The "transition year" thing is complete nonsense! I worked for H&R Block for 7 years and never once heard of this concept. Your tax status is determined by your marital status on December 31st, period. One thing to consider - if your spouse has already filed incorrectly as Single, and you file correctly as Married Filing Separately, it's going to throw up major red flags in the IRS system. The computer will automatically notice the discrepancy between your returns.

I'm a tax professional and I can confirm that your husband's tax preparer is absolutely incorrect. There is no such thing as a "transition year" for newly married couples in the IRS tax code. This is a serious error that needs immediate correction. Your filing status for 2024 is determined solely by whether you were married on December 31, 2024. Since you got married in May 2024, both you and your husband MUST file as either Married Filing Jointly or Married Filing Separately for the 2024 tax year. The fact that you're on a payment plan, when you started living together, or any other circumstances don't change this fundamental rule. Your husband needs to file an amended return (Form 1040X) immediately to correct his filing status from Single to either Married Filing Jointly or Married Filing Separately. This is especially critical given your immigration paperwork situation. Having inconsistent filing statuses between spouses can create serious complications with USCIS and may be viewed as fraudulent documentation. Immigration authorities cross-reference tax returns with other paperwork, and discrepancies can delay or jeopardize immigration cases. I'd strongly recommend finding a new tax preparer who actually knows the tax code. A professional with "40+ years of experience" should never make such a basic error about marital filing status requirements.

Make sure you're actually eligible as "self-employed" for tax purposes. The IRS has specific definitions, and if you're just doing occasional freelance work, they might consider you more of a hobbyist than self-employed. Generally, you need to show that you're pursuing the activity with the intention of making a profit, not just as a side gig.

One thing to keep in mind is that you'll need to report your freelance income on Schedule C (or Schedule C-EZ if eligible), and you'll likely owe self-employment tax on that income. The self-employment tax is 15.3% on your net earnings, but you can deduct half of it as an adjustment to income. Also, make sure you're keeping detailed records of all your business expenses related to your freelance work - things like software subscriptions, equipment, home office expenses, etc. These can offset your self-employment income and potentially increase the amount of health insurance premium you can deduct. Since you're dealing with both W-2 and 1099 income plus potential health insurance deductions, you might want to consider using tax software that handles self-employment situations well, or consult with a tax professional to make sure you're optimizing everything correctly.

Has anyone received the actual letter yet and gone through the verification process? How long did it take after verification to get your refund? I'm in the same situation and wondering what timeline to expect.

I went through this exact process last month and can share my timeline. Got the WMR message on February 15th after completing ID.me verification. Received my 5071C letter on February 28th (13 days later). Called the verification line that same day and completed the process in about 25 minutes - they asked for specific information from my current return, prior year return, and some personal details. The agent gave me a confirmation number at the end. My refund was direct deposited on March 14th (exactly 14 days after verification). The key is to call as soon as you get the letter and have both your current and prior year tax returns handy. Don't wait - the sooner you verify, the sooner your refund gets released from the hold.

took like 3 weeks for my transcript to update after filing. yours should update soon

This is totally normal! Your transcript won't show your current year return info until it's fully processed, which can take 2-3 weeks for e-filed returns. The old address is just what's on file from previous years. Once they process your 2023 return, the transcript will populate with all the current info including your new address. Just be patient - if there were any issues with your return, you'd receive a rejection notice within 24-48 hours of filing.

I switched from TurboTax to TaxAct last year and honestly the $50 I saved went straight to buying pizza lol. Both got me the same refund amount. TurboTax is prettier but TaxAct works fine. Im never going back to paying turbotax prices again tbh.

I've been using TaxAct for the past 3 years after switching from TurboTax, and for what it's worth, I think you're overthinking this a bit. Both software options will calculate your taxes correctly - the IRS requirements are the same regardless of which platform you use. Given your situation (investment income, freelancing, property sale), either software can handle it. TaxAct's interface might feel a bit clunky at first if you're used to TurboTax's hand-holding, but you'll adapt quickly. The $10 savings plus getting actual audit representation (vs just guidance) seems like the smarter financial choice here. One practical tip: whichever you choose, make sure to import your investment documents electronically rather than typing them manually. Both platforms support this and it'll save you hours of data entry while reducing errors. That's probably more important for audit prevention than which audit protection plan you pick.