I just wanted to add my voice to this incredibly helpful thread as someone who's currently going through this exact same situation! My paper return was mailed certified mail on March 14th and delivered to the Kansas City processing center on March 16th - almost the exact same timeline as several others here. Like everyone else, I've been stuck with that frustrating "waiting in PO Box" status and have been obsessively checking "Where's My Refund" daily with zero results. I was starting to convince myself that something had gone wrong until I found this discussion. The professional insight about the misleading USPS tracking status was eye-opening - I had no idea that "waiting in PO Box" doesn't actually mean our returns are sitting there forgotten, but rather that tracking stops once the IRS picks up their mail. The detailed explanation of all the internal processing stages (sorting facilities, queues, manual handling) finally makes sense of these month-long delays. While the 10-14 week processing timeline for Kansas City is longer than I was hoping for, it's so much better to have realistic expectations than to keep panicking every week. I've already downloaded the IRS2Go app for alerts and I'm going to try my best to adopt that "warehouse operation" mindset rather than expecting modern digital business efficiency. My certified mail receipt definitely gives me peace of mind knowing my filing date is protected regardless of how long processing takes. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and timelines - it's incredibly reassuring to know this is completely normal even though it feels nerve-wracking as a first-time paper filer!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now and this entire thread has been incredibly reassuring! My paper return was delivered via certified mail to the Kansas City processing center on March 18th, and like everyone else here, I've been stuck with that misleading "waiting in PO Box" status for weeks. Reading through all these experiences has completely changed my understanding of what's actually happening. I had no idea that the USPS tracking becomes meaningless once the IRS picks up their mail, or that there are so many internal processing stages before anything shows up in "Where's My Refund." The warehouse operation analogy really clicked for me - this isn't Amazon shipping, it's a massive bureaucratic system that operates on its own timeline. The professional insight about 10-14 weeks being normal for Kansas City processing center is definitely longer than I was hoping for, but it's so much better to have realistic expectations than to keep panicking every week. I was getting seriously anxious after just 3 weeks, thinking something had gone wrong with my return. I've already downloaded the IRS2Go app for alerts and I'm going to try my best to follow the "forget about it for 10 weeks" advice. My certified mail receipt gives me peace of mind knowing my filing date is protected regardless of how long this takes. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and timelines - it's incredibly comforting to know that what feels like a crisis is actually just the normal (albeit frustratingly slow) IRS paper processing pipeline. Here's hoping all of us March filers see our returns emerge from Kansas City around the same time!

I'm currently stuck in the same CAA portal nightmare and this thread has been a lifesaver! After reading through everyone's experiences, I realized I've been making several of the common mistakes - using Chrome during peak hours, scanning at high resolution, and had no idea about the Application Control Number issue. Found my ACN email in my spam folder just like several others mentioned (subject line "IRS CAA Application Reference Number"). The IRS email system clearly has deliverability issues if so many of us are finding these critical emails in spam. I'm going to try the early morning Edge browser approach tomorrow with the proper PDF formatting. It's incredible that in 2025 we need this level of technical wizardry just to submit a professional application, but I'm grateful for this community sharing solutions. One question for those who successfully completed the process - after you got past the upload stage, how long did it take to receive approval? I'm wondering if I should expect more delays given all the systemic issues people are experiencing. Also want to echo the suggestion about documenting these issues for TIGTA. The IRS needs to know how broken their CAA portal is and how it's impacting qualified practitioners trying to serve taxpayers. This level of technical dysfunction is unacceptable for a critical government service.

This entire thread perfectly captures the CAA portal frustration so many of us are experiencing! I've been stuck at the document upload stage for over two weeks, and reading everyone's solutions has given me a clear action plan. Like several others, I found my Application Control Number email in spam with the subject "IRS CAA Application Reference Number" - the IRS email system clearly has major deliverability problems if this many practitioners are missing these critical notifications. I've been making almost every mistake mentioned here: using Chrome during peak hours, uploading 600 DPI scans, and getting nowhere with the generic error messages. Tomorrow I'm trying the community-tested approach: Edge browser at 6 AM, "Print to PDF" files at 150 DPI, proper file naming convention, and cleared browser cache. It's mind-boggling that we need a crowdsourced technical manual just to submit a basic professional application in 2025. The IRS portal infrastructure is clearly not equipped to handle the volume or complexity of modern document uploads. I'm also planning to document my experience and file a TIGTA complaint as suggested. If enough practitioners report these systemic issues, maybe we can finally get the IRS to prioritize fixing their broken systems instead of forcing qualified professionals to become IT troubleshooters just to serve taxpayers. Thanks to everyone for sharing your hard-won solutions - this community support is more valuable than any official IRS documentation!

Great question! This is definitely a complex situation that many couples face. Based on what you've described, here are the key points to consider: **Mid-year switching is possible but requires specific conditions:** 1. Your wife starting a new job IS a qualifying life event that allows mid-year benefit changes 2. Your employer must allow FSA modifications for qualifying events (not all do) 3. You'd need to either cancel your FSA entirely or switch to a limited-purpose FSA (dental/vision only) **Important timing considerations:** - If you switch mid-year, your HSA contribution limit will be prorated based on eligible months - Any unused FSA funds might be at risk depending on your plan's rules - Your wife's employer HSA contributions count toward the annual limit **My recommendation:** Contact your HR department immediately to ask about: 1. Whether they allow FSA cancellation/modification for qualifying events 2. If they offer limited-purpose FSA as an option 3. What happens to your current FSA balance if you make changes The cleanest approach might be waiting until your next open enrollment period to decline the FSA and switch to your wife's HDHP/HSA plan, but you'd miss out on her employer contributions in the meantime. Get everything in writing from HR - these rules can be confusing even for benefits administrators!

I went through this exact same situation two years ago and wanted to share what worked for us. My husband had a healthcare FSA through his employer, and I got a new job with an HDHP and HSA match. The key was understanding that my new job qualified as a "qualifying life event" under IRS rules, which allowed us to make mid-year changes to our benefits. However, we had to act quickly - most employers only give you 30 days from the qualifying event to make changes. Here's what we did: 1. I contacted my husband's HR immediately to ask about switching from full healthcare FSA to limited-purpose FSA 2. We had to provide documentation of my new job offer and HDHP enrollment 3. His employer allowed the change, and we switched to limited-purpose FSA effective the month I started my new job The limited-purpose FSA only covers dental and vision expenses, which made us HSA-eligible for medical expenses. We were able to keep our existing FSA balance for dental/vision and start contributing to the HSA for medical expenses. One thing to watch out for - make sure you understand your current FSA's "use it or lose it" rules. Some plans have a grace period or allow a small rollover, but others don't. We ended up scheduling some overdue dental work to use up our FSA balance before the year ended. The timing aspect is crucial - don't wait to contact HR about this!

Just wanted to add my perspective as someone who recently completed the Intuit Academy Tax Level 1 certification! An 82% on your first practice test is actually quite solid - I started around 79% and was feeling pretty discouraged initially. What really helped me bridge the gap between practice tests and the actual exam was focusing on the interconnected nature of tax concepts. The real exam doesn't just test whether you know individual rules - it tests whether you can apply multiple rules together in complex scenarios. For example, you might encounter a question about a college student who works part-time, lives with their parents part of the year, and provides some of their own support. This requires understanding dependency tests, filing requirements, education credits, AND earned income rules all at once. I found that creating "decision trees" for complex topics like filing status and dependency determinations was incredibly helpful. Instead of memorizing isolated facts, I mapped out the logical flow of questions you need to ask to reach the right conclusion. Also, don't underestimate the importance of timing practice. The actual exam has that 90-minute limit, and you need to be comfortable making decisions without second-guessing yourself too much. Practice tests under timed conditions really helped me build that confidence. Keep at it - you're definitely on the right track with your methodical approach to working through all the practice tests!

Your 82% on the first practice test is actually really encouraging! I remember feeling uncertain about my readiness when I was scoring similarly during my preparation for the Intuit Academy Tax Level 1 certification. From my experience, I'd suggest continuing with all the practice tests as you planned - each one really does cover different aspects and scenarios you'll need to be familiar with. The actual exam tends to have more complex, multi-layered questions that require applying several tax concepts together, so that comprehensive exposure is valuable. I found it helpful to aim for consistent scores in the 85-87% range before scheduling the real exam. The format is quite similar to the practice tests, but the actual exam questions often involve more nuanced scenarios with additional variables to consider. One thing that made a big difference for me was keeping track of the specific tax concepts behind questions I missed, rather than just noting which questions were wrong. This helped me identify patterns - like consistently struggling with qualifying relative rules versus qualifying child rules, or mixing up above-the-line versus below-the-line deductions. The timing on the actual exam (90 minutes) is manageable if you practice under similar conditions. I'd recommend taking at least a few practice tests with the timer running to get comfortable with the pace. You're definitely on the right track with your methodical approach - keep working through those practice tests and focusing on understanding the reasoning behind correct answers!

Quick tip: make sure you're correctly classifying people as contractors vs employees. This is my biggest nightmare as a business owner. If you're telling them WHEN, WHERE and HOW to do the work, the IRS might consider them employees, not contractors. The difference matters ALOT because for employees you need to withhold taxes, pay unemployment insurance, etc. For contractors you just send a 1099. Getting this wrong can result in huge penalties and back taxes!

Great advice from everyone here! I'm actually dealing with a similar situation right now where I have about 6 subcontractors for a large project. One thing I learned the hard way is to get those W-9 forms BEFORE you make any payments, not after. I made the mistake of paying two contractors first and then asking for their W-9s later - one of them completely ghosted me and the other took weeks to respond. Now I'm scrambling to get the paperwork sorted before year-end. Also, keep detailed records of exactly what services each contractor provided and when. The IRS can ask for this documentation if there are any questions about your 1099 filings. I use a simple project tracking spreadsheet that includes dates, amounts, and description of work performed for each contractor. Makes tax time so much easier!