Has anyone mentioned penalties and interest yet? That's what really killed me when I owed the IRS after an audit. The amount kept growing while I was trying to figure out payment options. Make sure your CPA discusses penalty abatement options with you. If this is your first time having tax issues, you might qualify for First Time Penalty Abatement, which could save you thousands. Interest can't typically be abated, but penalties often can be if you have reasonable cause.

I went through something similar last year - owed $147k after an audit revealed my tax preparer had completely fabricated deductions. The stress was unbearable at first, but I want to reassure you that the IRS does work with people in our situation. Here's what I learned: For amounts over $100k, they're much more flexible than the standard guidelines suggest. I ended up getting an 84-month payment plan (7 years) at around $1,750/month after demonstrating financial hardship. The key was providing detailed financial documentation showing that shorter payment terms would prevent me from meeting basic living expenses. My advice: Don't drain your retirement accounts. The IRS would rather have guaranteed monthly payments than force you into financial ruin. Also, consider whether the fraudulent preparer issue gives you grounds for penalty abatement - my CPA was able to get about 40% of my penalties removed by arguing reasonable cause. The whole process took about 4 months to finalize, but having that payment plan in place gave me so much peace of mind. You'll get through this.

Has anyone dealt with having a spouse with their own 1095-C while you have VA coverage? My wife and I are filing jointly, but I'm not sure how to handle her employer coverage alongside my VA benefits. Do we need to report both on our joint return?

I had a very similar situation last year with both employer and VA coverage! One thing that really helped me was understanding that the 1095 forms are primarily for reporting purposes now - they're meant to show the IRS that you had qualifying health coverage throughout the year. Since you had continuous coverage (employer through May, then VA from June-December), you're in good shape. The key is making sure your tax software understands you had coverage all 12 months, just from different sources. A tip that saved me time: when your tax software asks about gaps in coverage, make sure to indicate "No" since your VA coverage filled any potential gap after leaving your employer. The software sometimes gets confused when it sees different types of forms covering different periods, but as long as you had qualifying coverage each month (which you did), you're compliant. Also, keep both forms with your tax records even if the software doesn't require you to input all the details - it's good documentation in case of any future questions.

This is 100% a tax scam called "refund fraud" and it's actually really common. The preparer is likely falsifying your coworkers' income or creating fake business expenses. Those ridiculously high refunds are a massive red flag. I worked in a tax office where someone was doing this. The preparer was fired when the company found out, but dozens of clients got audited. The worst part is the preparer had moved on and disappeared while the clients were left dealing with the IRS. They all had to repay the fraudulent refunds plus interest and penalties. The IRS is actually pretty good at catching these schemes. They have systems that flag returns with unusually high refunds compared to income levels. Your coworkers should immediately get a copy of their returns and review what was claimed. If they find false information, they should file amended returns ASAP before the IRS comes to them.

Tell your friends to RUN from this tax preparer immediately! I see several specific red flags that indicate what kind of scam this likely is: 1. If your coworkers don't own businesses but are getting huge refunds, the preparer is probably creating fake Schedule C businesses with losses to offset their W-2 income 2. The "meet at Starbucks" thing is classic for fly-by-night preparers who don't want a traceable location 3. The rush to "get refunds before IRS changes rules" is nonsense designed to pressure people I've seen cases where preparers like this file the return electronically, showing the client one version but actually submitting a different version to the IRS with all kinds of fake deductions. By the time the IRS catches up (and they will), the preparer is long gone.

I'm dealing with something very similar right now! Got a notice saying I owe $1,247 plus interest on my 2290 truck tax, but I have the canceled check from when I paid it back in February. The most frustrating part is they definitely processed it - I can see it cleared my business account. From what I'm reading here, it sounds like this is happening to a lot of people with Form 2290. I'm going to try the Business & Specialty Tax Line number that Dylan mentioned (866-699-4096) first thing Monday morning. Has anyone had success with just mailing in copies of the payment proof along with a letter explaining the situation? I'm worried about calling and getting stuck on hold for hours, but I also don't want the interest to keep building up while I wait for them to process mailed documentation. This whole situation is so stressful when you know you paid what you owe but they're treating you like a tax evader!

I've been dealing with IRS payment issues for years through my tax preparation business, and Form 2290 truck tax problems are unfortunately very common right now. The IRS has acknowledged there are systemic issues with how these payments get processed and applied to accounts. Here's my recommended approach based on what's worked for my clients: First, don't panic about the interest - if you can prove you paid on time, they'll reverse those charges once the error is corrected. Second, when you call that Business & Specialty Tax Line (866-699-4096), have your EIN, the exact payment date, amount, and check number (or confirmation number for electronic payments) ready before you dial. If you can't get through by phone, send a certified letter with copies of your payment proof to the address on the notice. Include the phrase "Request for Payment Trace" in your subject line - this helps route it to the right department faster. Most importantly, keep calling or following up every 2 weeks until it's resolved. These cases can take 30-45 days to fully process, but staying on top of it prevents it from falling through the cracks. The good news is once they locate your payment in their system, the correction usually happens quickly and they'll send you a letter confirming the account is settled.

I've been using the Walmart Money Card for my tax refunds for the past two years, and I've noticed the timing can be pretty inconsistent. This year my refund hit exactly 48 hours after WMR showed "sent," but last year it took almost a week. One thing that helped me track it better was setting up account alerts through the Walmart Money Card app - not just for deposits, but also for "pending transactions" since sometimes the refund shows up there first before it's actually available to spend. Also, if you're really worried about the timing with your medical bills, you might want to call the billing department and explain the situation. Many medical providers are willing to work with patients on payment timing, especially when you can show proof that a refund is coming. I had to do this with my dentist last year and they were surprisingly understanding about giving me an extra week to pay once I showed them my WMR status.

I'm going through the exact same situation right now! Filed on March 3rd, got approved status on March 8th, and still waiting for it to hit my Walmart Money Card. What's been driving me crazy is that I can see on the IRS transcript that it shows a deposit date of March 14th, but that was Friday and still nothing. I called Green Dot customer service this morning and they said sometimes weekend deposits don't process until the following Tuesday due to ACH processing schedules. The rep also mentioned that if your refund amount is over $2,500, they sometimes put a 24-48 hour verification hold on it even after it's received from the IRS. Have you tried checking your card balance at weird hours? I've been checking mine at like 6am and 11pm because I read somewhere that government deposits can post outside normal business hours. Fingers crossed we both see our money soon - medical bills definitely don't wait for anyone!