Has anyone used QuickBooks for tracking these mixed payment situations? I'm trying to figure out how to properly record business expenses paid with store credit cards so my tax reporting is correct at the end of the year.

Great question! As someone who's dealt with similar situations, I can confirm that Amara's advice is spot-on. Since you're using accrual accounting, you can deduct those expenses in the year you incurred them, regardless of when you pay off the credit cards. One additional tip: make sure to keep detailed records of what percentage of each store card is used for business vs personal expenses if you ever use them for non-business purchases. The IRS loves clear documentation, especially for credit card transactions. Also, don't forget that if you're claiming the computer as a business expense, you might want to look into bonus depreciation or Section 179 expensing for that $2,200 Best Buy purchase. Depending on your business income, you might be able to deduct the full amount this year rather than depreciating it over several years. The 20% discounts you got from signing up for the store cards are just reductions in your business expenses - they don't create any additional tax complications. Your deductible amount is simply the actual price you paid after the discount.

The confusion here is that platforms like Hitched, Zola, etc. are required to issue 1099-Ks when total transactions exceed $600 (the threshold changed recently). This is supposed to help catch unreported business income but obviously catches a lot of non-taxable personal transactions too.

This is such a common issue now with wedding registries! I went through the exact same thing with our Zola registry last year. The key thing to remember is that you DO need to report the 1099-K on your tax return even though the gifts aren't taxable - otherwise the IRS computers will flag your return as missing income. Here's exactly what I did in TurboTax: Go to the "Federal" section, then "Wages & Income," then "Other Common Income," and select "Miscellaneous Income, 1099-A, 1099-C." Enter your 1099-K information there. Then, in the same section, you can add an offsetting entry with a negative amount and description like "Wedding registry gifts - not taxable income per IRC Section 102." The net effect is zero additional tax, but you've properly acknowledged the 1099-K. Keep screenshots from Hitched showing it was a wedding registry, any confirmation emails from gift-givers, and the registry page itself. Most importantly, don't stress - this is becoming super common and the IRS is aware that these platforms are issuing 1099-Ks for non-taxable personal gifts!

Has anyone tried FreeTaxUSA? Federal is always free and state is only $15. It's way cheaper than TurboTax and H&R Block even if you have to pay for state.

As someone who's been through the free filing maze multiple times, I'd definitely recommend starting with the official IRS Free File portal at irs.gov/freefile since you qualify with your $42k income. But here's a pro tip that saved me last year: before you commit to any service, take a screenshot of the "free" promise on the first page. I got burned by TaxAct in 2022 when they tried to charge me $39 for state filing after I'd already entered all my info, even though I accessed it through the IRS portal. Also, if you're in a state that doesn't participate fully in Free File (like I am), check if your state has its own free e-filing system. My state offers completely free e-filing directly through their revenue department website for anyone making under $60k. It's a separate system from the federal filing but totally worth the extra 20 minutes to save $30-50. One last thing - if you do hit any snags with the free systems, don't give up and pay for a premium service right away. The IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service has a hotline that's helped me troubleshoot free filing issues before, and they're actually pretty responsive during tax season.

I had EXACTLY THIS SITUATION in June! Called the offset number: no debt. Called IRS: they said wait for BFS letter. Letter never came, but my bank suddenly had a deposit for $300 less than my expected refund a week after the projected date. Called again and after 1.5hrs on hold found out it was for a state tax debt from 2017 that I never knew about because I moved. The systems don't talk to each other well.

I went through this exact same situation last year! The WMR tool showed that scary offset warning for weeks, but when I called the Treasury Offset Program, they confirmed no debts. Turns out my return was just flagged for a routine review that had nothing to do with offsets - the IRS just uses generic messaging that doesn't match what's actually happening. What helped me was checking my account transcript (once I could finally access it) which showed the real status codes. In my case, it was just a standard review hold that resolved automatically after about 3 weeks past my original refund date. The whole time WMR kept showing the offset warning even though no offset was happening. Since you're still within your refund timeframe (March 4th), I'd wait until then before panicking. If it doesn't show up by March 5th, definitely call the IRS directly. The offset warning is probably just their system being overly cautious rather than indicating an actual problem. Hope this helps ease some of your stress!

I had a similar situation with SoFi last month. Compared to my previous experience with Chase where refunds appeared exactly on the date WMR provided, SoFi held my refund for 4 additional business days for "security verification." When I called, they confirmed they had received it but wouldn't release it until their verification process completed. There was nothing I could do to expedite it. The representative matter-of-factly informed me this is standard procedure for government deposits over a certain amount at many online banks. The funds did eventually appear, but the delay was frustrating.

I'm going through this exact situation right now with my Chime account! Filed on March 3rd, got approved March 16th with a deposit date of March 21st, and still nothing. TBG told me the same thing - that they sent it - but Chime says they don't see any pending deposits. This is so stressful because I really need this refund for some unexpected expenses. Reading through everyone's experiences here, it sounds like this is unfortunately pretty common with online banks. I'm going to try calling Chime's fraud department directly like @Niko Ramsey suggested, and maybe request that refund trace from the IRS that @Katherine Shultz mentioned. Has anyone had success getting through to an actual person at TBG who could provide more specific information about when exactly they sent the deposit? Their customer service seems pretty limited when I called yesterday. Thank you @Danielle Mays for starting this thread - it's really helpful to know I'm not alone in dealing with this!