A creative solution some companies use is providing experiences rather than physical gifts. Team outings, special lunches, or tickets to events are sometimes classified differently than direct gifts if they serve business purposes like team building or promoting company culture. I personally think the best approach is transparency - if you're going to give something taxable, just be upfront that it might impact their taxes slightly but is still meant as a genuine thank you. Most employees would rather have a taxable gift than no gift at all!

From my experience working in payroll, the $200-250 range your manager is considering will definitely be treated as taxable compensation. The IRS is pretty strict about this - any gift from employer to employee in a work context gets taxed, regardless of the genuine appreciation behind it. One thing to consider is asking your manager to "gross up" the gifts - essentially increase the amount to cover the tax burden so employees receive the intended net value. For example, if she wants each person to effectively receive $200, she might need to give around $270-280 to account for federal, state, and payroll taxes. Another approach is splitting the appreciation into multiple smaller components: maybe a $50 gift card (taxable but smaller impact) plus a nice company-branded item under $75 (potentially de minimis) plus a team celebration lunch (generally non-taxable when occasional). This way the total appreciation is still meaningful but the tax hit is reduced. The key is being transparent with your team about any tax implications upfront so there are no surprises come W-2 time!

Is anyone going to mention the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act (FIRPTA)? Or does that not apply since it's a US citizen selling foreign property rather than a foreigner selling US property?

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is the importance of getting proper documentation of the property's fair market value as of the inheritance date in 2016. Since Greece may not have the same appraisal systems we're used to here, your mom should try to gather any official valuations, tax assessments, or comparable sales data from around that time to support the stepped-up basis calculation. Also, she should keep detailed records of any improvements or maintenance she's done to the property since inheriting it, as these costs can potentially be added to her basis and reduce the taxable gain. Even if she hasn't physically been there, any money spent on upkeep, repairs, or improvements through a property management company would count. The currency conversion aspect is tricky too - she'll need the EUR/USD exchange rates for both the 2016 inheritance date and the sale date. The IRS has historical exchange rate tables on their website that are considered official for tax purposes, so make sure to use those rather than just any online converter.

this is getting rediculous... its MY money and I need it NOW! 😤

I'm in the same situation - filed on 1/25 and still showing "processing" on FTB. Really appreciate the tax professional's insight about the 4-6 week timeline due to fraud prevention. At least now I know it's not just me and there's a legitimate reason for the delay. Hoping we all see some movement soon!

Protip: If you have the IRS2Go app, sometimes it updates with your refund status a day or two before the transcript shows changes. Mine showed "refund approved" on the app while my transcript was still processing, and it gave me the correct post-offset amount. Might be worth checking both if you're anxiously waiting like I was!

I went through this exact situation two years ago with defaulted student loans! Here's what I learned: Your transcript will show the full refund amount first with a deposit date, but then it gets updated to show the reduced amount after the offset is processed. The key thing to watch for is transaction code 898 on your transcript - that's the offset code. What really helped me was calling the Treasury Offset Program at 800-304-3107. You can enter your SSN and get automated info about any pending offsets without waiting on hold. They'll tell you exactly which agency is claiming money and approximately how much. For your car repairs situation, definitely look into the hardship refund option someone mentioned earlier. Since you need your car operational, that could qualify as a legitimate hardship. Contact your loan servicer directly and ask about their offset hardship refund process - the worst they can say is no, but you might get some of that money back faster than waiting for your regular payment plan. Good luck! The waiting and uncertainty is definitely the worst part, but at least once you know the numbers you can plan accordingly.

I'm going through the exact same thing! Filed my Illinois return in February and I'm still stuck in processing limbo. The most frustrating part is that their website gives you absolutely no useful information - just that generic "still being processed" message that tells you nothing. From reading through all these comments, it sounds like there are several potential issues that could be causing the delay: - Address discrepancies (especially if you moved recently) - Identity verification requirements that they don't notify you about - Random manual reviews they're doing this year - Issues with credits or deductions triggering additional screening I'm going to try a few of the suggestions here - calling first thing in the morning at 8 AM, checking from a desktop computer instead of mobile, and looking more carefully through my mail for any notices that might have looked like junk mail. Has anyone had success with the taxpayer advocate service? I'm wondering if that might be worth trying since we're well past the normal processing timeframes at this point. It's ridiculous that we have to become private investigators just to get our own money back from the state!

I'm dealing with the exact same issue! Filed my Illinois return in late February and have been stuck in that "still being processed" purgatory for months now. It's incredibly frustrating when you can't get any real information about what's actually happening with your return. After reading through all these experiences, I'm going to try several approaches: 1. Calling right at 8 AM tomorrow using that 1-800-732-8866 number 2. Double-checking my mail for any plain envelopes that might have looked like junk mail 3. Verifying my address information is correct in their system 4. Considering reaching out to my state representative's office if the phone calls don't work The most infuriating part is how they expect us to file on time and pay penalties for any delays, but then they can sit on our refunds for months with zero accountability. The lack of transparency in their system is unacceptable. For what it's worth, I've been documenting every attempt to contact them with dates and times. If this drags on much longer, I'm definitely going to file a complaint and escalate through whatever channels are available. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences and solutions - it's helpful to know we're not alone in dealing with this broken system!