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Does anyone know if these tax programs handle multiple streams of self-employment income? I do caregiving AND online tutoring, and I'm wondering if I need separate Schedule Cs or if they can be combined? ๐ Tax season making my head spin faster than my clients' medication schedules!
I tried all three last year for my home healthcare business. H&R Block was okay but missed some industry-specific deductions that TurboTax caught. Remember when I thought I couldn't deduct my scrubs because they weren't technically a uniform? TurboTax flagged that as a potential deduction. The interface walks you through everything step by step, which was perfect for my first year. Jackson Hewitt was my least favorite - felt clunky and wasn't as thorough with the questions. Whatever you choose, start early! My first self-employment return took me THREE WEEKENDS to complete.
Have you tried checking your e-file status through your tax software instead of WMR? Sometimes they'll show a more detailed status. Did you get an email confirmation from your tax software that the return was transmitted successfully? Sometimes those emails contain a tracking ID you can reference if you need to call.
According to Internal Revenue Procedure 2023-36, the official start of the 2024 tax filing season is indeed January 27th. The error you're encountering is consistent with IRS Publication 5084 which outlines the pre-processing status of early-filed returns. Are you claiming any credits that might subject you to additional verification under the PATH Act? If so, be aware that IRC Section 6402(m) mandates additional verification procedures that may further delay processing even after the official start date.
The timeline you should expect depends on when you filed. I submitted my return with an IP PIN on February 3rd this year and received my refund on April 12th - exactly 69 days later. Last year I filed on January 29th, 2023 and received my refund on March 27th, 2023 - 57 days. The year before when I first got my IP PIN, I filed on February 15th, 2022 and received my refund on May 2nd, 2022 - 76 days. Based on my experience, you should expect 8-11 weeks from your March 1st filing date, so approximately early May to late May for completion.
Be careful about contacting the IRS too frequently about this. I had identity theft issues in 2022 and kept calling about my delayed refund. An agent told me that multiple inquiries on identity theft-flagged accounts can sometimes trigger additional verification measures, further delaying processing. The Identity Theft Centralized Review unit has specific protocols, and patience is unfortunately required. My return was eventually processed after 137 days, but only after I stopped calling every week.
Per IRC ยง32(b), the maximum EITC for a taxpayer with three qualifying children for tax year 2023 is $7,430. Combined with $2,000 per child under the Child Tax Credit as stipulated in IRC ยง24, that's $6,000 in child-related credits. Add potential overwithholding from your W-2 employment, and $10,757 is entirely reasonable. The PATH Act requires the IRS to hold refunds claiming EITC until at least February 15th, but processing typically completes within 21 days after that statutory hold period.
Got a similar refund. Three kids too. Filed HOH. Was shocked. Called tax preparer. They confirmed it was right. My income was $36k. Got my direct deposit in 16 days. No issues at all.
Chloe Martin
Don't count on the DDD. Check your transcript for TC570 or TC971 codes. These indicate holds. If clean, Chime usually deposits early. Make sure Chime account hasn't changed. Verify name on Chime matches tax return exactly. Different names cause rejections. IRS will mail check if deposit fails. Takes 4-6 weeks longer.
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Diego Rojas
I filed on 7/25, got my DDD for 8/12 to my Chime account, and the money actually hit yesterday (8/10)! Two days early! I was so anxious about it because I needed it for a security deposit on a new apartment. The combination of filing electronically with TurboTax and using Chime seems to be the fastest route this year. My sister filed paper and is still waiting after 12 weeks. The IRS seems to be processing electronic returns much faster this late in the season compared to the early rush.
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