date of death, your Social Security number as the responsible party, and the exact legal name you want for the estate. Having everything written down prevents any stumbling when you finally reach an agent. The agent was very helpful and understanding about the estate situation, and I received the EIN immediately during the call. It was such a relief after days of fighting with that online system. If calling doesn't work out for any reason, the fax backup option (Form SS-4 to 855-641-6935) processes in 4-5 business days, which should still meet your banking deadline. Your grandmother would be proud of how responsibly you're handling her affairs during this difficult time. Once you get past this EIN hurdle, the bank account setup process becomes much smoother. You've got this!