Tyler, you're absolutely doing the right thing by wanting to report your tips properly! I went through something very similar last year working at a small diner where tip reporting was pretty much nonexistent. Here's what I learned: reporting those unreported tips will likely work in your favor financially. At your income level, the additional reported income should significantly boost your Earned Income Credit, which could easily offset the extra taxes you'll owe on the tips. I ended up with a bigger refund than I expected! For the practical stuff - you'll need Form 4137 to report tips you didn't tell your employer about. It calculates the Social Security and Medicare taxes on those unreported tips. Don't stress too much about perfect documentation - even rough daily estimates or weekly totals written in a notebook are fine. The IRS understands that cash tips aren't always tracked precisely. As for audit risk, reporting unreported income actually reduces your audit risk rather than increasing it. The IRS is much more concerned about people hiding income than people voluntarily coming forward to report it properly. And you're not going to get your restaurant in trouble - your personal tax obligations are separate from their reporting requirements. The difference between $600 and $5.5k does matter somewhat, but either way, using Form 4137 is the correct approach. Just be honest about your best estimate of total tip income for the year. Better to slightly overestimate than underestimate if you're unsure. You've got this! It might seem scary now, but you'll feel so much better having everything reported properly.

Tyler, I'm glad you're thinking about doing the right thing here! I was in almost exactly your situation a couple years ago - working at a small family restaurant where tip reporting was basically non-existent, and I was super stressed about tax time. Here's the reality: reporting your unreported tips is not only the legally correct thing to do, but it's also likely to benefit you financially. At your income level ($22k base), those additional reported earnings will probably push your Earned Income Credit higher, and that increase could very well exceed any additional taxes you owe on the tip income. A few practical points: - You'll use Form 4137 to report tips you didn't tell your employer about - The form calculates the Social Security and Medicare taxes you owe on those unreported tips - You don't need perfect documentation - reasonable estimates based on whatever records you have (even rough daily notes) are fine - The IRS expects this situation and that's exactly why Form 4137 exists As for audit risk - you're actually REDUCING your audit risk by voluntarily reporting previously unreported income. The IRS is much more concerned with people hiding income than people coming forward to report it properly. And don't worry about the restaurant - your personal tax return is completely separate from their reporting obligations. You're taking responsibility for your own tax situation, which is exactly what you should do. Whether it's $600 or $5.5k, the approach is the same: be honest about your best estimate of total annual tip income and report it using Form 4137. You'll sleep much better knowing everything is handled correctly!

I work for a tax prep company and see this confusion all the time! What's happening is that TurboTax is showing you their internal tracking system - "Accepted" just means the IRS received your electronic filing successfully. It's basically like getting a receipt that says "we got your package" but doesn't mean they've opened it yet. The IRS Where's My Refund tool shows the actual processing status. Right now you're at step 1 of 3: Return Received. You'll need to wait for it to move to "Return Approved" (step 2) and then "Refund Sent" (step 3). Those TurboTax fees for "5 days early" and such are just their way of advancing you money against your expected refund - they can't actually speed up IRS processing. The IRS doesn't care what software you used or what promises they made. Typical timeline is 21 days from e-file date for straightforward returns, but it can be longer during busy season. Since you filed on 1/22, I'd expect movement by mid-February if everything goes smoothly. Stick with the IRS site for accurate updates!

I had this exact same situation happen to me last year! TurboTax showing "accepted" while IRS only showed "received" drove me crazy for weeks. Turns out the IRS systems are just slower to update their public-facing tools compared to their internal processing systems. What helped me was understanding that there are actually multiple stages between "received" and "approved" that the Where's My Refund tool doesn't show you. Your return could be getting processed in the background even though the status hasn't changed yet. One thing I learned - if you have any credits like EITC or Child Tax Credit, it automatically adds extra processing time regardless of what TurboTax promises. They're required by law to hold those refunds until mid-February even if everything else is perfect. I'd say give it another week or two before worrying. The 21-day timeframe is business days, not calendar days, so weekends don't count. And like others said, checking your transcript can sometimes give you more detailed info about what's actually happening behind the scenes.

I'm also an F1 student and just went through this same exact situation! After months of confusion and frustration, I finally understand what's happening here. The issue isn't that Fidelity doesn't understand your paperwork - they're actually following IRS rules correctly. As a nonresident alien for tax purposes (which F1 students are for their first 5 calendar years), you simply cannot contribute to a Roth IRA, period. This is federal tax law, not a company policy. When you submit a W8 form, you're essentially confirming your nonresident alien status, which automatically disqualifies you from Roth IRA eligibility. That's why they keep asking for a W9 - because only people who can use that form (US citizens and resident aliens) are eligible for Roth IRAs. Here's what finally worked for me: I stopped trying to force the Roth IRA and opened a regular taxable brokerage account instead. I went with Vanguard and their international team handled my W8-BEN form perfectly - no confusion at all. Yes, you lose the tax advantages, but you can still invest in the same index funds and start building wealth. The good news is this is temporary! Once you hit your 6th calendar year in the US, you'll typically qualify as a resident alien and can then open a Roth IRA. I have a reminder set for exactly when that happens. Don't let this discourage you from starting your financial journey - just think of it as taking a different route to the same destination. You're still being smart by wanting to invest early!

As someone who went through this exact same frustration as an F1 student, I completely understand how maddening this situation feels! After reading through all these incredibly helpful responses, it's clear that the community has given you the definitive answer: as a nonresident alien (which F1 students are for their first 5 calendar years), you cannot contribute to a Roth IRA under IRS rules. What really resonated with me from this thread is the shift from seeing this as a roadblock to viewing it as a timing issue. The advice about opening a taxable brokerage account in the meantime is spot-on - you'll still be building wealth and gaining investment experience while waiting for your status to change. I'd especially recommend the suggestions about Vanguard and Schwab's international services teams, as multiple people have had success with their clear processes for handling W8 forms for regular investment accounts. The calendar reminder strategy is brilliant too - it gives you something concrete to look forward to rather than feeling indefinitely stuck. Don't let this discourage you from your financial goals! Sometimes the path looks different than we initially planned, but starting your investment journey now (even in a taxable account) puts you way ahead of most people your age. By the time you're eligible for retirement accounts, you'll already be an experienced investor with a solid foundation.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! I saw an IRS letter in my Informed Delivery three days ago but it never actually made it to my mailbox, and I've been checking every single day since then. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been so incredibly helpful and reassuring. It sounds like the consensus is to call the IRS at 800-829-1040 early in the morning (around 7-7:30 AM) with your SSN, filing status, and AGI ready, plus keep those Informed Delivery screenshots as proof. I'm definitely going to try that tomorrow morning - it's such a relief to hear from so many people that the agents were understanding and could immediately tell them what was in the missing letter over the phone. The recurring theme that most of these letters turn out to be routine processing notifications rather than scary audit notices is giving me so much peace of mind. I think I was catastrophizing and imagining the worst possible scenarios! I'm also going to file that missing mail report with USPS like several people suggested, even though it sounds like the IRS route is much faster for getting actual answers. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is amazing for providing real practical advice during stressful situations like this. Will definitely update once I get through to the IRS and find out what was in that mysterious letter!

This is such a common and stressful situation! I went through something very similar about 8 months ago and completely understand that sinking feeling when you see an IRS letter in Informed Delivery that never arrives. Here's what I learned from my experience: The IRS actually expects this to happen sometimes and has procedures in place for it. When I called their main line (800-829-1040) around 7:30 AM, I waited about 40 minutes but the agent was incredibly helpful. I explained that I had screenshots from Informed Delivery showing the letter was processed but never delivered, and she immediately looked up what notice had been sent. In my case, it was just a standard letter acknowledging they had received my return - nothing urgent at all! She was able to read me the entire contents over the phone and then resent it with a fresh 30-day response period since I never got the original. A few key tips: Have your SSN, filing status, and AGI from your last return ready before calling. Save those Informed Delivery screenshots as proof. Call early morning for shorter wait times. Also file a missing mail report with USPS online, though that takes much longer to get results. Try not to stress too much - from what I've seen, probably 90% of IRS letters are routine notifications that don't even require action from you. The important thing is calling promptly so they know you weren't ignoring their correspondence. Most likely it's nothing scary, but getting that confirmation will give you huge peace of mind!

The community wisdom on this is pretty consistent - file the 1040-X ASAP. According to the IRS website, electronic filing of amended returns is now available for tax year 2023, which speeds up processing considerably compared to paper filing. The IRS 'Where's My Amended Return' tool can track progress once it's in their system. Just remember that amended returns can't be e-filed if your original return was filed by paper - in that case you'd need to mail it in. Most people see better results when they take action before the IRS contacts them.

Based on everyone's experiences here, it sounds like you definitely want to file that 1040-X sooner rather than later! I went through something similar last year with a missing 1099-INT from my savings account - not nearly as significant as a retirement distribution, but the principle is the same. Filed the amendment within two weeks of realizing my mistake and while my refund was delayed by about 6 weeks, I avoided any penalties or that dreaded CP2000 notice that GalacticGuardian mentioned. The peace of mind alone was worth it. Plus, if you're already expecting that refund money, better to have a known delay from your proactive correction than an unknown timeline if the IRS catches it first through their matching program.