That letter is definitely concerning and points to an identity verification issue on your account. When the IRS can't process your transcript request and specifically directs you to the Identity Theft hotline (800-908-4490), it usually means their fraud detection system has flagged something that requires manual verification - not necessarily actual identity theft, but extra steps needed to confirm your identity. After waiting 9 months, this letter actually gives you a clear path forward! I'd call that number first thing tomorrow morning - they'll be able to tell you exactly what documentation you need to resolve the hold and get your refund processed. Don't delay on this because identity verification cases can drag on for months if not addressed quickly. Before calling, you might want to try taxr.ai to analyze your transcript if you can access it. It breaks down all those cryptic codes in plain English and will help you understand what's actually happening with your return, making your conversation with the IRS much more productive. A lot of folks here have found it super helpful for these exact situations. This is definitely frustrating but completely fixable once you provide whatever verification they need. Your refund should start moving again after that. Good luck! 🤞

That letter is definitely pointing to an identity verification hold - when the IRS can't process your transcript request and specifically mentions the Identity Theft hotline, it's usually their fraud detection system flagging something that needs manual review. Not necessarily actual identity theft, just extra verification steps. After 9 months of waiting, you finally have a clear next step! Call 800-908-4490 ASAP - they'll tell you exactly what documents you need to verify your identity and get things moving again. These cases can take forever if you don't address them quickly. Before calling, I'd suggest trying taxr.ai to decode your transcript if you can access it. It breaks down all those confusing codes in plain English so you'll know what's actually happening before you talk to the IRS rep. Makes those phone calls way more productive. Don't panic - identity verification issues are super common and totally fixable once you provide whatever they need. Your refund should start processing again after that. Hang in there! 💪

This is such a common confusion with RSUs! I went through the exact same thing last year. Here's what I learned: When your RSUs vest, your company is required to withhold taxes at the supplemental wage rate (usually 22% or 37% depending on the amount). However, this withholding is often not enough to cover your full tax obligation, especially if you're in a higher tax bracket. The key thing to understand is that the FULL fair market value of all vested shares gets added to your W-2 income - not just the ones you kept after withholding. So if 100 shares vested at $50 each ($5,000 total value), that entire $5,000 goes on your W-2 even if they only gave you 78 shares after withholding 22 shares for taxes. If you sell immediately after vesting at roughly the same price, you'll have minimal capital gains impact. But you might still owe additional ordinary income tax when you file if the withholding wasn't sufficient for your tax bracket. I'd recommend calculating what your effective tax rate will be with the additional RSU income and compare it to the 22% they withheld. If there's a gap, consider setting aside some of your sale proceeds for taxes or make an estimated payment to avoid underpayment penalties.

Just want to add another perspective on the timing aspect that might help with your decision. Since you mentioned the stock has been volatile and you have more shares vesting in coming months, you might want to consider your overall tax strategy for the year. If you sell now, you'll realize any small capital gains/losses immediately. But if you hold and the stock drops significantly before your next vesting dates, those future vests will be taxed at the lower market value (which could actually be beneficial from a tax perspective, even though it's bad for your portfolio value). On the flip side, if you're already in a high tax bracket this year due to the current vesting, spreading out the tax impact might not matter much. In that case, taking the guaranteed proceeds now (as you mentioned wanting to do) is probably the safer play. One more thing - if you do decide to sell, make sure you understand which specific shares you're selling if you have multiple vesting dates. Most brokers default to FIFO (first in, first out), but you can sometimes specify which tax lots to sell to optimize your capital gains treatment. This becomes more important as you accumulate more shares over time.

Just to share another perspective, my ex and I were both claiming EIC for our daughter (different addresses but shared custody) a few years back. We both got audited and had to provide documentation showing where our daughter lived. It was a huge headache! The IRS ended up making my ex pay back the EIC plus penalties because our daughter lived with me for more than half the year. They don't mess around with this - their systems are pretty good at catching when the same child's SSN is used to claim EIC on multiple returns. Don't risk it. Fix your return before filing if possible. If you've already filed, you might want to file an amended return (Form 1040-X) to remove the EIC claim before the IRS contacts you about it.

The original poster is absolutely right to be concerned about this situation. I went through a similar experience with my partner, and I can't stress enough how important it is to fix this before the IRS catches it. When both parents live in the same household with a qualifying child, the IRS has very specific rules about who can claim the Earned Income Credit. Even though you answered truthfully about your living situation, the tax software made an error by allowing you to claim EIC when your girlfriend already claimed your daughter as a dependent and received EIC for her. Here's what you need to do immediately: 1. Do NOT file your return as-is if you haven't already 2. Go back into your tax software and remove the EIC claim for your daughter 3. You can still indicate that she lives with you (because that's true), but make sure you're not claiming any tax benefits for her since your girlfriend is claiming her as a dependent The IRS computer systems are very good at matching Social Security Numbers across returns. When they see the same child's SSN being used for EIC on two different returns from the same address, it will trigger an automatic review that could lead to audits for both of you. The penalties and interest can add up quickly, and it's much easier to fix this now than to deal with it later. Your girlfriend should keep all the credits she's already claimed since she filed first and properly claimed your daughter as her dependent.

This is such a helpful thread! I'm dealing with the same frustrating situation right now. My DDD was 5/24 (Friday) and I've been obsessively checking both the SBTPG portal and my Cash App all weekend. The SBTPG site shows they received my refund on Friday morning, but of course no movement on the actual deposit yet. Reading everyone's experiences here, it sounds like I should expect to see the money hit my Cash App sometime Monday or Tuesday. It's honestly ridiculous that in 2024 we still have to deal with these artificial delays when the technology exists for instant transfers. At least now I know to stop checking every hour over the weekend and just wait for Monday! Thanks for sharing your experiences, everyone - this community knowledge is way more useful than anything on the official SBTPG site.

After dealing with SBTPG for several years now, I can confirm they definitely process internally on weekends but won't release funds until business days. What's particularly frustrating is that their customer service is basically non-existent on weekends - you can't even get through to ask about status updates. I've found the best strategy is to check the SBTPG portal Friday evening to see if they've received your refund, then just forget about it until Monday afternoon. The waiting game is brutal, especially when you know the money is just sitting there, but at least it's predictable once you understand their pattern. For what it's worth, Cash App typically posts deposits pretty quickly once SBTPG actually releases the funds, so you should see it within a few hours of them sending it out on Monday.

Just want to add one more important point that I haven't seen mentioned yet - if you're doing tax-loss harvesting at year end, the trade date rule becomes even more critical. I learned this the hard way when I tried to realize some losses on December 31st to offset my gains, but I forgot about the wash sale rule. Since I had bought the same stock again in early January (thinking it was a new tax year), the IRS treated it as a wash sale because both the sale and repurchase happened within the 30-day window when you count by trade dates. So for anyone doing last-minute tax planning, remember that it's not just about which year your gains/losses fall into - you also need to think about wash sales if you're planning to buy back similar positions early in the new year. The 30-day clock starts ticking from the trade date, not settlement.

Great discussion here! As someone who got burned by this exact issue a few years back, I can confirm everything said about trade date vs settlement date. One thing I'd add that might help OP and others - if you're using tax software like TurboTax or FreeTaxUSA, they usually have a specific section for "year-end stock transactions" that walks you through this exact scenario. The software will ask you to enter the trade date specifically, not the settlement date. Also, for future reference, if you want to push capital gains into the next tax year, you need to execute the trade in the new year, not just have it settle then. So if you had waited until January 3rd to actually place the sell order (not just let December 30th trade settle), then it would count for next year's taxes. OP, since your trade happened December 30th, you'll definitely need to report that $8,400 gain on this year's return. Might want to start setting aside about 15-20% for capital gains tax depending on your income bracket. Better to be safe than sorry come April!