14 Has anyone noticed that FREETAXUSA sometimes hides forms in weird places? I had to file a Schedule C last year and spent like an hour hunting for it before I found it buried in a submenu.

15 I went through this exact same nightmare situation two years ago! My employer literally disappeared - office empty, phones disconnected, the works. Here's what I learned that might help your cousin: 1. **Document everything** - Keep records of all your attempts to contact the employer (emails, phone calls, etc.). The IRS may ask for proof that you tried to get the W-2. 2. **Check your Social Security account** - Go to ssa.gov and create an account. Your earnings should show up there even if you never got a W-2, which can help you get accurate wage amounts. 3. **Look at your final paystub carefully** - If she has ANY paystub from that job, it will show year-to-date totals that can help estimate the full year amounts. 4. **Bank statements are your friend** - Even without paystubs, your bank deposits from that employer can help reconstruct how much you actually received. The Form 4852 process in FREETAXUSA is actually pretty straightforward once you find it. Just be as accurate as possible with your estimates and keep all your documentation. I had no issues with my filing and the IRS never questioned it.

Has anyone actually calculated if it's worth the hassle? If we're talking about a 20% ownership in a French vacation property, what's the likely capital gain here? France's tax rate on real estate capital gains is around 19% plus social charges of about 17.2% if I remember correctly, so around 36.2% total. If the gain is something like $50,000 (just guessing), that's about $18,100 in French tax. Is it really worth all this complicated tax planning just to try to recover that? Sometimes I think we get so caught up in optimizing taxes that we forget to consider if the time and stress are worth the potential savings.

I've been following this thread with great interest because I'm dealing with something similar with rental property in Ireland. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is the potential impact of state taxes on this calculation. If you're in a state with capital gains tax (like California or New York), you might actually have more flexibility than you think. Even if your federal capital gains tax liability is zero due to the loss carryover, you could still owe state capital gains tax on the French property gain. This creates an interesting opportunity - you could potentially use part of your federal loss carryover to offset other gains (like from your LLC interest), while letting the French gain be subject to both federal and state tax. This would give you more "tax capacity" to utilize the foreign tax credit against. The math gets complicated because you'd need to consider whether the foreign tax credit limitation allows you to credit the French taxes against your combined federal and state liability. But it's definitely worth exploring, especially if you're in a high-tax state. Also, have you considered whether the French property qualifies for any step-up in basis when your husband inherited it? Depending on French inheritance law and the US-France tax treaty, there might be less gain than you're expecting.

Just want to add a practical tip from my experience - when paying grandparents with FSA funds, I created a simple spreadsheet to track everything the IRS and FSA administrator needed. I included columns for date of service, date of payment, amount, which grandparent provided care, and brief description of services. Also, I had each grandparent sign a simple "childcare provider agreement" that outlined the arrangement. Nothing fancy, just a one-page document stating they're providing childcare services, their SSN, address, and acknowledgment they'll report the income. My FSA administrator loved having this documentation when I submitted for reimbursement. One more thing - check if your state has any specific requirements. Some states require childcare providers to be registered even if they're family members, though this is pretty rare for informal grandparent care.

Great question! Yes, you can absolutely use your Dependent Care FSA to pay grandparents for childcare. Here are the key points to remember: **Requirements:** - Grandparents cannot be claimed as dependents on your tax return - You'll need their Social Security Numbers for your tax filing - Keep detailed records of all payments and services provided - They must report this as income on their tax returns **Tax implications for grandparents:** - Income over $400/year requires paying self-employment tax (about 15.3%) - They'll report it on Schedule C as self-employment income - For retirees on Social Security, this could potentially affect their benefits depending on total income **Documentation tips:** - Get receipts for each payment with date, amount, and services provided - Consider having them sign a simple childcare provider agreement - Track dates of care, not just payment dates The good news is you don't have to worry about withholding taxes or treating them as employees. Just make sure everyone understands the tax reporting requirements before you start. It's definitely worth using those FSA funds rather than losing them!

Better question is do you qualify for HOH? Make sure you meet all requirements - supporting someone, paying more than half household costs, unmarried etc

Just to add to what others have said - the IRS cares about your actual residence, not your ID address. But definitely keep good records like lease agreements, utility bills, bank statements showing your address, etc. If you get audited, you'll need to prove you maintained the household at that address for more than half the year. The documentation is way more important than what's printed on your license!

I've been through the OIC process twice (long story), and one thing that really helped me was understanding that the IRS actually has published guidelines for what they consider "reasonable" asset retention. For vehicles, they typically allow equity up to about $3,500-$4,000 for basic transportation needs. Since you mentioned you live in a city with excellent public transportation and don't actually need the car, that puts you in a unique position. The IRS will likely view your Audi as an excessive asset given your transportation alternatives. Here's what I'd recommend: if you do sell the car, make sure you can account for every dollar of the proceeds. The IRS will require you to report the sale on Form 433-A, and they'll want to see where that money went. Using it to pay down other debts isn't necessarily bad, but be prepared to explain why those debts were prioritized. Also, start documenting your public transportation usage now - keep receipts for transit passes, note your regular routes to work, etc. This will help justify to the IRS why you don't need a vehicle for basic transportation needs. The timing of the sale matters less than your ability to document and justify it. Focus on transparency rather than trying to game the system.

As someone who's helped many taxpayers navigate OIC applications, I'd strongly recommend being very strategic about your car situation. The IRS has specific formulas they use to calculate your "reasonable collection potential," and a 2007 Audi A8 with $10-13k equity will definitely be flagged as excessive for basic transportation needs. Since you genuinely don't need the car due to excellent public transit, selling it could actually strengthen your OIC case - but timing and documentation are crucial. Here's what I'd suggest: 1. Document your public transportation usage starting now - keep receipts, track costs, maybe even take photos of your regular routes to show accessibility. 2. If you sell the car, be prepared to account for every dollar. The IRS will want to see exactly where that money went on Form 433-A. 3. Consider keeping a small portion to buy a much cheaper, basic transportation vehicle (under $4,000 value) - this shows you're being responsible while dramatically reducing your asset base. 4. Don't rush the sale just to file your OIC. Better to take time to properly document everything than to create red flags by appearing to hide assets. The key is showing the IRS that you're making genuine lifestyle adjustments to address your tax debt, not just moving money around to game the system. Transparency and documentation will serve you much better than trying to time things perfectly.