Just another perspective - if your nanny will be driving frequently, you might want to consider providing a car for her to use instead of reimbursing mileage. That's what we do, and it's worked out great. We bought a used Toyota that's safe and reliable, we pay for all gas/maintenance, and it eliminates the need to track mileage or worry about her insurance coverage. Obviously this is a bigger investment upfront, but for us it made sense because our nanny drives our kids to various activities almost daily. Plus it protects her personal vehicle from the wear and tear of constant use for work.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! As someone new to employing a nanny, I had no idea about the insurance implications or that nannies can't deduct mileage anymore. One quick question - when you reimburse at the IRS standard rate, do you need to issue any special tax forms at the end of the year for the mileage reimbursements? Or does it just not get reported anywhere since it's non-taxable? I want to make sure I'm handling the paperwork correctly from day one. Also, for those who've set up mileage tracking systems - do you have your nanny take photos of the odometer or is a simple written log sufficient for IRS purposes?

5 Has anyone tried applying for an ITIN through a Certified Acceptance Agent (CAA) instead of mailing documents directly to the IRS? I've heard this might be faster and you don't have to send your original documents to the IRS. I'm in the same situation as OP and trying to figure out the best approach.

16 Just wanted to add something important that nobody mentioned yet - be careful with amending your return from single to married filing jointly after getting the ITIN. If your spouse is a nonresident alien, they generally can't file jointly with you UNLESS you make a special election to treat them as a resident alien for tax purposes. This election has pros and cons - it might lower your tax bill, but it means your spouse's WORLDWIDE income becomes taxable in the US. So if they have income in their home country, you'd need to report that too. Form 8840 is used for this election. Just something to consider before you rush to amend!

Be extremely cautious about this situation. In 2023, my check showed as mailed on April 12th, but wasn't actually sent until April 28th - exactly 16 days later. When it didn't arrive by April 26th, I filed Form 3911 thinking it was lost. This created a complete mess in their system because they had to cancel the check that hadn't actually been sent yet, then reissue a new one. The entire process took 9 weeks and 4 days to resolve, and required 3 separate calls to the IRS. Always wait at least 4 weeks from the WMR mail date before taking any action.

This is incredibly helpful information! I'm currently in week 3 of waiting for a check that WMR says was mailed March 1st. Based on what everyone is sharing here, it sounds like I should call to verify the actual mail date before panicking. The fact that the IRS has multiple systems that don't sync properly explains so much frustration I've had in past years. Does anyone know if there's a specific number or department that's best for checking actual mail dates, or is it just the general refund hotline? I want to make sure I'm calling the right place to get accurate information.

Has anyone tried using certified mail with return receipt for paper filing? I filed by paper in January and still nothing, but I'm wondering if having proof of delivery would help if I need to escalate this through the Taxpayer Advocate.

I'm going through almost the exact same situation! Filed my paper return in February and still waiting after 3+ months. The financial stress is real - I was counting on that refund to catch up on some medical bills and now I'm getting late payment notices. One thing that helped me was documenting everything - every phone call attempt, every time I checked the "Where's My Refund" tool, screenshots of the processing status. I also kept records of any financial hardship the delay is causing (late fees, inability to pay bills, etc.). This documentation becomes really important if you do end up contacting the Taxpayer Advocate Service. I haven't tried suing the IRS, but from what I've researched, the sovereign immunity issue makes it nearly impossible unless there's clear negligence or violation of taxpayer rights. The interest they pay on delayed refunds is their way of acknowledging the delay without admitting fault. It's frustrating, but focusing on the TAS route seems more realistic than legal action. Hang in there - you're definitely not alone in this nightmare!

Has anybody actually tried calling the number on the CP2000 notice directly? I had a similar issue last year and was surprised when I got through to someone in only about 25 minutes. The agent was super helpful and explained that I could: 1. Request a 30-day extension to respond (which gives you more time to gather documentation) 2. Set up a payment plan even if I agreed with the changes 3. Make a partial payment now to stop some of the interest from accumulating Just sharing cuz sometimes the direct approach works too!

I went through something very similar when I moved and missed a 1099-B from my old brokerage account. The panic is totally understandable, but you have more options than you think! Here's what worked for me: First, don't just accept the CP2000 as final - it's a proposed assessment, not a bill yet. I called the number on the notice (took about 45 minutes to get through, but persistence paid off) and explained my situation. The agent was actually really understanding about the address change issue. The key thing that saved me money was getting my cost basis information from my broker. Even though I'd moved, I could still log into my online account and download all my transaction history. It turned out that while I did owe some taxes on the gains, it was much less than what the CP2000 calculated because the IRS only had the sale proceeds, not what I originally paid for the stocks. I ended up filing an amended return with the correct information and set up a payment plan for the actual amount owed. The whole process took about 6 weeks to resolve, but my final tax bill was about 60% less than what the CP2000 originally claimed. Don't let this stress consume you - it's fixable! Just make sure to respond by the deadline on the notice.