I'm so sorry for your loss, Natasha. Dealing with tax paperwork while grieving is never easy. The advice here is spot on - you'll sign YOUR name on the signature line, not your aunt's. Write "Personal Representative" in the occupation field, and make sure to write "DECEASED" with the date of death (November 2024) across the top of the form. Since you mentioned you weren't court-appointed but are handling her affairs as the only living relative, you should definitely include Form 56 with the return to notify the IRS of your fiduciary role. This protects you and establishes your authority to act on her behalf. For her final return, you'll report all income she received from January 1, 2024 through her date of death in November. The interest, pension, and Social Security income you mentioned will all go on the regular lines of Form 1040. If there's a refund due, you'll likely need Form 1310 to claim it since you're not a surviving spouse. Take your time with this - the IRS generally allows up to 3 years from the original due date to file a final return, so there's no need to rush and make mistakes. You're doing a loving thing by handling her final affairs properly.

I'm sorry for your loss, Natasha. Having handled my grandmother's final return last year, I understand how overwhelming this can feel when you're already dealing with grief. The key points others have covered are correct - you'll sign YOUR name on the signature line (not your aunt's), write "Personal Representative" in the occupation field, and mark "DECEASED" with her date of death at the top of the form. One thing I wish someone had told me earlier: keep detailed records of everything you do related to her estate, including copies of the tax return and any correspondence with the IRS. You might need these later for estate administration or if any questions come up. Also, since you mentioned she had Social Security income, be aware that if she received any Social Security payments after her date of death, those may need to be returned to the Social Security Administration. This is separate from the tax return but something to check on. The IRS has a helpful Publication 559 ("Survivors, Executors, and Administrators") that walks through all the requirements for filing a decedent's final return. It's available free on their website and really helped me understand the process when I was in your situation. You're doing the right thing by asking these questions and making sure everything is handled properly. Take it one step at a time.

Here's what's actually happening behind the scenes: After verification, your return goes into a secondary processing queue. Returns are batched weekly and assigned to processing teams. Current IRS backlog metrics show 5-6 weeks average processing time post-verification for e-filed returns, 7-8 weeks for paper returns. The 9-week estimate gives them cushion for complex returns. WMR updates lag behind actual processing by 3-7 days because it pulls from a different database that syncs on a schedule. Check your transcript every Thursday morning - that's when most updates happen due to the IRS weekly processing cycle.

Thanks for sharing those processing insights, Tyler. The Thursday update schedule is particularly helpful to know. I'm curious though - do you have any data on whether the processing time varies significantly between different IRS service centers? I've heard anecdotal reports that some locations process verification cases faster than others, but I'm wondering if there's any pattern to geographic processing differences. Also, for those tracking their cases, have you noticed if calling for status updates actually helps or potentially slows down the process? Some people swear by weekly check-ins while others say it's better to just wait it out.

Just wanted to share my success story that sounds very similar to yours: • Filed: February 12th • Called IRS: April 2nd • Was told: "Needs verification but already verified on March 25th" • Refund deposited: April 9th I was equally confused about how I was verified without doing anything, but I didn't question it! The refund showed up exactly 15 days after that mysterious verification date. So based on my experience: • You should see your refund around April 23rd • No action needed from you • This is apparently a normal process Hope this helps ease your mind a bit!

This happened to me as well! Filed on February 20th and when I called last week, the representative said my return needed identity verification but it had already been completed on April 3rd. I was so confused because I never received any letters or calls asking me to verify anything. After reading everyone's responses here, it makes much more sense - sounds like the IRS is getting better at using their automated systems to verify returns without bothering taxpayers. I'm still waiting for my refund but feeling much more confident now that everything is moving along normally. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and explanations - this community is so helpful for understanding these confusing IRS processes!

Just a warning from someone who went through this - make absolutely sure you keep SOME kind of documentation going forward! I got a similar 1099-K last year and thought I could just explain it away, but I ended up getting a letter asking for more information. What saved me was having screenshots of my original listings showing item descriptions that clearly indicated they were personal items (things like "moving sale" or "clearing out my collection"), plus PayPal transaction records showing I wasn't doing this regularly.

This 1099-K situation is so frustrating for people just selling personal items! I went through something similar and here's what I learned from my tax preparer: The key is being very clear about the nature of your sales. For your old personal items sold at a loss, you can report these on Schedule 1 (Additional Income) rather than Schedule C. Write something like "1099-K Personal Items Sold at Loss - Not Business Income" in the description. This avoids the self-employment tax issue entirely. For the blind box splits where you're breaking even, those might need to go on Schedule C since you're buying items specifically to resell (even at cost). But since you're not making a profit, your net income would be zero anyway. The most important thing is documentation. Start gathering whatever you can - PayPal transaction details, screenshots of listings, even photos of the items if you still have them. For older items without receipts, make reasonable estimates based on what you remember paying. The IRS allows "good faith" estimates for personal property. One thing that helped me was creating a simple spreadsheet showing: Item description, original purchase date/price (estimated if needed), sale date, sale price, and profit/loss. This clearly demonstrates you weren't running a profitable business operation. Don't panic about an audit - if you're honest and have reasonable documentation, you'll be fine. The IRS deals with this situation constantly now that the 1099-K thresholds have changed.

Something nobody's mentioned yet - if your employer is automatically withholding extra tax from your paychecks for the education benefits, make sure they're giving you documentation of the TOTAL education benefits provided, not just the amount over $5250. You'll need the full amount to properly calculate your exclusion. Also, check if your employer coded anything special on your W-2 regarding these benefits. Some employers will note education benefits in Box 14, while others just include them in your total wages without any notation. Knowing how they reported it helps determine how you need to handle it on your return.

I'm in almost exactly the same situation - clinical research job, employer paying for a similar master's program. One thing my tax advisor told me is to keep proof that I'm staying in my current field after completing the degree. Apparently, if you use the degree to switch careers within 12 months of completing it, the IRS might retroactively disallow the working condition fringe benefit exclusion. Just something to keep in mind - save performance reviews, job descriptions, etc. from before, during and after your education program to prove continuity in your career path.