Has anyone used an online promissory note or do you need to get a lawyer involved? I'm in a similar situation with my daughter but trying to keep costs minimal as we're only talking about a $200k loan.

One thing I'd add to consider is the impact on your son's debt-to-income ratio for future lending. When we did a similar loan with our daughter, we discovered that some lenders treat family loans differently than traditional mortgages when calculating DTI for subsequent loans or refinancing. Also, regarding the "hassle" factor you mentioned - while there is paperwork involved, the annual savings of $25-30k you mentioned would more than justify the setup costs. Even if he refinances in 2-3 years when rates drop, you'd still save significant money during that period. Just make sure to discuss what happens if rates do drop significantly and he wants to refinance early. Will there be prepayment penalties? Having those terms clear upfront prevents awkward conversations later.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm actually in a very similar situation - my spouse and I are planning to purchase two EVs this year and file jointly. Reading through everyone's experiences has cleared up a lot of my confusion. One additional consideration I wanted to mention is the point-of-sale rebate option that started in 2024. Instead of waiting until tax time to claim the credit, you can now transfer it directly to the dealer for an immediate discount at purchase. This might be especially useful if you're buying two vehicles and want to reduce the upfront cost. However, I've heard that if you use the point-of-sale option and later discover you weren't actually eligible (due to income limits or vehicle eligibility changes), you'd have to pay the IRS back. So there's a bit of a trade-off between getting the money upfront versus waiting to claim it on your return when you're more certain about your final tax situation. For those of you who successfully claimed credits for two vehicles, did any of you use the point-of-sale option, or did you all wait until filing your returns? I'm trying to decide which approach makes more sense for our situation. Also, @416a9f18d66b (Aria), definitely recommend getting that written confirmation from dealers that others mentioned. The eligibility rules really do change frequently, and having documentation could save you headaches later!

Welcome to the community! As someone who just went through this exact situation with my partner last year, I can confirm that married couples filing jointly can absolutely claim EV tax credits for two vehicles purchased in the same year. We bought a Hyundai Ioniq 5 and a Volkswagen ID.4 and successfully claimed both credits on our joint return. A few key takeaways from our experience: **Vehicle titling is flexible** - We had one car in my name and one in both our names. The IRS doesn't care about the title arrangement as long as you're the original purchaser and it's for personal use. **Documentation is crucial** - Keep everything organized: purchase agreements, VINs, delivery dates, and any dealer communications about eligibility. We actually created a dedicated folder for all EV-related tax documents. **Income timing matters** - Since you mentioned planning purchases "within the next few months," consider your annual income flow. If you're close to the $300k MAGI limit for joint filers, the timing of bonuses, stock options, or other income could affect your eligibility. **Vehicle-specific eligibility changes** - Both the Model Y and Mach-E have had varying eligibility depending on manufacturing dates and trim levels. I'd strongly recommend verifying current eligibility status right before purchase, not just during your initial research. The filing process itself was straightforward - just two Form 8936s that our tax software handled easily. Best financial decision we made last year! Feel free to ask if you have any other questions about the process.

This is a great question that many foreign investors struggle with! I'm also a European investor in US stocks and went through this same confusion last year. Even though your stocks don't currently pay dividends, you'll still need to submit the W-8BEN form to your broker. This form serves as your certification that you're a non-US person for tax purposes, and most brokers require it regardless of whether your current holdings pay dividends or not. The reason is that the form establishes your tax status for your entire investment account. Your stocks might start paying dividends in the future, or you might buy dividend-paying stocks later. Having the W-8BEN on file from the beginning prevents any complications down the road. For capital gains when you sell, the good news is that as a non-US resident, you generally won't owe US capital gains tax on your stock sales. This is typically covered by the tax treaty between your European country and the US. You'll only need to report and pay taxes on those gains in your home country according to your local tax laws. I'd recommend getting the W-8BEN filed sooner rather than later - it's valid for 3 years and will give you peace of mind that your tax status is properly established with your broker.

I went through this exact same situation a few months ago as a non-US investor from Canada. Even though my stocks didn't pay dividends at the time, my broker still required the W-8BEN form to establish my foreign tax status. The key thing to understand is that the W-8BEN isn't just about current dividend income - it's about establishing your overall tax classification with your broker. This becomes important for several reasons: your stocks might start paying dividends later, you might purchase dividend-paying stocks in the future, or there could be other US-source income events that require proper withholding. When I eventually sold some of my positions, I didn't have to pay any US capital gains tax thanks to the Canada-US tax treaty. I only had to report the gains on my Canadian tax return. The W-8BEN had already established that I was a non-resident alien, so there were no complications with the broker or any unexpected withholding. My advice would be to go ahead and submit the W-8BEN form now, even before you need it. It's valid for three years and will prevent any issues down the road. Most brokers make it pretty straightforward to complete through their online platforms, and it's much easier to do it proactively rather than scrambling to get it done later when you actually need it.

I had almost the exact same experience! Called for verification, notice disappeared from my account the next day, and WMR updated with the standard processing message. My transcript stayed blank for about a week which had me worried, but then it suddenly updated with all the codes and my refund was deposited 3 days later. The disappearing notice is definitely a good sign - it means they accepted your verification and are moving forward with processing. The fact that WMR also updated suggests your return is actively being worked on. I'd expect to see transcript movement within the next few days, and probably your refund within 2 weeks max, even though they said 21 days. Keep checking but try not to stress too much - sounds like you're on the right track!

Those are definitely encouraging signs! The disappearing verification notice is usually the clearest indicator that they've accepted your verification and are moving your return forward. Combined with the WMR update, it sounds like your return is actively being processed now. Don't worry too much about the blank transcript - that's completely normal at this stage. Transcripts often lag behind by several days or even a week after other systems update. Based on similar experiences I've seen, you'll probably see your transcript populate with codes within the next 3-7 days, and your refund could arrive well before that 21-day window they gave you. The fact that the agent said everything looked good is also reassuring. Keep checking periodically but try not to stress - you're definitely moving in the right direction!

25 I just filed Form 8300 last month for selling my boat. One thing to note - if the buyer gives you installment payments and any single payment is over $10k in cash, or if the combined cash payments go over $10k within a 12-month period in related transactions, you still need to file Form 8300. The penalty for not filing can be pretty steep!

I just want to add some clarity on the timing requirements for Form 8300 since there seems to be some confusion in the thread. You must file Form 8300 within 15 days of receiving the cash payment - this is a hard deadline, not a guideline. For your F-150 sale at $14,500 cash, since you're selling at a loss (bought for $22k), you won't owe any capital gains tax. However, you're still required to file the form for the cash transaction reporting. One important detail: if the buyer splits the payment and gives you, say, $9,000 cash plus a $5,500 check, you wouldn't need to file Form 8300 since only the cash portion matters for this requirement. But if they give you $14,500 all in cash, then yes, you must file within 15 days. The form is really just to help track large cash movements in the economy - it doesn't automatically trigger a tax audit or anything scary like that. Just make sure to file it on time to avoid penalties!