Pro tip: If you can't get through on the phone, try reaching out to your local Taxpayer Advocate Service. They can sometimes help navigate tricky situations like this.

Another option to consider: if you have your old tax returns or W-2s handy, the IRS can sometimes verify your identity using info from those documents instead of relying on ID.me. When you call, ask specifically about alternative identity verification methods. I had a similar issue last year and they were able to walk me through it using my prior year AGI and some other basic info. Takes longer but it works!

Hey Lena! 👋 I completely understand your stress - tax season with kids is already overwhelming without mysterious IRS codes adding to the chaos! From my experience (and what I've learned lurking in this community), Code 971 is actually one of the more common codes and usually isn't cause for panic. It simply means the IRS has generated or will generate a notice to mail to you. The key is looking at what OTHER codes appear around the same timeframe on your transcript. Here's what to look for: • If you see a 570 code nearby, that's just a temporary hold (routine) • An 846 code means your refund is being issued • Scary codes would be 420 (examination) or 810 (freeze) With three kids, it's very likely this is related to verifying your Child Tax Credit or Earned Income Credit amounts - totally normal processing stuff. The physical notice should arrive within 5-7 business days of the date shown on your transcript. I know it's easier said than done, but try not to stress too much! In my experience, if there was a real problem, there would be multiple concerning codes and it would be pretty obvious. Most 971 notices end up being minor math corrections or simple confirmations that everything is processing normally. You've got this, mama! 💪 And definitely update us when you get the actual notice - this community loves hearing the "false alarm" stories!

Hi Lena! 👋 As a fellow parent dealing with tax season stress, I totally get the anxiety that comes with seeing unfamiliar codes on your transcript! Code 971 is actually quite common and usually nothing to worry about. It simply means the IRS has issued (or will issue) a notice to your mailing address. The notice could be anything from a routine confirmation of processing to a minor adjustment - most of the time it's completely benign. Here's what I've learned from my own experiences and this helpful community: **What to check:** - Look for other codes around the same date on your transcript - Code 570 = temporary hold (routine processing) - Code 846 = refund being issued - Codes to worry about: 420 (audit) or 810 (account freeze) **With three kids, this is likely related to:** - Child Tax Credit verification - Earned Income Credit confirmation - Simple math corrections on dependent-related credits **Timeline:** The physical notice typically arrives 5-7 business days after the date shown on your transcript. I know juggling kids' schedules while trying to decode IRS mysteries is exhausting! But from what I've seen in this community, the vast majority of 971 codes end up being routine notices that require no action from you. Try not to add that extra grey hair just yet! 😊 Keep us posted when the notice arrives - we're all rooting for it to be something simple!

I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! Made about $2,800 with Doordash last year and was hoping I could just ignore it since it wasn't much. But after reading everyone's responses here, it's clear I need to bite the bullet and report it properly. Quick question for those who've been through this - when you file Schedule C for the Doordash income, do you need to have an official business name or can you just put your own name? Also, I'm seeing mentions of Schedule SE for self-employment tax - is that in addition to regular income tax or does it replace part of it? Thanks for all the helpful info everyone. Better to do this right than deal with IRS letters later!

Just wanted to chime in as someone who's been doing gig work for a few years now - definitely report that $3,000! I learned the hard way that the IRS has access to all the 1099 data that companies file, even if you don't receive the forms directly. Since you made over $600, Doordash was legally required to issue you a 1099-NEC. Check your email thoroughly (including spam folder) and log into your Doordash driver account - most companies send these electronically now. If you still can't locate it, the earnings section in your driver app should have your annual total. One thing that helped me when I was starting out with gig taxes was using a simple mileage tracking app going forward. Even though you've stopped driving for now, if you ever go back to it, apps like Stride or MileIQ can automatically track your business miles. For this year's taxes, try to reconstruct what you can from your delivery history - even a rough estimate is better than nothing and can save you significant money on that self-employment tax. The 15.3% self-employment tax might seem steep, but remember it's going toward your future Social Security and Medicare benefits. Plus, legitimate business deductions can really help reduce that tax burden!

As someone who works in public finance, I think it's important to understand that "shutting down the IRS" isn't really a binary on/off switch. Even the most aggressive reform proposals recognize that some form of federal revenue collection would need to continue. The more realistic scenarios involve restructuring how taxes are collected rather than eliminating federal taxation entirely. This could mean consolidating collection functions with other agencies, implementing different tax mechanisms (like the consumption taxes others mentioned), or significantly simplifying the current system. What's often overlooked is that the IRS also handles non-tax functions like processing economic impact payments, child tax credits, and other federal programs. Any replacement system would need to account for these administrative responsibilities too. The transition period would be the biggest challenge - you can't just flip a switch and change how $4+ trillion in annual revenue gets collected without massive preparation and coordination across all levels of government.

This discussion has been really eye-opening! As someone who's always just filed my taxes and hoped for the best, I never realized how interconnected the IRS is with so many other government functions. What strikes me most is the timeline aspect - 7-10 years for a major transition seems both reasonable given the complexity but also politically challenging. How do you maintain momentum for such a massive reform across multiple election cycles? I'm also wondering about the international implications that haven't been mentioned yet. How would foreign tax treaties work? What about Americans living abroad who currently deal with IRS requirements? Would whatever replaces the IRS need to maintain all those international relationships and agreements? The logistics seem almost impossibly complex when you really think through all the moving pieces. Makes me appreciate that our current system, however flawed, at least functions at this massive scale.

Not to make things more stressful, but you should also consider how this affects your financial aid for college! If your parents have been claiming you as a dependent, that probably affected your FAFSA and financial aid packages. Getting married changes your dependency status for financial aid purposes too, not just taxes. You'll be considered an independent student regardless of your age once you're married, which could significantly change your aid eligibility. Might want to check with your school's financial aid office about how this could impact any current or future aid.

The advice here is spot-on about the tax implications, but I wanted to add something from personal experience. When I got married during college, I was terrified about having "the conversation" with my parents too. What helped me was framing it around the practical tax issues first rather than the emotional aspects of not telling them about the marriage initially. I started by saying something like "I need to talk to you about our tax situation this year because there are some changes that affect whether you can claim me as a dependent." Then I explained the marriage and how it impacts taxes. It gave us a concrete problem to solve together rather than just focusing on why I hadn't told them sooner. Also, definitely talk to your school's financial aid office ASAP like Justin mentioned. Being married made me independent for FAFSA purposes, and I actually got more aid because they only looked at my and my spouse's low incomes instead of my parents' higher income. But you need to update your status properly to avoid any aid complications down the road.