As a fellow VITA volunteer, I really appreciate you taking the time to thoroughly prepare before bringing this complex situation to your site coordinator. SSA-1099 Box 4 repayments can be quite confusing, especially when dealing with substantial amounts like you've described. Given the timing of the father's recent passing and the fact that both parents have Box 4 repayments, I'd suggest also asking your neighbor if either parent had any changes to their filing status or household composition in recent years. Sometimes when spouses have different benefit start dates or income levels, it can create unexpected adjustments when the SSA reconciles their records. Another thing that might be relevant - if the parents filed jointly but had very different income levels, the combined income calculation for determining taxable Social Security benefits could have triggered adjustments that show up as repayments, especially if there were any late-filed or amended returns in recent years. The most important thing right now is probably getting clarity on whether these are actual overpayments that need to be addressed, or just accounting adjustments that are already resolved. Your site coordinator will definitely appreciate you gathering all this background information first. These cases can be really time-consuming to unravel, so having everything organized upfront will make the consultation much more productive.

As a fellow community member who's dealt with family SSA issues, I wanted to add that timing can be really important with Box 4 repayments, especially in cases involving a recent death. Sometimes these repayments are actually related to benefits that were paid after the date of death but before SSA was notified - this is pretty common and creates what looks like an overpayment on the SSA-1099. Since the father passed away just two weeks ago, it's possible that some of his January or February Social Security payments were issued before SSA processed the death notification. In these cases, the surviving spouse typically needs to return those payments, which would show up as Box 4 repayments. I'd suggest asking your neighbor if they've already notified Social Security of the father's death and whether they've received any instructions about returning benefits. This information could help clarify whether the Box 4 amounts are related to the timing of his passing or if they stem from an earlier overpayment issue. Also, when they do contact SSA about survivor benefits (which should happen soon), they can ask for a detailed explanation of all Box 4 amounts for both parents. Sometimes what looks like a complex repayment situation has a much simpler explanation once you get the full context from SSA directly.

Don't forget that tithes and offerings aren't the only church-related expenses that can be deductible! If you drive as a volunteer (like delivering meals for church outreach or driving for youth events), you can deduct mileage at the charitable rate (14 cents per mile I think). Also, if you buy supplies for church activities and aren't reimbursed, those count too.

As someone who's been navigating church donations and taxes for years, I'd recommend keeping detailed records throughout the year rather than scrambling at tax time. I use a simple spreadsheet to track all my church giving - date, amount, and method of payment. For your $1300 in donations, make sure you have proper documentation. For any single donation of $250 or more, you'll need a written acknowledgment from the church (not just a bank record). The acknowledgment should state the amount, date, and confirm whether you received any goods or services in return. Also consider the "bunching" strategy others mentioned - if you're close to the itemization threshold, you might donate two years' worth in one year to exceed the standard deduction, then take the standard deduction the following year. This way you get tax benefits every other year instead of never. Given that you're already at $1300 with more of the year left, you might be closer to this strategy working than you think!

This is such a frustrating situation, but you're definitely not alone! I had a similar routing number mixup last year (switched two digits like you did) and it was nerve-wracking waiting for the paper check. From what I've seen in this thread and my own experience, you're looking at roughly 4-5 weeks from when the direct deposit was rejected. A few things that might help while you wait: definitely check your IRS transcript online for code 846 (that'll show when the check is scheduled to be mailed), and if you haven't already, set up USPS Informed Delivery so you can track when it's actually coming. Also, since you mentioned moving post-graduation, double-check that the IRS has your current address on file - the last thing you want is for the check to go to an old address! I know the waiting is stressful when you're trying to budget for a big life change, but based on everyone's experiences here, it sounds like the IRS is pretty consistent with their timeline once the conversion to paper check happens. Hang in there! 🎓

I've been through this exact situation twice (unfortunately I'm a slow learner when it comes to double-checking routing numbers 🤦‍♀️). Both times it took right around 4 weeks from rejection to receiving the paper check. The first time was during peak season in March and took 29 days, the second time was in January and took 26 days - so pretty consistent timing regardless of when it happens during tax season. One thing I learned that might help with your budgeting: once you see code 846 on your transcript with a date, that's typically the mail date, not when it arrives. Add another 5-7 business days for actual delivery. So if you see 846 with March 15th, expect the check around March 22nd-24th. Also, since you mentioned post-graduation move - definitely submit Form 8822 ASAP if your address will change before that check arrives. I had a friend who had to deal with forwarded mail delays on top of everything else and it was a nightmare. Best of luck with graduation and the move! The wait is frustrating but at least there's light at the end of the tunnel. 💰

I've been following this thread and just wanted to add one more potential source of Box 1 discrepancy that hasn't been mentioned yet - educational assistance benefits! If your wife's employer provided any tuition reimbursement, student loan payments, or other educational assistance over $5,250 during the year, the excess amount becomes taxable income that gets added to Box 1. Also, if she received any achievement awards, length of service awards, or other employee recognition gifts worth more than $1,600 total for the year, those would also be included as taxable income. These types of benefits often don't show up clearly on regular pay stubs but can significantly impact the Box 1 calculation. Given all the complexity everyone has outlined here, I'm definitely in the camp of using the tools mentioned (taxr.ai for calculation, Claimyr for IRS contact) rather than trying to manually figure this out. Your wife's employer sounds incredibly unprofessional, and you shouldn't have to put your tax filing on hold because they can't do basic administrative tasks. Good luck getting this resolved!

I had almost the exact same situation with a former employer who was being completely unresponsive about my W2! After reading through all these responses, I want to echo what others have said about using the tools mentioned here. I ended up using taxr.ai to calculate my Box 1 from my final pay stub, and it was incredibly helpful in identifying all those hidden components that affect the calculation. The tool actually flagged several things I would have missed - like imputed income from my employer-paid life insurance and the taxable portion of some fringe benefits. What really struck me about your situation is how many different factors can impact Box 1 beyond just the obvious payroll deductions. Reading through everyone's comments about moving expenses, parking benefits, disability premiums, educational assistance, and various other taxable benefits really shows why manually calculating this is so error-prone. Given how unresponsive your wife's employer has been (and the fact that it's now well past the January 31st deadline for providing W2s), I'd strongly recommend going straight to Form 4852. You've given them more than enough chances to provide the document, and at this point you're just delaying your own tax filing for their incompetence. The IRS is very understanding about situations like this where employers are being unreasonable. Hope you get this resolved quickly - dealing with disorganized former employers is incredibly frustrating!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm someone who occasionally plays poker at my local card room and I had no idea about the 300x rule for tournament withholding. One thing I'm still confused about though - let's say I play cash games regularly and over the course of a year I have some big winning sessions and some losing sessions. Do I need to track every single session, or just my net result for the year? Like if I win $800 one night and lose $600 the next night, how granular do I need to get with my record keeping? Also, does anyone know if there are any mobile apps specifically designed for tracking gambling wins/losses? Keeping a spreadsheet sounds smart but I know I'll forget to update it if I have to do it manually every time. Something that could track location, date, and amounts would be perfect for someone like me who plays regularly but not professionally. Thanks to everyone who's shared their experiences - this is exactly the kind of real-world advice you can't find on the IRS website!

This is such a comprehensive discussion! As someone who's been dealing with gambling taxes for a few years now, I wanted to add one more scenario that trips people up - what happens when you gamble across state lines. I live in Nevada but sometimes play at casinos in California and Arizona. Each state has different tax rules, and you might end up owing taxes to multiple states on the same winnings. Nevada has no state income tax, but if I win big in California, they'll want their 13.3% even though I'm not a CA resident. The good news is most states give you credit for taxes paid to other states, so you usually don't get double-taxed. But the paperwork can get complicated fast, especially if you're winning in multiple states throughout the year. Also, something I learned recently - if you're a frequent traveler for gambling, keep receipts for travel expenses. While casual gamblers can't deduct these, if you're approaching professional gambler status (which several people mentioned above), travel to gambling locations can become a legitimate business expense. Just make sure you meet all those IRS criteria for professional vs. recreational gambling that Nia outlined earlier! The record-keeping advice everyone's giving is spot on. I use a simple smartphone app to log everything immediately after each session, and it's saved me thousands in properly documented deductions over the years.