Have you tried calling them? I waited 3 hrs on hold yesterday just to get hung up on lmaooo

Don't stress too much about it! I had the same exact message last year and my W2s showed up in my account around mid-February. The system really does update weekly like it says, so I'd give it another week or two before panicking. Your employer probably did submit everything on time - there's just always a lag between when they file with the IRS and when it shows up in our online accounts. The processing delay is totally normal, especially early in tax season when they're dealing with millions of documents. If you already got your W2 in the mail or email from your employer, you can definitely start preparing your taxes with that. The IRS account is more of a backup/verification tool than something you need to wait for.

I used FreeTaxUSA for the first time last year and had a pretty frustrating experience with their import feature. It completely failed to import my previous year's return from TurboTax, so I had to manually enter everything from scratch. This was especially annoying for carryover items like capital loss carryforwards. The software also didn't catch that I was eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit until I specifically went looking for it. Other tax software I've used in the past would automatically suggest credits you might qualify for, but FreeTaxUSA seems to rely more on you knowing what to look for. That said, once I got everything entered correctly, the actual filing process was smooth and my refund came through without issues. Just be prepared to do more legwork yourself compared to the hand-holding you get with more expensive options.

I've been using FreeTaxUSA for two years now and had one particularly frustrating experience that might be worth sharing. Last year I had to deal with a pretty complex situation involving foreign tax credits from some international investments, and FreeTaxUSA's guidance was practically non-existent. The software has the forms (like Form 1116), but there's almost no help text explaining how to fill them out correctly. I spent hours trying to figure out which income should go where, and their customer support basically told me to "consult a tax professional" when I asked for clarification. I ended up having to buy a separate tax guide and cross-reference everything manually. Got it done eventually, but it was way more work than I expected. For comparison, when I used TurboTax years ago, they had detailed explanations and examples for this kind of stuff. So while FreeTaxUSA is definitely cheaper, if you have any international tax complications or other complex scenarios, be prepared to do a lot of research on your own. The software assumes you already know what you're doing, which can be problematic for edge cases.

Has anyone used the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator tool online for this situation? I found it super helpful for figuring out the W4 stuff for me and my husband.

Just wanted to add my experience for anyone else in a similar situation. My husband and I had almost identical incomes ($88k and $92k) when we got married last year, and we initially made the mistake of not updating our W4s at all - we kept our old "single" status. Come tax time, we ended up owing about $3,200 because our employers were still withholding at the lower married rate but calculating as if we were the only income earners. It was a expensive lesson! This year we both checked box 2(b) as recommended here, and also used the IRS Withholding Estimator tool that StarSurfer mentioned. The estimator suggested we each add an extra $50 per paycheck in box 4(c) to be safe. Much better to get a small refund than owe a big chunk again. For what it's worth, we definitely save money filing jointly compared to separately - even with the withholding adjustments, our overall tax burden is lower than it would be as two single filers.

I got the same "must file Form 1041" language on the EIN letter for my father's estate last year. I panicked and hired an accountant who charged me $400 to prepare and file it, only to learn later that we didn't even need to file because the estate income was only $125 in interest. Anyone know if there's a way to "undo" a Form 1041 filing that wasn't actually required?

The $600 threshold is definitely the key here, and it sounds like you're on the right track with your understanding. Since you mentioned your uncle didn't have investments or rental properties, the main things to look out for would be interest earned on his bank accounts after his death, any final paychecks that came in after he passed, or dividends from any stocks he might have owned. One thing that catches a lot of people off guard is that even small amounts of interest can add up over time if the estate stays open for several months. If you're settling things quickly and the only income is minimal bank interest, you'll likely stay well under the $600 threshold. The EIN letter language is indeed standard - they send the same wording to everyone regardless of the actual filing requirements. It's meant to cover all situations, but the $600 gross income rule still applies to determine if you actually need to file Form 1041 for your specific situation.

Has anyone tried contacting Cash App support about this? I'm having the same QBI calculation issue and wondering if they're aware of the bug where it doesn't update when expenses change.

I've been dealing with QBI calculations for years as a freelance web developer, and I can confirm that Cash App's automatic calculation often gets it wrong, especially with the recalculation issue you mentioned. Here's what works for me: First, calculate your QBI manually using your Schedule C net profit as the starting point. For freelance graphic design work like yours, your QBI should generally equal your Schedule C profit (total income minus business expenses) with a few potential adjustments. The key adjustments to watch out for: - If you have any guaranteed payments or W-2 wages from the business, subtract those - If you have investment income mixed in with business income, that needs to be separated out - Self-employment tax deduction and health insurance deductions don't affect QBI - those are separate Since you're in a service business, also be aware that if your taxable income exceeds $182,050 (for 2023 taxes), phase-out limitations start applying to your QBI deduction. My advice: Calculate it manually first, then override whatever Cash App shows. I use a simple spreadsheet to track this each year so I don't have to rely on buggy software calculations.