Does anyone know how this works with HSA contributions? My employer contributes $1500 to my HSA annually on top of paying part of my health insurance premium.

As someone who just went through this same confusion last month, I can confirm what others have said - employer-paid health insurance premiums are NOT included in your gross income. I was in a similar situation where I was right at the edge of a tax credit threshold. What really helped me was looking at my pay stub vs. my W-2. My gross pay on my final pay stub was higher than Box 1 on my W-2 because Box 1 already excludes pre-tax deductions like health insurance premiums I pay, while employer-paid portions never show up as income at all. The IRS treats employer-paid health benefits as a tax-free fringe benefit under Section 106 of the tax code. So your $73,500 salary is what counts toward your AGI calculation - not the additional $7,200 your employer pays for insurance. You should be comfortably under the $75,000 threshold for your tax credit!

I've seen this happen more times than you'd think. Most people don't realize employers sometimes do this deliberately hoping you'll just give up. Last year, someone in my tax prep group had THREE employers pull this stunt. The community wisdom here is: document everything, be persistent with the IRS, and don't let tax deadlines pass. File for an extension if needed, but don't skip filing altogether because of your employer's actions - that only hurts you in the long run with potential penalties and interest.

I went through this exact situation two years ago and it was incredibly stressful. Here's what worked for me: First, I'd recommend trying the online transcript method that @Lola Perez mentioned - it's honestly the fastest route if your employer actually filed the forms with the IRS. You can get your Wage & Income transcript from IRS.gov and use that to file Form 4852. If that doesn't work, I had success with calling the IRS early in the morning (right at 7am) to avoid the worst hold times. When I finally got through, the agent was actually very understanding about the situation and initiated contact with my employer within a week. One thing I wish someone had told me: keep detailed records of every attempt you make to contact your employer. The IRS agent asked me for dates, times, and methods of contact when I called. Having that documentation ready made the process much smoother. Also, don't feel bad about escalating this - employers who refuse to provide tax documents are breaking federal law. You're not being difficult by pursuing this through proper channels. Good luck, and I hope you get this resolved quickly!

Submitted mine last Sunday and it got accepted within an hour but transcript didn't update till Wednesday

I filed through TurboTax last Friday evening and got my acceptance email around 11 PM the same night. The IRS definitely accepts returns 24/7, but like others mentioned, the real processing happens during business hours. My "Where's My Refund" tool didn't show any updates until Tuesday morning. So you'll probably get that acceptance notification pretty quickly, but don't stress if nothing else moves until the weekdays!

Here's what you need to do now: Step 1: Wait for the notice that corresponds with the 971 code. This will explain why they switched to a paper check. Don't take any action until you have this information. Step 2: Check your mailbox daily. Paper checks are typically mailed within 7-10 business days after the 971 code appears. Step 3: If you don't receive the check within 4 weeks, call the IRS at 800-829-1040 to request a payment trace. Step 4: For next year, consider filing early in the season and double-check that your bank account name exactly matches your tax return name. Step 5: If you need to update your bank information with the IRS for future payments, use Form 8822 or update it through your online account. This is a fairly routine issue and doesn't indicate any problems with your return itself.

I work as a tax preparer and see this situation frequently during filing season. One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is that the IRS also switches to paper checks if there's any discrepancy in the Social Security number verification process with the Social Security Administration. This can happen even if your SSN is correct on your return - sometimes there are temporary delays in the SSA database updates. Another common cause is if you've moved recently and there's a mismatch between your current address and what your bank has on file. The IRS cross-references this information as part of their fraud prevention measures. The 971 notice should arrive within the next few days and will give you the specific reason. In the meantime, you can also try calling the Taxpayer Advocate Service at 877-777-4778 if you have a financial hardship situation that requires the refund urgently. They sometimes can expedite the process or provide more detailed information about the delay.

From what I've gathered from this community, the timeline seems to average around 3-4 weeks after verification, but can definitely vary. Have you checked your account transcript for any updates yet? Are you planning to call if it goes beyond a certain timeframe? Many people here recommend checking transcripts rather than WMR for the most accurate updates.

Congrats on getting through the in-person verification! That 47-minute wait sounds pretty typical from what I've seen others report here. Based on the experiences shared in this thread, it looks like you're looking at roughly 2-6 weeks for your account to update after verification. The range seems pretty wide depending on your return complexity. Since you mentioned needing to plan your budget precisely for the semester, I'd probably plan for the longer end (4-6 weeks) just to be safe, especially if you have any credits like EIC or education credits that might add processing time. Keep checking your transcript weekly - that tends to update before WMR shows any movement. The waiting is definitely the hardest part, but you've cleared the biggest hurdle by completing the verification!