Has anyone used TurboTax to handle this situation? Will it automatically catch this error or do I need to manually adjust something?

I work in tax preparation and see this exact issue constantly with restaurant W-2s. Your employer is definitely making an error. Allocated tips (Box 8) represent tips the IRS thinks you should have received based on your restaurant's sales, but they're completely separate from your actual wages and reported tips. The key thing to understand is that Box 1 should only include: your hourly wages, any tips you actually reported to your employer during the year, and other taxable compensation. Allocated tips should NEVER be added to Box 1 because they weren't actually paid to you as wages. When this happens, you end up paying tax twice on the same amount - once as part of your wages and again as allocated tips on your tax return. I'd strongly recommend getting this corrected before filing. Most payroll companies understand this once it's explained properly, but some smaller restaurants don't realize they're making this mistake.

Has anyone here actually been audited over depreciation issues? I've been using my "best guess" for business use percentage of my computer for years (about 75%) but don't really have detailed logs to back it up. Starting to worry if that's a red flag.

Just wanted to add something important that might help - the IRS requires "contemporaneous records" for business use claims, which means you should be tracking your laptop usage as it happens, not reconstructing it later. I learned this the hard way when my CPA told me my retroactive estimates wouldn't hold up well in an audit. For laptops and other mixed-use equipment, I now keep a simple spreadsheet noting dates, hours used for business vs personal, and what type of work I did. Takes maybe 2 minutes a day but gives you solid documentation. The IRS Publication 463 has specific guidance on what constitutes adequate records for business use of listed property (which includes computers). Also worth noting - if your business use ever drops below 50% in any year during the depreciation period, you may have to "recapture" some of the accelerated depreciation you took in earlier years. So if you're on the borderline with that 80% figure, definitely keep detailed logs to protect yourself.

I'm also dealing with this exact situation and really appreciate finding this thread! Got my 810 code on April 19th after filing in early February, and like so many others here, I have that combination of remote work deductions (first time ever claiming home office expenses) and some freelance graphic design income that seems to be triggering these reviews. Reading through everyone's experiences has been both reassuring and educational. The pattern is so clear - mid-April 810 codes for people who filed in February with "new economy" tax situations. It definitely feels like we're all part of the same systematic review process the IRS is conducting. I'm following all the excellent advice shared here: organized all my documents (W-2s, 1099s from design clients, home office receipts, equipment purchases), and I'm checking my mailbox daily for that notice. The success stories, especially the 6-week timeline some have shared, give me hope this will resolve without turning into a months-long ordeal. What's really helping my stress level is realizing this seems to be more about the IRS adapting their processes for remote work and freelance income rather than any red flags on our returns. We're just caught up in their verification procedures for these newer tax situations. Has anyone in this mid-April timeframe started receiving their notices yet? I'm curious about the timing since we all seem to be experiencing this together. Thanks to everyone for sharing - this community support makes dealing with IRS uncertainty so much more manageable!

I'm also dealing with this exact same situation and feeling so grateful to have found this thread! Got my 810 code on April 25th after filing in early February, and like virtually everyone here, I have that telltale combination of remote work deductions (first time claiming home office expenses) and some side income from online tutoring that seems to be the common trigger. Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly eye-opening - the pattern is unmistakable. We're all getting 810 codes in mid-to-late April after filing in February with these "new economy" tax situations. It's actually reassuring to realize we're part of what appears to be a systematic batch review rather than individual red flags on our returns. I'm taking all the excellent advice shared here: already organized all my supporting documents (W-2, 1099s from tutoring platforms, home office receipts, equipment purchases for my workspace) and I'm checking mail religiously for that notice. The success stories, especially those with 6-8 week resolution timelines, give me hope this won't drag on indefinitely. What really helps is @StardustSeeker's perspective about this being the IRS adapting their processes to handle remote work and gig economy situations rather than us doing anything wrong. We're essentially caught in their learning curve for processing these newer tax patterns. Has anyone who got their codes in the past few days received any notices yet? I'm curious if there's any variation in timing for those of us at the tail end of this apparent batch review. Thanks to everyone for creating such a supportive community around this stressful situation - finding this discussion has been a huge relief!

I just went through this exact situation! For me, it turned out Robinhood only issues 1099-DIVs if you received $10+ from any SINGLE company. My $67 in dividends was spread across 12 different stocks, with none paying more than $9, so I didn't get a form. What I did was download my account statement for December 2023 (it has year-to-date totals) and manually entered the dividend amounts. The IRS doesn't care if you have the actual form - they just want you to report the income correctly.

I had this exact same issue with Robinhood last year! It's so frustrating when you're trying to be responsible about taxes and the brokerage doesn't make it easy. Here's what worked for me: Log into your Robinhood account and go to the "Documents" section in the app (it's under the account menu). Even if there's no 1099-DIV there, download your monthly statements for 2023. Each statement shows your dividend payments for that month, and you can add them all up manually. The $10 threshold that others mentioned is correct - it's per company, not total. So if you got $5 from Apple, $8 from Microsoft, etc., none would trigger a 1099-DIV even though your total was $40. For TurboTax, you can definitely try the import feature first to see if it picks up anything automatically. If not, just enter the dividends manually in the investment income section. You'll need to list each company that paid dividends and the amount - this info should be in your monthly statements. Don't stress too much about the $40 - the IRS cares that you report it, but it's not going to trigger an audit or anything major. You're doing the right thing by making sure to include it!

Great thread everyone! I'm also dealing with Schedule B for the first time and had a related question - what about interest from municipal bonds? I have some tax-free municipal bonds that earned about $85 this year. Do I need to report this anywhere on Schedule B or my tax return? I know it's supposed to be tax-free but I'm not sure if it still needs to be reported somewhere for informational purposes. Also, does anyone know if interest from Treasury bills (T-bills) gets reported the same way as regular bank interest? I have a few that matured this year and want to make sure I'm categorizing everything correctly.

This is such a helpful thread for understanding Schedule B! I'm in a similar boat as a first-time filer with multiple interest sources. One thing that's been confusing me is the timing - if I earned interest throughout 2024 but some of my 1099-INT forms are dated in early 2025, do I report that interest on my 2024 tax return or wait until next year? Also, I have a high-yield online savings account that pays interest monthly, but I only received one 1099-INT for the whole year. Should I be keeping track of the monthly interest payments separately, or is the annual 1099-INT sufficient for reporting purposes? Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences - it's making tax season much less intimidating for us newcomers!