has anyone actually received their ertc refund yet??? filed 941-x last february and still nothing. getting worried the money will never come at this point :

I can confirm what others have said - your accountant is definitely wrong about claiming ERTC on current year taxes. As a small business owner who went through this process last year, you absolutely must file Form 941-X amendments for each qualifying quarter. I made the mistake of trusting my original CPA's advice (similar to yours) and almost filed incorrectly. The ERTC is specifically tied to payroll taxes from those pandemic quarters, not income taxes. There's no mechanism in the tax code to shift it to current year filing. My advice: find a new accountant who understands ERTC rules properly, or at minimum get a second opinion from someone who specializes in employment tax credits. The penalties for filing incorrectly could be severe, and you don't want to deal with that headache later. The extra paperwork for proper 941-X filings is worth doing it right the first time.

Just to add some clarity from someone who went through this recently - the MetaBank/Pathward routing is definitely correct, but there's one thing to watch out for. If your refund gets delayed for ANY reason (like additional review), it can get stuck at MetaBank for longer than the usual 1-3 days. I had this happen in 2023 where my refund sat at MetaBank for over a week because the IRS flagged something minor on my return. H&R Block's customer service was pretty helpful in explaining the delay, but it was nerve-wracking not knowing where my money was. The good news is that once any issues are resolved, the transfer to your account happens very quickly - usually next business day.

As someone who just went through this exact process a few weeks ago, I can confirm everything about MetaBank/Pathward is accurate! What I found helpful was setting up text alerts through my bank so I'd know immediately when the funds hit my account. The whole process from IRS release to my bank account took exactly 2 business days. One tip - if you're anxious about the timeline like I was, H&R Block's app actually shows pretty detailed status updates including when your refund reaches the MetaBank stage. It definitely helped ease my mind knowing exactly where my money was in the process!

This situation totally sucks, but there's one workaround nobody's mentioned yet. If one spouse qualifies as a "real estate professional" (750+ hours working on real estate activities + more time than spent on any other job), then the rental properties aren't considered passive activities anymore. This means the $25,000 allowance and the MAGI limitations don't even apply - you could deduct ALL the losses against your regular income. But the catch is you need to materially participate in the rental activities and document everything meticulously. My accountant had me start keeping a detailed log of every hour I spend on property management, repairs, research, etc. It's not easy to qualify, but if one of you is already spending significant time managing your rentals, it might be worth exploring.

Has anyone successfully "grouped" their rental properties as a single activity under Reg. 1.469-4? I was reading that this might help with the material participation requirements if you're trying to qualify as a real estate professional.

This is a tricky situation that requires careful analysis of the original intent and documentation. Before deciding whether to amend, I'd recommend taking these steps: 1. **Document the original intent**: Gather any contemporaneous evidence (emails, meeting minutes, partnership agreement provisions) that shows what the partners intended when the funds were contributed. 2. **Review profit allocation impacts**: Check if the capital contributions changed profit/loss allocations among partners. If so, reclassifying as loans could trigger Section 707(a)(2)(A) disguised payment issues. 3. **Consider the partners' tax positions**: If any partners used the increased basis from these "contributions" to deduct losses on their individual returns, they might need to amend as well. 4. **Evaluate documentation requirements**: For proper loan classification, you'll need evidence of: repayment terms, interest rates, definite maturity dates, and an actual debtor-creditor relationship. If you can't establish clear loan intent from the beginning, it might be safer to leave the classification as capital contributions and treat the 2025 repayments as capital distributions - though this has its own tax implications to consider. The key is consistency and having documentation that supports whatever position you take. Amending without strong supporting evidence could create more problems than it solves.

Brian, I've been through a similar situation and here's what I learned the hard way: the timing of when you make this decision matters a lot more than you might think. If you're going to amend, you need to do it consistently for both years and have a rock-solid story about the original intent. The IRS doesn't like it when taxpayers change their position on fundamental classifications like this, especially when it seems driven by tax convenience rather than correcting a genuine error. A few practical considerations: **Before amending, ask yourself:** - Did the partnership agreement contemplate partner loans at all? - Were these funds truly intended to be repaid from the start, or is this just buyer's remorse about the capital treatment? - Do you have ANY contemporaneous documentation of loan intent? **If you do amend:** - File both amended returns simultaneously with identical explanations - Include a detailed statement explaining the error and providing evidence of original loan intent - Be prepared for potential IRS scrutiny - they may want to see the documentation that supports the reclassification **Alternative approach:** Consider leaving the past returns alone and properly documenting any future similar transactions as loans. Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease, especially if the supporting documentation is thin. The partners may not love hearing this, but their lack of proper documentation upfront created this mess. Don't let their after-the-fact preferences drive you into a position that's hard to defend.

Pro tip: bookmark the direct transcript link once you find it! The path is usually irs.gov -> Tools -> Get Your Tax Record -> Get Transcript Online. After ID.me verification, it takes you straight to the transcript selection page. Way faster than navigating through the main site every time.

Another thing that helped me - if you're getting stuck after ID.me login, try logging out completely and starting fresh. Sometimes the session gets weird and you end up in limbo. Also check that you're going to the official IRS.gov site and not some other tax site that might redirect you elsewhere.