Don't forget that how you file can also affect your eligibility for certain credits! I'm a J1 visa holder married to a US citizen, and we found out that filing jointly made us eligible for the Earned Income Credit and American Opportunity Credit (my spouse is a student) which saved us a significant amount. If you file separately as a nonresident, you miss out on those completely.

This is such a helpful thread! I'm actually a tax preparer who works with a lot of international students and visa holders, and I wanted to add a few practical considerations that might help with your decision. One thing that's often overlooked is the timing aspect - if you make the election to file jointly this year, you're generally committed to filing jointly for all subsequent years while you're married and at least one spouse is a US resident, unless you get IRS permission to change. So think about your long-term situation, not just this year. Also, @Philip Cowan, since you mentioned this is your first tax season in the US, make sure you understand the implications for state taxes too. Some states don't recognize the federal election to be treated as a resident, so you might still file as a nonresident at the state level even if you file jointly federally. My general advice for J1 holders in your situation: if your income is relatively modest and your spouse qualifies for education credits, joint filing usually wins. But if you have significant income that would benefit from treaty provisions, or if you have complex foreign financial accounts to report, the analysis gets much more complicated and you might want to consult with a tax professional who specializes in international tax issues.

Same situation here! I'm also a PATH Act filer with cycle code 20250704 and my account transcript is blank. From what I've learned, this is totally normal for early February. The cycle code just means your return was processed on 2/4/25, but the PATH Act requires them to hold EITC/ACTC refunds until mid-February regardless. The blank account transcript should update once the hold period ends and they actually issue the refund. Hang in there - we're all in the same waiting boat! 🚤

Hey! I'm in the exact same situation - PATH Act filer with cycle code 20250704 and a completely blank account transcript. I was starting to panic thinking something went wrong with my return, but reading through these comments is making me feel so much better! It sounds like this is totally normal for us PATH filers this early in February. The waiting is torture though 😭 Has anyone found WMR to be updating at all or is it still just stuck on "received and processing" for everyone?

I received a CP2000 notice on March 12th that was dated February 24th. The response deadline was March 26th, giving me just two weeks to respond. I verified it on my transcript first, which showed the notice had been generated on February 22nd. If I had waited for the mail, I might have missed the deadline entirely. The transcript showed the tax year and basic issue, but I needed to call to get the full details.

Military moves are brutal for tax issues! I've been through multiple PCS moves and the mail forwarding system is hit-or-miss at best. Here's what I've learned works: 1. **Online transcript is your lifeline** - Like others said, create that IRS.gov account ASAP if you don't have one. The account transcript usually shows notice codes and basic info before the physical letter arrives. 2. **Document everything** - Screenshot your transcript, note the notice number and date. This becomes crucial if you need to prove timeline issues later. 3. **Military-specific help** - Don't forget about the Taxpayer Advocate Service. They have special procedures for active duty military dealing with notice issues. I used them during a deployment when I couldn't respond to a CP2000 in time. 4. **Address updates** - Make sure your IRS address is current through your online account or by filing Form 8822. I learned this the hard way when notices kept going to an address from 3 moves ago. The waiting game is the worst part, but at least with the transcript you can get ahead of whatever's coming. Good luck with your situation!

Has anyone had the mortgage company send incorrect information on the 1098? My lender somehow included fees that aren't actually interest in box 1 and I'm not sure how to report that correctly.

Great question Olivia! You're absolutely right to double-check this. The key thing to remember is that rental property mortgage interest and personal residence mortgage interest are completely separate deductions that go on different forms. For your rental property, the mortgage interest should be entered in the rental income/expense section of FreeTaxUSA, which will put it on Schedule E as a business expense against your rental income. The homeowner mortgage interest deduction section you mentioned is for your PRIMARY RESIDENCE only, and that goes on Schedule A as an itemized deduction. So if you only have a rental property (no mortgage on your personal home), you should NOT be filling out the homeowner deduction section at all. But if you have mortgages on both your rental AND your personal residence, then yes - you'd enter both, but in their respective sections. FreeTaxUSA should handle this correctly as long as you're entering the information in the right places. Just make sure you're not entering your rental property mortgage interest in both sections!

Quick question - will I also need to fill out this stupid 1040-ES form if I'm selling my house in October? I'll have owned it for exactly 18 months and expect to make around $80k. So confused about all this tax stuff!

I'm in a similar situation and wanted to share what I learned from my research. One thing to keep in mind is that the 15% capital gains rate isn't guaranteed - it depends on your total income for the year. If your adjusted gross income (including the capital gain) puts you in a higher tax bracket, you could be looking at 20% instead of 15%. Also, don't forget that you can reduce your capital gain by adding your selling costs (realtor commissions, title fees, etc.) and any qualifying home improvements you made during the 18 months you owned it. These can significantly reduce the amount you owe. For the 1099-S question - title companies are required to issue one if the proceeds are $250,000 or more, but they have some discretion for smaller amounts. Even if you don't receive one, you still need to report the sale. I'd suggest keeping all your closing documents organized since you'll need them for your tax filing regardless. One last tip: consider making the estimated payment slightly higher than your calculation to avoid any potential underpayment penalties. You'll get any overpayment back as a refund when you file your return.