I'm going through the exact same situation right now and this entire thread has been incredibly reassuring! Got the "Action Required" message three days ago and have been in full anxiety mode ever since, checking WMR probably every few hours like it's going to magically update. What really stands out to me is how everyone keeps coming back to that same key phrase: "If we need additional information, we'll mail a notice with further instructions." It's like the golden rule of this whole process - no physical mail means we're just in the waiting phase, not that there's actually some urgent action we need to take despite that scary heading. The success stories from @Ana Erdoğan, @Ethan Moore, and others who went through weeks of this same status and got their full refunds without sending any documents are giving me so much hope. I was literally pulling out every tax document I could find thinking I'd need to submit something, but it sounds like the main skill we need here is just patience (which is honestly harder than organizing paperwork! 😅). I'm definitely going to follow everyone's advice about stepping back from the obsessive WMR checking and limiting it to maybe once a week while doing daily mailbox checks instead. The IRS really should change that "Action Required" wording to something like "Review in Progress" - would save so many people from unnecessary panic attacks! Thanks to everyone for sharing their real experiences. This community is honestly the best resource I've found for dealing with tax anxiety. We're all in this waiting game together! 🙏

I'm going through this exact same "Action Required" situation right now and honestly, reading through all these experiences has been more helpful than anything I could find on the official IRS website! Just got that message yesterday and immediately started spiraling, but seeing so many success stories here is really reassuring. What keeps standing out to me is that crucial phrase everyone mentions: "If we need additional information, we'll mail a notice with further instructions." It's like the anchor point we all need to focus on - no physical mail means we're just in their standard review process, despite how urgent that "Action Required" heading makes it sound. The timeline seems pretty consistent from what I'm reading - @Ana Erdoğan's 4-week experience, @Ethan Moore's 3-week update, and others all got their full refunds without having to send any documents. That gives me real hope that this is just routine verification rather than an actual problem with my return. I'm definitely guilty of the obsessive WMR checking already (probably 20+ times since yesterday 😅), but I'm going to try following everyone's advice about limiting it to once a week and focusing on daily mailbox checks instead. The IRS really needs to fix that misleading "Action Required" wording - "Review in Progress" would save so many people from unnecessary anxiety! Thanks to everyone for sharing their real experiences. This community is honestly a lifesaver for dealing with tax stress. We're all in this waiting game together! 🙏

I've been helping people navigate cash income tax situations for years, and you're definitely on the right track by setting aside 30% and asking the right questions early. Here are a few additional tips that might help: First, consider getting an EIN (Employer Identification Number) for your landscaping work, even as a sole proprietor. It's free from the IRS website and makes you look more legitimate as a business entity. You can still file on Schedule C, but having an EIN gives you more credibility and separates your business identity from your personal SSN on some forms. Second, look into opening a Solo 401(k) or SEP-IRA once you're established. As self-employed, you can contribute a significant percentage of your earnings to retirement accounts, which reduces your current tax liability while building for the future. This is one of the few advantages of being self-employed vs. being a W-2 employee. Third, keep detailed records of any training, licensing, or certification costs related to landscaping. These are fully deductible business expenses that many people overlook. Same goes for work-related phone calls, internet usage for scheduling/communication, and even a portion of your home if you use it for business planning or storage. The most important thing is to stay consistent with your record-keeping from this point forward. The IRS respects taxpayers who make good faith efforts to comply, even if the situation isn't perfect. You're already ahead of most people just by thinking about this proactively.

Rachel, you're being incredibly responsible by setting aside 30% and thinking about this proactively! One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet that might be relevant to your specific situation as a landscaper - if you're providing your own equipment (mowers, trimmers, hand tools, etc.), those are legitimate business deductions that can significantly reduce your tax burden. Also, since landscaping is seasonal work in many areas, you might want to consider whether your income varies significantly throughout the year. If so, you could potentially benefit from income averaging strategies or at least plan your quarterly estimated payments around your peak earning periods. The advice about Schedule C and treating yourself as self-employed is spot on. Just make sure to keep receipts for everything work-related - fuel for equipment, replacement tools, work boots, even sunscreen if you're outside all day. The IRS allows deductions for ordinary and necessary business expenses, and landscaping has quite a few of those. One last tip: if your boss ever decides to start issuing 1099s in the future, make sure your reported income aligns with what you've been filing. Consistency in reporting is key to avoiding red flags.

Just wanted to add that you should also consider opening a dependent care FSA through your employer if they offer one! Since you mentioned daycare costs might come up, you can set aside up to $5,000 pre-tax to pay for childcare expenses. This would reduce your taxable income and save you money on both federal and state taxes. Also, if your girlfriend does go back to work at some point during the tax year, make sure you recalculate who's providing more than half the support. The IRS looks at the total support provided for the entire year, not just while she wasn't working. But based on your income level and the fact that you're covering all major expenses, you should still easily meet the support test even if she has some part-time income later. Keep all those receipts and records that others mentioned - they're super important if you ever get audited on the Head of Household status!

Having a new baby definitely counts as a qualifying life event! You should be able to enroll in a dependent care FSA within 30 days of the birth. Contact your HR department ASAP since there's usually a strict deadline for making changes after a qualifying event. One more tip - if you do end up adding your baby to your employer's health insurance plan, make sure to compare the total costs carefully. Sometimes the premium savings from having the baby on Medicaid vs. your employer plan can be significant, but you might also miss out on additional tax benefits like being able to use a health savings account (HSA) if your employer offers a high-deductible health plan with HSA eligibility. Also, don't forget that if you do pay for your baby's health insurance through your employer, those premiums are typically paid with pre-tax dollars, which reduces your taxable income even further. Just another factor to consider in your overall financial planning!

Has anyone tried a "summarized" approach with an explanatory statement? My CPA did this for me last year when I had a similarly complex situation. Instead of reporting 70+ individual lines, we: 1. Reported one summary line for covered securities on 8949 Box A 2. Reported one summary line for non-covered securities on 8949 Box B 3. Attached a detailed statement showing all calculations The key was making sure the totals matched what would have been reported if done line-by-line. The statement included all individual transactions and wash sale calculations. My CPA said this is an acceptable approach as long as the detailed backup is included.

I dealt with a very similar RSU/ESPP wash sale situation two years ago and ended up going the summary route after consulting with a tax attorney. Here's what I learned from that experience: The IRS actually has guidance in Publication 550 that allows for "adequate identification" of securities transactions, which can include summary reporting when individual line reporting becomes impractical. The key requirements are: 1. Total accuracy - your summary must produce identical results to line-by-line reporting 2. Complete documentation - maintain detailed records showing all calculations 3. Clear explanatory statement attached to your return What made my situation work was creating a comprehensive worksheet that tracked every single transaction chronologically, identified all wash sale periods, and showed how losses were disallowed and basis was adjusted through each chain. Then I reported two summary lines (one for covered, one for non-covered) with the final adjusted numbers. The explanatory statement was about 3 pages and included a transaction summary table, wash sale calculation methodology, and the specific rule citations I was following. My tax attorney emphasized that showing your work is more important than the format you use to report it. Been audited once since then (unrelated issue) and the IRS examiner actually complimented the clarity of the wash sale documentation. Sometimes being thorough and organized trumps following the "standard" approach when that approach becomes unmanageable. Just make sure you're confident in your calculations before summarizing - any errors get magnified when you're not reporting line-by-line.

Accountant here. Many employers mess up state withholding after employee relocations. The W2C may take months - I've seen them take until August or September in some cases! If you're getting a refund, file now and amend later. If you'd owe money, definitely file an extension and wait for the W2C. The April deadline is about PAYING not filing - as long as you pay what you owe, the extension to file is automatic and penalty-free.

I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation right now! Moved from Massachusetts to Florida in late 2023, and my employer kept withholding MA state taxes for months after I relocated. The frustrating part is that Massachusetts has a 5% flat rate while Florida has no state income tax, so I've been massively overpaying. Based on what everyone's shared here, I think I'm going to go ahead and file my return as-is this week. The math works out that I'll get a substantial refund just from the federal side, and then when I finally get my W2C (whenever that happens), the Massachusetts refund will just be a nice bonus later in the year. Has anyone had experience with Massachusetts specifically for this type of amendment? I know some states are more complicated than others when it comes to part-year resident returns and corrected withholding.