Based on all the excellent advice shared here, I think your original instinct is spot on. Depositing one check in your checking account and the other directly into your brokerage account is actually the most practical approach - you're putting the money exactly where you need it without any unnecessary intermediate steps. I've handled similar situations in my work, and what strikes me about your case is that you have clear documentation (inheritance and property sale) and legitimate reasons for the deposits. That's really all that matters from a compliance perspective. A few practical suggestions: - Keep those estate documents and closing statements handy, even though you'll probably never need them - Consider making the deposits on different days if that feels more comfortable to you (though it's not necessary) - Don't stress about the ACH transfer question - moving money between your own accounts is completely routine The banking system is designed to flag unusual patterns and suspicious behavior, not legitimate documented transactions. Your situation is textbook "normal financial activity" even if the amounts feel large to you personally. Focus on managing your money in the way that makes the most sense for your financial goals rather than worrying about imaginary red flags.

I'm glad you're feeling more confident about this! Reading through everyone's experiences here has been really educational. As someone who's dealt with similar anxiety about legitimate financial transactions, I can totally relate to the overthinking aspect. One small addition to all the great advice - if you do decide to call your banks ahead of time, you might also ask about their mobile deposit limits. Some banks have lower limits for mobile deposits versus in-person deposits for large checks. If these checks exceed those limits, you'll need to go in person anyway, which actually gives you a chance to briefly mention the source if any questions come up naturally. Your plan really does sound solid. The fact that you have proper documentation and the money is going exactly where you need it (expenses and investments) shows this is just good financial management. Best of luck with everything!

Don't forget to check if your state has special tax credits for college students! My state has a special deduction for tuition and fees even if you claim the federal education credits. I missed this my first two years and ended up filing amendments to get back almost $700. Also, if you're independent and your income is low enough, look into the Earned Income Tax Credit. Being a student doesn't disqualify you, and it can be pretty substantial depending on your earned income.

Honestly the biggest mistake I made as a student was not separating my 1099 gig work expenses properly. For your DoorDash income, create a simple spreadsheet NOW before you file and track: - Total miles driven (this is huge) - Hot bags or delivery equipment - % of phone bill used for the app - Any insulated delivery bags - Car maintenance proportional to business use - Parking fees while doing deliveries I screwed this up my first year and probably overpaid by $800+ in self-employment taxes. If u have over $400 in profit from DoorDash, you'll owe SE tax (15.3%) on top of regular income tax.

Let me clarify something about these tax advance loans compared to other options. A typical tax advance loan might charge a "facilitation fee" of $39-89 plus interest rates between 36-199% APR. For a $1,500 advance, that's potentially $150+ in fees for a 3-week loan. By comparison, even a high-interest credit card cash advance (not recommended, but better than tax loans) might be 25-29% APR, which on $1,500 for 3 weeks would be around $30 in interest. A personal loan from a credit union might be 8-15% APR, or less than $15 for the same period. The tax advance loans are designed to prey on desperation and lack of options. There are almost always better alternatives.

I completely agree with everyone saying to avoid those post-filing tax loans - they're financial traps! 🚨 Here's what worked for me when I was in a similar jam: I contacted my local credit union and explained the situation. They offered me a "tax refund bridge loan" at 12% APR, which I could get because I had proof my refund was approved and coming. Way better than those predatory lenders charging 100%+ interest! Also, if your grandson is really strapped, he should check if he qualifies for any emergency assistance programs in your area. Many community organizations, churches, and even utility companies have emergency funds for situations exactly like this. Sometimes a small grant or interest-free loan can tide you over until the refund hits. The key is to exhaust ALL other options before considering any high-interest "advances." Even borrowing from family/friends (with a written agreement) is usually better than these loan shark operations masquerading as helpful services.

Everyone's making this more complicated than it needs to be. An Accountable Plan is just a fancy way of saying "we reimburse business expenses properly." On the 1120S, you just put the expenses wherever they'd normally go. Travel on Line 12, repairs on Line 14, etc. The IRS doesn't care that it was reimbursed under an Accountable Plan - they just care that it was a legitimate business expense properly documented. The Accountable Plan benefits the EMPLOYEE by making the reimbursement non-taxable to them.

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I just wanted to add one more tip that helped me with our S-corp Accountable Plan setup. Make sure you're keeping separate records for your Accountable Plan reimbursements versus regular payroll expenses, even though they both end up as business deductions on the 1120S. I learned this the hard way when our bookkeeper mixed some reimbursements in with regular wages on our payroll records. It created a mess because those reimbursements were supposed to be non-taxable to the employee under the Accountable Plan, but they got processed as taxable wages instead. We had to file corrected W-2s and it was a nightmare. Now I have a completely separate tracking system for all Accountable Plan activity - receipts, approval documentation, reimbursement records, everything. It makes tax preparation much smoother and gives you rock-solid documentation if you ever get audited. The IRS really focuses on whether you can prove the plan was administered correctly, not just that you had one on paper.

This sounds exactly like what happened to me last year! The sudden doubling of both OASDI and federal withholding is definitely a payroll system error - I've never seen a legitimate tax scenario that would cause that exact pattern. What likely happened is your payroll system applied the tax calculations twice, probably triggered by your recent promotion or a system update for the new tax year. The fact that you're seeing around 12.4% for OASDI instead of the standard 6.2% is a dead giveaway - they're incorrectly deducting both the employee portion AND the employer portion from your paycheck. When you meet with HR on Monday, be prepared with specific numbers. Calculate the exact percentages and bring printed copies of both your normal paycheck and this reduced one. Don't let them brush you off with vague explanations about "tax adjustments" - the math clearly shows something is wrong. Ask them to show you the actual tax calculation screen in their system if possible. Sometimes seeing how their software computed the numbers makes the error obvious to everyone involved. And definitely push for the correction to be processed on your very next paycheck rather than "we'll look into it over the next few weeks." Keep detailed records of exactly how much was overwitheld so you can verify their correction is complete. This type of glitch is usually fixable once properly identified - you'll get your money back, just stay persistent with HR until it's resolved!

This is definitely a payroll system error - the simultaneous doubling of both OASDI and Federal Withholding is a classic sign of duplicate tax calculations being applied to your paycheck. What's most likely happening is that when your promotion was processed or during a recent system update for the new tax year, the payroll software got confused and started applying your tax withholdings twice. The 12.4% OASDI rate you're seeing is particularly telling - that's exactly what happens when the system incorrectly deducts both the employee portion (6.2%) AND the employer portion (6.2%) from your check, when it should only be deducting the employee portion. Before your HR meeting on Monday, document everything clearly: - Print copies of your last normal paycheck and this problematic one - Calculate the exact tax percentages being withheld (OASDI should never exceed 6.2% of gross wages) - Note the specific dollar amounts that were overwitheld When you meet with HR, be firm about getting this resolved quickly. Ask them to show you their system's tax calculation screen and request that the correction be processed on your immediate next paycheck, not "sometime in the coming weeks." This is their error and you shouldn't have to wait to get your own money back. Don't let them dismiss this as normal tax adjustments - the math clearly shows something is wrong. This type of payroll glitch happens more often than you'd think, especially during tax year transitions, and it's usually straightforward to fix once properly identified. Stay persistent and you'll get this resolved!