Yes, definitely document those first 3 months! When you file MFS after living together for part of the year, you need to show how you're splitting shared expenses like mortgage interest, property taxes, and other itemized deductions. The IRS wants to see a reasonable allocation method - whether it's 50/50, based on income percentage, or actual payment records. For the months you lived together, gather bank statements, receipts, and any records showing who paid what. Even if your record keeping wasn't perfect, recreate what you can with bank statements and credit card records. The key is having a consistent, logical method for splitting shared expenses that you can explain if questioned. Also make sure you're not both claiming the same deduction - that's a huge red flag. If you paid the mortgage in January but your ex paid it in February, document that clearly. The IRS computers will catch duplicate claims between spouses pretty quickly.

I went through this exact situation during my separation two years ago and it was incredibly stressful. The rule about both spouses having to use the same deduction method (standard vs itemized) when filing MFS is really frustrating when you can't communicate well with your ex. What helped me was creating a simple comparison chart showing both scenarios - what our combined tax liability would be if we both took standard deduction vs. if we both itemized. I presented this to my ex as "here's what's financially best for both of us" rather than making it about what I wanted. Sometimes framing it as a purely mathematical decision rather than a personal preference can help reduce conflict. Also, if your ex insists on itemizing even when it's not optimal for both of you, document that decision. During my divorce proceedings, my attorney was able to use similar instances of financial non-cooperation as examples of unreasonable behavior. It didn't change the immediate tax situation, but it did help establish a pattern that was relevant later. The most important thing is to file correctly according to whatever method you both end up using. An incorrect filing that gets flagged by the IRS will create way more problems than paying a bit more in taxes this year.

has anyone had any experience with this? My son got his refund on the card when he tried to use it, it was blocked, so when he called customer service Saturday they told him his account was blocked until they verified it was him, now he calls today, they told him it will take two business days to have access to his money has anyone went through this i thought they can unblock the card immediately

I filed through Liberty Tax on February 28th and chose the Deep Blue Card after reading mixed reviews about their direct deposit timing. My return was accepted by the IRS on March 3rd, and I'm currently in the "refund approved" stage according to Where's My Refund. Still waiting for it to hit the card though. One thing I noticed is that Liberty's online portal doesn't show much detail about the card disbursement process - it just says "processing" once the IRS approves the refund. Has anyone found a way to track the intermediate step between IRS approval and the funds actually loading onto the Deep Blue Card? I'm hoping to see movement by Friday since it'll be a full week since approval. Thanks for starting this thread - it's helpful to have a central place to compare timelines!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in a similar situation with a triplex I just purchased. One thing I want to emphasize for fellow newcomers is the importance of getting this allocation right from the start, because it affects your entire depreciation schedule for decades. I made the mistake of initially treating all my closing costs as a single "acquisition expense" without splitting between land and building. My accountant had to help me correct this before filing, and it would have cost me thousands in lost depreciation deductions over the years. For anyone feeling overwhelmed by all this, don't be afraid to invest in professional help upfront. A good tax professional who specializes in real estate can save you way more money in properly structured depreciation than they cost in fees. The rules around what counts as acquisition costs vs. loan costs vs. immediately deductible expenses can be tricky, especially for first-time investors. The 50/50 split approach using tax assessment values is solid, but also consider getting an appraisal if those assessed values seem way off from what you actually paid or current market conditions. Some areas have outdated assessments that don't reflect true land vs. building values.

This has been such a comprehensive discussion! As someone who just bought my first rental property last month, I'm saving this entire thread for reference. One thing I want to add for other newcomers - don't forget about the Section 179 deduction for personal property items that come with your rental. Things like appliances, carpeting, and window treatments can often be deducted in full the first year rather than depreciated over their normal recovery periods. This can provide some immediate tax relief while you're getting used to managing the longer-term building depreciation. Also, I learned the hard way that you need to start thinking about these allocations before you even close. I wish I had asked my realtor or attorney during the purchase process to help me identify which closing costs were which. Going back through the settlement statement weeks later trying to figure out what each line item represents was much more difficult than addressing it in real time. The 50/50 split approach definitely seems like the way to go for most situations. I used my county's online property records to verify that my tax assessment breakdown was reasonable compared to similar recent sales in the area. Having that extra documentation gave me more confidence in my allocation.

Great question! I went through this exact same confusion when I started my current job. "FED MWT EE" stands for Federal Medicare Withholding Tax - Employee, which is the Medicare portion of your FICA taxes. This is separate from your regular federal income tax withholding. Medicare tax is a flat 1.45% of your gross wages (regardless of how much you make), so it should be a consistent percentage on each paycheck. If you make over $200,000 per year, there's an additional 0.9% Medicare tax, but for most people it's just the standard 1.45%. You should see this listed separately from your regular federal income tax withholding on your paystub. Different payroll systems use different abbreviations - some might show it as "Medicare," "FICA Med," or "MED" instead of "FED MWT EE." This is totally normal and required by law, so don't worry about it being an extra or unexpected deduction. Every employer has to withhold this for Medicare funding.

I went through this exact same confusion when I started my first corporate job! "FED MWT EE" stands for "Federal Withholding Tax - Employee" - it's just your regular federal income tax that gets withheld from each paycheck and sent to the IRS. What threw me off initially was that my previous part-time jobs either didn't withhold much (because I made so little) or used completely different abbreviations. It's totally normal to see variations like "Fed Tax," "FIT," "Federal W/H," or "Fed Withholding" depending on which payroll company your employer uses. The amount seems like a big chunk because federal income tax rates are progressive - the more you earn, the higher percentage gets withheld. If this is a step up in salary from previous jobs, that would explain why it feels like a lot more than you're used to seeing. Don't stress about it being "wrong" - this is completely standard and required by law. Just make sure you also see separate line items for Social Security and Medicare taxes (usually labeled something like "FICA SS" and "FICA Med"), which are different from this federal income tax withholding.

I'm going through the exact same situation! Filed my Form 843 back in December for FICA taxes that were incorrectly withheld from my graduate teaching assistantship. The university's payroll system didn't recognize my student exemption and withheld about $1,850 in FICA taxes that I shouldn't owe as a qualified student. I'm now at about 6 months with absolutely no communication from the IRS, which has been incredibly stressful. Like everyone else here, I've been checking my online account transcripts monthly but there's zero indication that Form 843 processing even exists in their system. I've also tried calling the IRS customer service line multiple times but always end up giving up after hours on hold. Reading through all these experiences has been both reassuring and maddening - reassuring to know that 6-9 month waits seem to be completely normal right now regardless of how straightforward the case is, but maddening to realize there's essentially no way to track progress or get updates during this entire period. The lack of transparency compared to regular tax refunds is really frustrating. Based on all the recommendations here, I think I'm finally at the point where I should contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service. It's encouraging to see that several people have had success getting their cases expedited through that route, especially for student-related exemptions where the tax rules can be pretty complex. Thanks to everyone for sharing their timelines - it really helps to know this massive delay is a systemic processing issue rather than something wrong with my specific case. Hopefully we'll all see our refunds soon!

I'm also going through this exact same frustrating process! Filed my Form 843 in late January for FICA taxes that were incorrectly withheld from my freelance consulting work. My client's payroll department mistakenly processed me as a W-2 employee when I should have been issued a 1099 as an independent contractor, resulting in about $2,200 in incorrect FICA withholding. It's been about 4.5 months now with complete radio silence from the IRS, and like everyone else here, the lack of any tracking system is absolutely maddening. I've been checking my online transcripts monthly hoping to see some indication of progress, but there's literally nothing there about Form 843 processing. I've tried calling the IRS three times but always give up after waiting on hold for 2+ hours without reaching anyone. Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly eye-opening - it's both reassuring and frustrating to see that 6-9 month processing times are unfortunately the norm across all types of FICA refund situations. Whether it's contractor misclassification, student exemptions, fellowship stipends, or ministerial exemptions, everyone seems to be hitting the same processing wall with zero visibility. What really strikes me is how consistent the timeline is regardless of the refund amount or complexity of the case. It seems like this is purely a capacity/backlog issue at the IRS rather than anything specific to individual situations. I'm definitely planning to contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service once I hit that 6-month mark based on all the positive experiences shared here. It's encouraging to know they have access to internal systems that can actually provide real information about case status and potentially expedite claims that have been stuck too long. Thanks to everyone for sharing their timelines and experiences - this thread has been incredibly helpful for understanding what to expect and knowing I'm not alone in this frustrating process!