I qualified for ERC based on the government orders test for my restaurant, and the IRS has already processed and paid my claim. The key was having extremely solid documentation. I kept copies of: 1. All state and local orders that affected my business 2. Written explanations of exactly how each order impacted operations 3. Capacity calculations showing more than 10% reduction 4. Financial records showing the impact The companies pushing "easy qualification" often skip this documentation step, which is exactly what triggers audits. If you can't clearly demonstrate and document the impact, you probably don't qualify.

As someone who went through a similar situation with aggressive ERC marketing calls, I'd strongly recommend being extremely cautious. I run a small medical practice and got the same types of calls claiming I qualified for quarters I hadn't considered. The red flag for me was when these companies couldn't provide specific documentation about which government orders affected my practice or exactly how they calculated the "more than nominal" impact. They kept giving vague answers about "operational restrictions" without being able to quantify the actual impact on my business. I ended up doing my own research and found that while we did have some COVID-related operational changes (temperature checks, increased cleaning, etc.), these didn't actually reduce our patient capacity or service delivery by the required 10% threshold. The extra 10-15 minutes between appointments for cleaning protocols was inconvenient but didn't materially impact our ability to serve patients. The fact that your accountant isn't familiar with these "alternative qualification methods" isn't necessarily a red flag about your accountant - it might be a red flag about the methods themselves. Most legitimate CPAs are very familiar with both the gross receipts test and the government orders test for ERC qualification. Given that you've already claimed ERC for the quarters where you clearly qualified, I'd recommend sticking with that unless you can document a clear, measurable impact from government orders that reduced your operational capacity by at least 10%. The audit risk just isn't worth it for questionable claims.

my brother works at the irs and says theyre backed up like crazy rn. might take longer than usual tbh

This exact thing happened to me last year! Don't stress too much - the bank will definitely reject the deposit and send it back to the IRS. In my case, it took about 3 weeks for the bank to process the rejection, then another 4-5 weeks for the IRS to mail me a paper check. The whole process was around 7-8 weeks total. Make sure your mailing address is current with the IRS because that's where they'll send the check. You can also call the IRS refund hotline to confirm they received the rejection from your bank, though expect long wait times. Hang in there - you'll get your money!

Just to add on to what others have said, the Schedule 1 - Additional Income and Adjustments to Income situation applies to physical tax preparation services too. I used H&R Block for years and this year they charged me an extra $45 for "additional schedules" which was just Schedule 1 for my student loan interest. I complained and the preparer basically admitted it was a new pricing policy. They know they can charge more because most people don't understand tax forms enough to question it. Next year I'm using one of the alternatives mentioned here. The pricing has gotten ridiculous for what are basically simple forms.

I'm dealing with the exact same Schedule 1 - Additional Income and Adjustments to Income issue with TaxAct! They want $95 extra just because I have student loan interest to deduct. What's really annoying is that I called their customer service and they basically admitted this is a new pricing strategy - they moved common forms like Schedule 1 to higher tiers because they know people will pay rather than start over with a different service. After reading through all these comments, I'm definitely switching to FreeTaxUSA next year. It's ridiculous that tax software companies are nickel-and-diming us for basic forms that most working people need. Schedule 1 isn't some exotic tax situation - it covers things like student loans, HSAs, and small side incomes that are super common nowadays. Thanks everyone for the alternatives and explanations. This thread probably saved me from paying that ridiculous upgrade fee!

12 Any recommendations for how to track all this depreciation stuff? I've got 3 rental properties and I keep losing track of what improvements I've made, when they were done, and how I'm supposed to be depreciating everything. Is there a good software or system that others use?

8 Just wanted to add another perspective from someone who's been through this exact situation. I had a $3,800 AC unit replacement last year and initially tried to claim it as a repair expense. Big mistake! The IRS flagged my return and I had to provide documentation proving it was actually a capital improvement that needed depreciation. What saved me was keeping detailed records - the invoice showing it was a "replacement" not a "repair," photos of the old unit being removed, and the contractor's statement about expected lifespan. The IRS agent I eventually spoke with explained that the key distinction is whether you're fixing something broken vs. replacing a major component entirely. For anyone going through this, make sure your contractor's invoice clearly states "replacement" and keep all documentation. It'll save you headaches if the IRS has questions later.

Have you checked if the IRS tried to direct deposit your refund? In my experience, they usually try to refund using the same method you paid with. Since one payment came from your checking and one from savings, maybe check both accounts for a deposit around the same amount? Also, the IRS "Where's My Refund" tool might show the status, although it can be hit or miss for situations like this.

Just a quick tip - if you're having trouble getting your refund, make sure to request interest! The IRS is required to pay interest on overpayments after 45 days. At current rates that's like 7% annual interest, so for your $1215 over 7 months that's around $50 extra you should get.