I'm in a similar situation - filed my Indiana return 10 days ago and keep obsessively checking the status page! Good to know from the professionals here that 2 weeks is totally normal. The waiting game is the worst part of tax season honestly. Hope we both get our refunds soon! 🤞

I'm also waiting on my Indiana refund - filed 11 days ago and getting antsy! It's reassuring to see so many others in the same boat. The professionals here saying 10-14 business days is normal definitely helps ease my mind. I keep having to remind myself that no news is usually good news with tax stuff. Fingers crossed we all see our refunds hit soon! 🤞

Just want to add something that helped me tremendously when I was in a similar situation - don't forget about the standard deduction! Even though you're being claimed as a dependent, you still get a standard deduction on your own tax return (though it's limited to your earned income or $1,100, whichever is greater, for 2024). With your $3,950 in 1099-NEC income, after deducting legitimate business expenses (computer equipment, software subscriptions, design materials, etc.), you might find that your taxable income for regular income tax purposes is pretty low or even zero. You'll still owe the self-employment tax on your net profit, but that's separate from regular income tax. Also, since you're a student, look into the American Opportunity Tax Credit - your parents might be able to claim it for your education expenses, which could help offset some of the tax impact for your family overall. It's worth having a conversation with them about this since it affects both your returns.

As a CPA who frequently works with college students in similar situations, I want to emphasize a few key points that haven't been fully covered: First, you're absolutely required to file your own return for the 1099-NEC income - this is completely separate from your parents claiming you as a dependent. Think of it this way: your dependency status is about WHO supports you, while your filing requirement is about WHAT income you earned. Second, don't panic about the tax burden! At $3,950 in income, your self-employment tax will be around $558 (15.3% of 92.35% of your net earnings). However, you can potentially reduce this significantly by claiming legitimate business deductions - things like design software subscriptions, computer equipment used for work, home office space if applicable, professional development courses, etc. Third, make sure you understand the quarterly estimated tax payment requirements going forward. Since you'll likely continue freelancing, you should be making quarterly payments to avoid underpayment penalties next year. Finally, I'd strongly recommend keeping meticulous records of all business expenses and income from this point forward. The IRS scrutinizes 1099 income more closely than W-2 wages, so good documentation is your best protection. Feel free to reach out if you have specific questions about deductible expenses or filing requirements!

Something similar happened to me and my accountant said it's also important to know WHEN you received the check for tax purposes! If you got it between January-April 2025 but it's for 2024 contributions, it still counts as 2025 income, not 2024. Also, the amount will be reported on your W-2 for 2025, and you'll get a 1099-R showing the distribution. Make sure both numbers match up when you file your taxes.

This is definitely confusing when it first happens! Just to add some clarity on the tax timing since there seems to be some confusion in the thread - Diego is correct. The refund check you receive counts as taxable income in the year you actually receive it, not the year the original contribution was made. So if you got your check in 2025, it's 2025 taxable income even if it was from 2024 contributions. The IRS treats it as a distribution in the year received. Your employer should issue you a 1099-R for the distribution year. One thing I'd suggest is asking your HR department if they've considered implementing automatic enrollment or increasing the company match to help with participation rates. Sometimes these changes can help smaller companies pass the nondiscrimination tests more easily. You might also want to ask them what the actual testing results were - they should be able to tell you the participation percentages that caused the failure. Good luck with everything, and don't stress too much - this really is more common than you'd think with smaller employers!

This thread is absolutely incredible! As someone who just had to set up my first payment plan with the IRS last month, I'm simultaneously relieved and horrified reading all these experiences. Relieved because now I know this glitch is super common and not something I need to panic about if it happens to me. Horrified because wow, the IRS really has such a broken system for something this critical! I took screenshots of everything after reading this, and I'm definitely going to keep a manual spreadsheet tracking my payments. Thank you SO much to everyone who shared their stories - this is the kind of real-world knowledge you just can't get anywhere else. This community is amazing! 🙏

This thread has been such a lifesaver! I'm completely new to dealing with IRS payment plans and honestly had no idea their online portal was this unreliable. Reading everyone's experiences has taught me so much about what to expect and how to protect myself. I'm definitely implementing the screenshot strategy immediately - can't believe I didn't think of that before! It's both comforting and frustrating to know this is such a widespread issue. Thank you all for being so generous with sharing your real-world experiences. This is exactly why online communities are so valuable - you get the honest truth about what actually happens, not just the sanitized official version. Really appreciate everyone taking the time to help newcomers like me navigate this confusing system! 🙏

FYI - Credit Karma tax was actually acquired by Cash App in 2020, so technically you're using Cash App Taxes now, not Credit Karma. This might explain why the experience is diff from what you expected. The IRS sends the $ regardless of which tax prep you used, but sometimes the routing can take an extra day depending on your bank. FWIW, my CK/Cash App tax refund hit exactly on my DDD last year, not early like some other services.

I'm also waiting for my Credit Karma/Cash App refund with a 3/22 DDD! Based on what I've experienced in previous years, most banks process ACH deposits in waves throughout the day. My bank (Chase) typically posts refunds between 12-3 PM on the deposit date, but I've seen some people get theirs as early as 6 AM or as late as 8 PM on their DDD. The key thing is that your transcript shows code 846 - that means the Treasury has already sent the payment and it's just a matter of your bank processing it. I'd give it until end of business today before worrying. If nothing by Monday morning, then definitely call your bank to see if there are any issues with the ACH transfer.