I experienced this exact same issue two weeks ago! Got my approval text at 3:47 PM on a Tuesday and the funds didn't hit my card until 8:23 AM the next morning. What really helped me was calling the Pathward number directly (like Ava mentioned) - they were way more transparent than HR Block's customer service. The rep told me that starting this tax season, they moved from real-time processing to batch processing that runs overnight between 2-6 AM. She explained it's partly due to new anti-fraud measures but also because the volume of advance requests has tripled compared to last year. My advice: stop refreshing your account every few minutes (I know, easier said than done!) and just check first thing tomorrow morning. The money will be there. I also recommend screenshotting your approval text just in case, though I didn't end up needing it. The silver lining? My actual refund came exactly when predicted, so this delay doesn't seem to affect the main refund timeline at all.

This is exactly what happened to me last week! Got approved around 2:30 PM and was checking my card obsessively until I finally gave up and went to bed. Woke up the next morning and boom - there was my $800 advance sitting in my account. What I learned from talking to both HR Block and Pathward: they've definitely changed their system this year. The rep at Pathward was super helpful and explained that they now process these in overnight batches to comply with new banking regulations. She said most people see their funds between 6-9 AM the morning after approval. The frustrating part is that HR Block's marketing still makes it sound instant, but their fine print apparently covers them for up to 24 hours. I think they really need to update their messaging because "instant" and "next business day" are very different things when you're counting on that money! My suggestion: set a phone alarm for 7 AM tomorrow and check then. Save yourself the stress of refreshing all night like I did. The money will be there! 💰

Adding to all the great advice here - if you're still struggling to locate your capital loss carryover after trying these methods, don't overlook checking your state tax return if you filed one. Many states require their own Schedule D or capital gains forms, and sometimes the carryover calculations are clearer on the state forms than the federal ones. Also, if you're planning to use a different tax software next year (maybe switching away from TurboTax), make sure to have your exact carryover amounts ready beforehand. Each software handles the import of prior year information differently, and some don't automatically pull carryover data from other tax preparation programs. Having those numbers written down will save you from having to dig through documents again when you're in the middle of preparing your 2025 return. One last tip - if you end up finding multiple worksheets or conflicting numbers in your tax documents, always go with the amounts that appear on the actual filed forms (like Schedule D) rather than preliminary worksheets or drafts that might still be in your tax software folders. The filed version is what the IRS has on record and what you'll need to be consistent with going forward.

I'm dealing with a similar capital loss carryover situation, and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I just wanted to add one more resource that might help others - if you're a visual learner like me, the IRS has some really good video tutorials on their YouTube channel that walk through Schedule D and capital loss carryovers step by step. I found their "Understanding Capital Gains and Losses" video particularly useful because it shows you exactly what each line on Schedule D means and how the calculations flow from one section to another. Sometimes seeing it explained visually makes way more sense than trying to parse through the written instructions. Also, for anyone who might be in a rush to find their carryover amount, I'd recommend starting with the simplest approach first - if you filed electronically, most tax software providers are required to give you access to your tax documents for at least a year after filing. Before paying for document retrieval services or spending hours on hold with the IRS, try logging into your tax software account one more time and look for sections like "Prior Year Returns," "Tax Document Archive," or "Download Returns." Sometimes these links are buried in account settings rather than prominently displayed on the main dashboard.

I'm an admin for a plumbing company and we handle this exact situation with our on-call techs. We use what's called the "commuting rule" where we only add $1.75 per one-way commute to their taxable income instead of the full lease value of the van. We also have a written policy that prohibits using the van for personal purposes (other than minimal personal stops on the way home). As long as your employer has that policy in writing and enforces it, they shouldn't be taxing you on the full value of the vehicle - just the minimal commuting value. Maybe share this with your HR or payroll department?

Based on what you've described, your employer may be incorrectly calculating your taxable benefit. Since you're required to take the van home specifically for on-call emergency response (not as a perk), and your van has permanent business modifications like built-in shelving and company logos, you likely qualify for either the "qualified nonpersonal use vehicle" exemption or at minimum the reduced "commuting rule" taxation. Under the commuting rule, you should only be taxed $1.75 each way ($3.50/day) rather than the full fair market value of the vehicle. For the qualified nonpersonal use vehicle exemption, vehicles with permanent business equipment that make personal use unlikely can be completely exempt from fringe benefit taxation. I'd recommend documenting that: 1) taking the van home is mandatory company policy for on-call techs, 2) the van has permanent business modifications, and 3) personal use is prohibited by company policy. Present this to your payroll department with references to IRS Publication 15-B sections on these specific exemptions. Your situation sounds like a textbook case for reduced or eliminated vehicle benefit taxation.

This is a great strategy! I'm in a similar situation with W2 income and side business income. One thing to keep in mind is that your Solo 401k contribution limit will be based on your net self-employment income (after expenses and self-employment tax), not the gross $27k. The calculation gets a bit tricky - you'll need to factor in half of your self-employment tax as a deduction. So if your net profit is $27k, your actual contribution limit will be somewhat less. The employee contribution portion is limited to 100% of compensation, and the employer portion is around 20% of net self-employment income after adjustments. Also, make sure to set up the Solo 401k before the end of the tax year if you want to make contributions for that year. The account needs to be established by December 31st, though you have until the tax filing deadline (plus extensions) to actually make the contributions. Rolling over your old 401ks into the Solo 401k is definitely a smart move for keeping your Backdoor Roth strategy clean. Just make sure whatever provider you choose has good investment options and reasonable fees since you'll potentially be consolidating a lot of money there.

This is exactly the kind of strategic retirement planning that can really pay off in the long run! Your approach of using the Solo 401k to keep your Traditional IRA balance at zero for clean Backdoor Roth conversions is spot on. One additional consideration I'd mention is loan provisions. Unlike Traditional IRAs, Solo 401ks allow you to take loans against your balance (up to 50% or $50,000, whichever is less). This can provide additional flexibility if you ever need access to funds before retirement age, though obviously it should be used carefully. Also, since you're consolidating multiple old 401ks, this might be a good time to review and optimize your overall asset allocation. Having everything in one place makes it much easier to rebalance and avoid overlap in your investment strategy. The fact that your current employer doesn't offer a 401k actually simplifies things significantly - you won't have to worry about coordinating contribution limits across multiple plans or dealing with the complexity of multiple plan administrators.

I'm going through the exact same thing right now with a CP81 notice for my 2023 taxes! Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful and reassuring. Like the original poster, I used TurboTax and was sure everything went through properly. I found my acceptance confirmation in my email (thankfully not in spam this time) with the confirmation number and filing date. Based on all the advice here, I'm planning to respond with a simple letter including my TurboTax acceptance confirmation and a copy of the CP81 notice. I'm leaning toward sending it via certified mail rather than trying to call the IRS, since the phone wait times sound brutal. One question for those who have been through this - did any of you get any kind of intermediate confirmation from the IRS that they received your response, or did you just have to wait for the final resolution letter? I'm the type who gets anxious not knowing if my mail actually made it to the right place! Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences. It's made this whole situation feel much less scary knowing that it's fairly common and typically resolves without major issues.

I went through a CP81 notice situation about 8 months ago and want to share what I learned that might help others here. The most important thing is that this notice doesn't mean you're in trouble - it's literally just the IRS saying "we can't find your return in our system, can you help us locate it?" What I found really helpful was creating a timeline of my filing process. I wrote down the date I completed my return in TurboTax, the date it was transmitted, and the acceptance date from my confirmation email. This helped me organize my thoughts and gave me confidence that I had actually filed properly. One thing that surprised me was that my state return had been processed fine, but somehow my federal return got lost in the system. So even if your state refund came through or your state taxes were processed normally, you could still get a CP81 for federal taxes. My advice: gather your TurboTax acceptance confirmation, write a brief letter explaining when you filed, and respond promptly. I sent mine via certified mail and got resolution in about 3 weeks. The key is having that electronic filing acceptance proof - it's basically undeniable evidence that you filed on time. Don't let the official government language intimidate you. This is really just a clerical issue that gets resolved once you provide proof of filing. You've got this!