One thing nobody mentioned yet - if your spouse is a citizen of a country that has a tax treaty with the US, there might be additional considerations. I'm married to a Canadian citizen who lives in Toronto while I'm in Boston, and we discovered some specific treaty benefits. Check if your spouse's European country has a tax treaty with the US - it could affect your filing options and potential tax benefits. The IRS Publication 901 (U.S. Tax Treaties) has more info on this.

Has anyone in this thread actually just filed as Single despite being married to someone overseas? I mean what's the realistic chance of the IRS finding out if your spouse has no US presence, income, or SSN/ITIN? Asking for a friend...

Has anyone actually been audited because of trading activity? I'm in the same boat with hundreds of pages of transactions and wondering if the IRS really looks at this stuff or if it's just a formality.

I feel your pain with the massive 1099-B! I'm a day trader too and dealt with this exact situation last year with my broker's 600+ page document. One thing I learned is that you should definitely keep a copy of your certified mail receipt or delivery confirmation - the IRS processing centers can be slow to update their systems, and having proof of delivery saved me when I got a notice months later claiming they never received my documents. Also, make sure you're sending it to the correct IRS processing center address listed in your TurboTax instructions - different states have different mailing addresses for Form 8453 submissions. I initially sent mine to the wrong center and had to resend everything, which was a nightmare. The good news is that once they process it (which can take 6-8 weeks), you shouldn't have any issues as long as your summary data matches what you e-filed. Just budget for the shipping costs as part of your trading expenses - it's deductible!

Has anyone actually passed using just IRS pubs? I started that route & got so frustrated. The language is so dense & the pubs aren't organized in a way thats helpful for learning. I ended up just buying Gleim & passed all 3 parts first try.

I actually did pass using primarily IRS publications, though I'll admit it wasn't easy! The key was creating a structured approach rather than just reading them cover to cover. What worked for me was printing out the content outlines Connor mentioned, then mapping specific sections of each publication to the exam topics. I'd read a section, then immediately try to explain it in my own words or create examples. This helped combat the dense language issue. I also joined a few Facebook groups for EA candidates where people would post questions about confusing sections - that community discussion really helped clarify difficult concepts. The IRS pubs definitely aren't written as study guides, but they contain all the information you need if you're willing to put in the extra work to organize it properly. That said, if budget allows, the commercial programs are definitely more efficient. But for those who want to go the free route like the OP, it's absolutely doable with the right strategy and a lot of patience!

Make sure you're using a good tax software that can handle self-employment income if you're filing yourself. I use FreeTaxUSA for this exact situation (W-2 job plus side income). Also, regarding deductions, the general rule is that an expense must be "ordinary and necessary" for your business to be deductible. Transportation passes this test easily. Gym membership probably doesn't unless explicitly required. Subscriptions are a gray area - you'd need to prove they're ordinary and necessary for sperm donation specifically. Don't push the boundaries too much here. The amount you'd save on questionable deductions isn't worth triggering an audit. Transportation costs alone will still reduce your taxable income nicely.

Just a heads up - if you're using rideshare for transportation, make sure you're saving those receipts in the app! Both Uber and Lyft let you download annual summaries that break down all your rides, which makes it super easy to filter out just the business trips to the clinic. For the gym membership, I'd be really careful there. The IRS has consistently ruled that general fitness expenses are personal even when they might benefit your work. Unless the sperm bank specifically requires a gym membership in writing, I'd skip trying to deduct it. One thing I haven't seen mentioned - you might be able to deduct costs for any required medical screenings or tests that aren't covered by the clinic. Also, if you had to take time off your regular job for appointments, that lost income isn't deductible, but any parking fees or other direct costs from those visits would be. The key is keeping detailed records of everything. Even if an expense seems questionable, having good documentation puts you in a much better position if you ever get audited.

I received my refund via Chime yesterday, exactly as scheduled. According to Publication 2043 and the IRS Direct Deposit guidelines, financial institutions must make electronically deposited funds available on the settlement date specified by the IRS. In my case, my transcript showed an 846 code with an April 1 date, and the funds were in my Chime account at 10:23 AM on April 1. This is consistent with my experience in prior tax years as well.

I'm still waiting for my Chime deposit too. My transcript shows an 846 code dated March 30th, but nothing has hit my account yet. This is my second year using Chime for refunds - last year it came exactly 2 days early like clockwork. I'm starting to wonder if there are more verification holds happening this season or if the IRS processing is just running behind schedule. Has anyone else noticed their deposits taking longer than usual this year compared to previous seasons?