its totally normal dude. my federal was accepted in like 2 hrs this year but my state (michigan) took almost a week just to say "received" and then another 3 weeks for the actual refund. states are just slower than the irs with the whole process

This is totally normal! I went through the exact same thing last year with my Illinois return. Federal got accepted in about 3 hours, but my state return showed "processing" for almost a week before finally switching to "received." The key thing to remember is that acceptance just means they got your return and it passed basic validation - like your SSN matches their records, the math adds up, etc. The actual processing and refund approval happens after that. Illinois has been pretty consistent with their 4-6 week timeline for refunds in my experience. I filed in early March last year and got my state refund in about 5 weeks. The medical bills situation is stressful, but try not to worry - your return is in the system and moving through their process. One tip: bookmark the Illinois "Where's My Refund" tool on their Department of Revenue website. Sometimes it updates faster than what FreeTaxUSA shows since they're pulling from different sources.

This is exactly why I switched from HR Block to a local CPA. The big tax prep companies are terrible at communication. The emails are automated and don't tell you anything useful about what's actually happening with your return. My CPA costs about $75 more than HR Block charged me last year, but she answers my questions directly, explains what's happening at each stage, and even has a direct line to the IRS Practitioner Hotline if there are issues. Worth every penny for the peace of mind.

I went through the same confusion with HR Block last year! The "accepted" email is definitely a good sign - it means your return passed the IRS's initial screening and they're moving forward with processing it. Since you mentioned you have medical bills to pay, here's what helped me track my refund more closely: I set up direct deposit if you haven't already (speeds things up by about a week versus a paper check), and I bookmarked the IRS "Where's My Refund" tool to check weekly rather than daily. With a $3,400 refund, you're probably looking at 2-3 weeks from the acceptance date if it's a straightforward return. The fact that HR Block shows "processing" status is normal - they usually don't update their system again until the IRS actually issues the refund. One thing to watch for: if your refund amount changes when you check the IRS tool, that could indicate they made adjustments to your return. But if the amount stays consistent with what you're expecting, you should be good to go!

This situation is so confusing to me. My understanding was you can't claim kids that aren't yours? But then others are saying you can claim neices and nephews? what are the actual rules?? I'm getting ready to file for 2024 and my sister's kids live with me so i need to know.

This is a really tough situation your cousin is in, but there might be more hope than his tax preparer is suggesting. I went through a similar audit two years ago and learned a lot about how the IRS evaluates these cases. First, regarding the HOH status - the fact that his ex-wife is using the same address is definitely what triggered this audit, but if they're truly living in separate households (even at the same address), he might still qualify. The IRS looks at whether you're maintaining separate living spaces and financial responsibilities. If they're sharing the same physical unit, then unfortunately only one can claim HOH. For the dependents, he's right to focus on proving his son lived with him - that's his strongest case. The niece and nephew situation is much trickier. Even with Form 8332 from his brother, he still needs to prove they lived with him for more than half the year AND that he provided more than half their support. If the kids were just visiting frequently but not actually residing with him, those claims might not hold up. The financial impact of losing HOH and two dependents could be significant - potentially several thousand dollars. But if he can keep HOH status with just his son as a qualifying person, that would minimize the damage considerably. I'd suggest getting a second opinion from a CPA or enrolled agent who specializes in audit representation, not just a tax prep service.

I believe... if I'm not mistaken... that you might also want to check if TurboTax is offering to take their fee out of your refund? Sometimes they present that option on the refund delivery screen too. Just something to be aware of, as they usually charge an additional fee for that service. I'm not 100% certain if that's still the case this year, but it might be worth looking out for.

Welcome to US tax filing, Emma! 🎉 You've got the right idea - "Refund Delivery" is exactly what you think it is. Just choose how you want your refund delivered to you. Quick tip from someone who's been through this: if you go with direct deposit, TurboTax will ask you to confirm your bank info twice. Don't skip that step! I've seen people rush through and make typos that delayed their refunds by weeks. Also, since you mentioned you're new to the US tax system, heads up that the IRS will send you a letter (Notice 1444) after they process your return, even if you choose direct deposit. Don't panic when you get mail from them - it's just confirmation, not a problem! Good luck with your first US tax filing! 🍀

Don't forget to check if you had any after-tax contributions to your original 401k! If you did, part of your distribution might be non-taxable even without considering the rollover status. This will be shown in Box 5 of your 1099-R as the "Employee contributions/Designated Roth contributions or insurance premiums.

Great question! Yes, you'll definitely receive a 1099-R form, and it will come from your old 401k plan administrator (not Fidelity). Since you did a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer, this should be a non-taxable event, but you still need to report it on your tax return. The key thing to look for when you receive the 1099-R is Box 7 - the distribution code. For a direct rollover like yours, it should show code "G". If it shows anything else (like "1" or "7"), you'll want to contact your old plan administrator to get it corrected, as those codes could trigger unnecessary taxes. You should receive the 1099-R by January 31st, so definitely wait for it before filing your taxes. Even though the rollover isn't taxable, the IRS needs to see that you properly reported the distribution and rollover on your return. Most tax software will walk you through this process once you have the form in hand. Congratulations on making a smart move with the direct transfer - that's the cleanest way to avoid any potential issues with the 60-day rollover rule!