I was stuk in the EXACT same situation and tried calling the IRS literally 30 times with no luck. I finally tried using taxr.ai to analyze my transcript and it showed me EXACTLY what was wrong - missing 2019 return was holding up my 2023 refund. It even showed me a timeline and predicted when my refund would arrive (which was spot on). Wish I'd found it sooner instead of wasting so much time trying to decode my transcript! https://taxr.ai

I'm going through something very similar right now! I also had missing prior year returns (2019 and 2020) that were holding up my 2023 refund with those same 570/971 codes. The WMR message change is definitely encouraging - that's exactly what happened in my case about 2 weeks after I submitted my missing returns. One thing I learned through this process is to keep checking your transcript weekly because the codes will update before WMR does. You'll want to look for code 571 (which reverses the 570 hold) and eventually code 846 with your refund date. The whole process took about 5 weeks for me from submission to getting my money. Also, don't panic if it takes a bit longer than expected - the IRS is still pretty backed up from all the pandemic delays. But the fact that your WMR status changed is a really good sign that they received your 2018 return and are processing everything. Fingers crossed you see movement soon!

Here's a simple way to remember the difference: Schedule A = Personal deductions (medical, charity, etc) Schedule C = Business income/expenses Think A for "personal Affairs" and C for "Commercial business" - that's how I keep them straight!

Just be careful because Schedule C income is subject to self-employment tax (about 15.3%) on top of regular income tax! That caught me by surprise my first year of self employment with my etsy shop. Schedule A deductions just reduce your overall taxable income.

I'm going through the exact same situation right now! Just joined this community because I'm tracking a letter from Austin that's supposed to arrive today, and my return was accepted about 16 days ago. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a relief - I was honestly panicking thinking it might be an audit or something serious. The consistency in everyone's timelines and outcomes is really reassuring. It sounds like the 5071C identity verification has become pretty standard, and while it's frustrating to have the refund delayed, the actual process seems much more manageable than I initially feared. I've already gathered my documents based on all the great advice in this thread - driver's license, Social Security card, and a copy of my return. The ID.me tips are incredibly helpful too. It's amazing how this community supports each other through these stressful situations! I'll definitely update once I get my letter later today. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - you've turned what felt like a nightmare scenario into something I can actually handle with confidence!

I'm a newcomer to this community and currently experiencing almost the exact same situation as you! My return was accepted 14 days ago, and I'm also tracking correspondence from the Austin Service Center that should arrive tomorrow. Reading through all these detailed experiences has been incredibly helpful and reassuring. Based on everyone's shared timelines and outcomes, it really does sound like the 5071C identity verification is the most likely scenario. What's encouraging is how consistent the positive experiences have been - most people seem to complete the online verification in 20-30 minutes and see their refunds released within 7-10 business days afterward. I've already started gathering my documents based on all the great advice here: driver's license, Social Security card, and a copy of my return. The tips about using good lighting for ID photos and trying the ID.me verification first seem particularly valuable. One thing that's really struck me is how much the IRS has improved this process compared to the horror stories from previous years. While the initial anxiety and waiting is definitely stressful, the actual verification process sounds much more streamlined now. I'll be sure to update this thread once I receive my letter tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who's shared their experiences - this community is such a valuable resource for navigating these situations! Fingers crossed we're both dealing with routine verification rather than anything more complicated.

Have you checked your actual paystub to see if there's a section showing "year to date" withholding? Sometimes the payroll system will update the YTD info correctly but there might be a calculation error on the current check. That happened to me once and it was super confusing.

I went through something similar last year and here's what I learned: definitely follow up with HR or payroll now rather than waiting another pay period. Two pay periods is typically enough time for W4 changes to be processed, especially if your manager gave you that specific timeline. When you talk to them, ask for the specific date your W4 was entered into the payroll system (not just when you submitted it). Sometimes there's a delay between when you turn in the paperwork and when it actually gets processed. Also ask if there are any payroll cutoff dates that might affect when changes take effect. One thing that helped me was bringing a copy of my submitted W4 form to the meeting - it showed I was serious about getting it resolved and helped them locate my paperwork faster. Don't worry about being "annoying" - this is about your paycheck and you have every right to follow up when something isn't working as promised.

Something nobody's mentioned yet - consider gift tax implications! If one of you contributes significantly more than the other, the IRS could potentially view that as a gift. For 2025, you can gift up to $19,000 to any individual without filing a gift tax return. So if you put in $30k and your girlfriend puts in $10k, that's not an issue. But if you put in $100k and she puts in $10k, the IRS might see that as you effectively giving her $45k (half of your contribution) which would exceed the annual gift exclusion.

Just my two cents - my ex and I had a joint investment account and it was a NIGHTMARE when we broke up. Maybe consider keeping separate accounts and just being transparent about them? You can still make the same investments without the tax headaches.