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If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
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An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls ā which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
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Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
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Ava Garcia
I set up a Belize IBC for forex trading back in 2021 and wanted to share some practical advice. The regulatory benefits (higher leverage) worked great, but the tax situation was a NIGHTMARE. First, most "offshore experts" don't understand how GILTI works for trading entities. I ended up owing nearly the same US tax I would have without the structure, PLUS had $12K in annual compliance costs between the foreign registered agent, specialized tax preparation, and legal reviews. Also, be extremely careful about which foreign broker you use. Many won't accept entities from certain jurisdictions due to their own regulatory requirements. I had to switch brokers twice, which was incredibly disruptive to my trading strategy.
Mei Lin
ā¢That's exactly what I'm worried about - spending all this money on the setup only to find out the tax benefits are minimal. Did you find any particular jurisdiction or structure that worked better than others? And any broker recommendations that actually accept these kinds of entities?
Ava Garcia
ā¢I eventually switched from Belize to a Seychelles structure which had slightly better terms for satisfying economic substance requirements with algorithmic trading. The key is finding a jurisdiction that clearly classifies algorithmic trading as "active business income" rather than passive investment income. For brokers, I had good experiences with two firms based in St. Vincent and the Grenadines that specifically work with trading companies. They had reasonable documentation requirements and stable platforms. Just be careful - many foreign brokers have great leverage terms but terrible execution quality or withdrawal issues. Always test with small amounts first.
StarSailor}
Don't forget about banking issues! This is what killed my foreign trading entity setup. Even after properly forming the company and finding a broker, I couldn't find a reliable bank that would: 1) Open an account for a foreign entity with US beneficial ownership 2) Allow smooth transfers to/from forex brokers 3) Not charge excessive fees I went through 3 different banks in 2 years. First one suddenly closed my account after 6 months with no explanation. Second had 5-day holds on all incoming wire transfers. Third worked OK but charged $75 per outgoing wire transfer which ate into profits.
Miguel Silva
ā¢Did you try any of the digital banking solutions specifically for trading companies? I've heard there are some in Lithuania and Estonia that specialize in this.
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This is slightly off topic but dont forget that your sister is probably eligible for a Social Security lump sum death benefit of $255. Its not much but its something. She should contact Social Security right away as there are time limits. Also if they were married for at least 9 months she might be eligible for monthly survivor benefits depending on her age.
The 9 month marriage requirement isn't always needed. If the death was accidental or occurred in the line of duty as an active member of the armed forces, the 9-month requirement is waived. Also, if they have a child together, that can change the requirements too.
One more thing to consider - if your sister and her husband had any joint accounts, the basis (original cost) of investments might get a "step up" as of the date of death. This can be SUPER important if they owned stocks or property together. Basically, the deceased's portion gets revalued to what it was worth on the day they died, which can save a ton in capital gains taxes later. Might want to look into this if they had any investments.
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Levi Parker
Have you looked into the Streamlined Domestic Offshore Procedures? If this was non-willful (meaning you didn't know about the requirement), this program might help reduce the penalties significantly. I made a similar mistake with not reporting my foreign pension from when I worked in Singapore. The standard penalty would have been about $45k, but through the streamlined program I ended up paying just under $10k. The key is documenting that you genuinely didn't understand the requirement. The fact that you took action immediately after discovering the requirement will work in your favor. Make sure your attorney is specifically experienced with the Streamlined program.
Thanks for this suggestion! I just looked into the Streamlined Procedures and it seems like I might qualify. My attorney mentioned something similar but called it by a different name and was talking about a much smaller reduction. Do you know if I need a specialized attorney for this or if it's something I can handle myself? The legal fees are adding up fast.
Levi Parker
ā¢You don't absolutely need an attorney to apply for the Streamlined program, but I'd recommend at least a consultation with someone who specializes in international tax issues. The program requires a detailed narrative explaining why your failure to report was non-willful, and that narrative is critical to acceptance. If your current attorney isn't giving you clear information about the Streamlined program (it's very well-established), you might want to get a second opinion. Many tax attorneys offer free initial consultations, so you could shop around. The penalties at stake are significant enough that good representation is worth it, but you shouldn't be paying for an attorney who isn't experienced with exactly this type of situation.
Libby Hassan
whatever u do, don't ignore this!!! i made that mistake when i got hit with a 18k penalty for not reporting my overseas rental income. thought it would go away if i just didn't respond. BIG MISTAKE. they started garnishing my wages and put a lien on my property which destroyed my credit score. took 3 yrs to finally resolve and ended up paying way more in the end. at minimum set up a payment plan asap even while ur contesting the penalty. u can always get refunded later if u win the abatement but it shows good faith effort.
Is there a time limit on how long the IRS can come after you for these foreign reporting issues? I'm worried now because I inherited a small property in Italy from my grandparents 4 years ago and never reported anything...
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Does anyone use tax software that DOESN'T use whole dollar rounding? I've tried three different programs and they all seem to do it automatically. TurboTax, H&R Block, and TaxAct all rounded my numbers. Is there any software that lets you choose to keep cents?
Paolo Marino
ā¢Most professional tax software actually keeps track of the cents behind the scenes but displays whole dollars on the forms. I'm a bookkeeper (not a CPA) and we use Drake Software which does this. The precise calculations happen with all the cents included, even though the forms print with rounded numbers.
Amina Bah
Honestly the whole dollar method has saved me from so many mistakes. I used to track every cent and would get frustrated when things didn't add up perfectly. Now I just round as I go and it's so much faster. The IRS instruction booklet literally says it's fine on page 13. My refund has never been affected by more than a dollar either way.
Mateo Sanchez
Has anyone actually tried amending previous years' returns to claim education credits for past tuition payments? I'm in this exact situation and wondering if it's worth the hassle.
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Aisha Mahmood
ā¢I amended my 2022 return to claim the Lifetime Learning Credit for past tuition I paid that year. Got about $1,100 back. Definitely worth it but took about 5 months to process. Just make sure you're within the 3-year window for amendments.
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Ethan Moore
Important: Make sure the collections payments were specifically for qualified education expenses (tuition, required books, etc). If they included things like room and board, parking fees, or late payment penalties, those portions aren't deductible for education credits. You'll need to separate out the qualified vs non-qualified expenses.
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Yuki Kobayashi
ā¢This! I made this mistake and it triggered an audit. Had to provide detailed documentation showing what portion of my collections payment was actually for tuition versus housing charges. Ended up having to pay back part of the credit plus interest.
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Ethan Moore
ā¢Absolutely right. The IRS is pretty specific about what counts as a qualified education expense. Tuition and required course materials are in, but optional expenses are out. Another thing to watch for is if your tuition was paid by any grants or scholarships (even in previous years). If the school applied those to your tuition and what went to collections was actually your housing bill, you might be out of luck for education credits.
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