I feel your pain! Been in a similar situation before. Four months is definitely excessive, especially when you need the money for medical bills. A few things to check: 1. Look for any mail from the IRS - sometimes letters get delayed or lost 2. If you claimed EITC or other credits, they do extra review which adds months 3. Your transcript codes 570/971 that others mentioned usually mean they need to verify something The Taxpayer Advocate Service really can help when you've been waiting this long - they're separate from regular IRS customer service and actually have power to move things along. You can also try contacting your congressman's office like others suggested. Don't give up! Your refund is coming, the system is just painfully slow right now. Keep checking that transcript for any new codes or dates.

Four months is way too long, especially with medical bills piling up. I went through something similar last year and it's incredibly stressful. Since you mentioned you have codes 570 and 971 on your transcript, that definitely means they sent you a notice about some issue they found. Even if you haven't received it yet, you can call the IRS and request they resend or read you the notice over the phone. In the meantime, I'd strongly recommend contacting the Taxpayer Advocate Service at 877-777-4778. They're designed to help taxpayers when the normal process fails, and 4 months definitely qualifies as unreasonable delay. They can actually expedite your case and get you answers. Also try your congressman's local office - they have staff specifically for federal agency issues and can sometimes get faster results than going through normal IRS channels. The system is broken right now but your refund is out there. Don't let them wear you down - you deserve your money back, especially when you need it for medical expenses. Keep pushing and use every resource available!

Don't forget to look at your state's filing requirements too! Some states have much lower thresholds than federal. I'm in Illinois and had to file a state return for just $1,200 in freelance income even though I didn't need to file federal that year.

Just went through this exact same situation last year as a college student doing freelance social media work! Made about $3,200 on 1099-NECs and was so confused about the filing requirements. What really helped me was keeping track of ALL my business expenses throughout the year - my phone bill (since I used it for client communication), part of my internet, even some meals when I was working with clients. I ended up with about $800 in legitimate deductions which brought my net self-employment income way down. One thing I wish someone had told me earlier: you can make quarterly estimated tax payments to avoid owing a big chunk at the end of the year. Since you're already earning 1099 income, it might be worth setting aside about 25-30% of future payments for taxes. That way you won't get hit with a surprise bill next April! Also seconding what others said about education credits - the American Opportunity Tax Credit was a lifesaver and basically wiped out what I owed in self-employment taxes.

Has anyone used TurboTax for filing taxes with a mid-year move between states? My husband and I will be in a similar situation next year (moving from Washington to Colorado) and I'm wondering if I need to pay for a CPA or if tax software can handle this.

This is exactly the kind of situation where keeping detailed records will be your best friend. I went through something similar when my company relocated me from Ohio to North Carolina mid-year. A few key things that helped me: 1. **Document everything with dates** - When your wife starts work, when you sell the house, when your daughter graduates, when you both physically move. These dates become crucial for determining part-year residency periods. 2. **Don't overthink the "choosing" resident vs non-resident** - You can actually file as a part-year resident in both states. Your wife would file as a part-year resident of your current state (January 1 through move date) and a part-year resident of the new state (move date through December 31). 3. **The domicile question resolves itself** - Right now you're worried about having ties to both states, but that's totally normal during a transition. Your domicile will clearly shift to the new state once you sell your home, move your daughter, and establish your primary residence there. 4. **Corporate housing considerations** - The temporary nature of your wife's corporate apartment might actually work in your favor for the domicile argument early in the year, since it's not a "permanent" residence. Your tax professional's advice sounds reasonable, but I'd recommend getting a second opinion from someone who specializes in multi-state returns if you're still feeling uncertain. The peace of mind is worth it for complex situations like this.

Am I the only one who thinks it's ridiculous that tax software makes it so hard to find where to enter common tax forms? Companies are increasingly offering ESPPs and I get this form every year, but I spend hours trying to figure out where to enter it correctly.

I had the exact same frustration last year! After struggling with FreeTaxUSA's interface for my Form 3922, I finally found it buried pretty deep in their system. Here's the exact path that worked for me: 1. Go to "Income" tab 2. Click on "Miscellaneous Income" 3. Look for "Stock Options" or "Employee Stock Plans" 4. Select "Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)" 5. Enter your Form 3922 information there The key thing to remember is that the discount amount (your $2,800) gets reported as ordinary income, not capital gains. FreeTaxUSA will automatically calculate this for you once you enter the purchase price, fair market value, and number of shares from your Form 3922. Also, make sure you keep track of your adjusted cost basis for when you eventually sell those shares - you don't want to get double-taxed on the discount portion. FreeTaxUSA should help with this calculation too once you have everything entered properly. Hope this saves you some of the headache I went through!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm dealing with a similar situation but with a twist - I inherited my rental property from my grandmother in 2019 and have been depreciating it since then. When I sell it, do I only pay the 25% recapture rate on the depreciation I've taken since inheriting it, or does it somehow include depreciation she took before I inherited it? The property had a stepped-up basis when I inherited it, so I'm hoping that means I'm only on the hook for my own depreciation recapture. But I want to make sure I'm calculating this correctly before I put it on the market next month.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm currently going through a similar situation with a triplex I bought in 2018. One thing I want to add that might help others - make sure you're keeping detailed records of any capital improvements you made during ownership, as these can actually reduce your depreciation recapture amount. For example, if you replaced the roof, upgraded electrical systems, or made other substantial improvements that extend the property's useful life, these costs get added to your basis and aren't subject to the 25% recapture rate. Only the depreciation on the original structure and components gets hit with that rate. I learned this the hard way when I initially calculated my potential tax liability without accounting for about $35,000 in improvements I'd made over the years. Those improvements reduced my recapture by quite a bit! Just wanted to mention this since Emma's situation might benefit from reviewing any major improvements made to that 4-unit building.