Most people here see funds hit SBTPG same day as the DDD on transcript, then 1-2 days for it to reach your bank. Don't count on it being faster. Budget assuming you won't have it until 2 days after your DDD. Their system is reliable but not instant. The delay is just part of choosing the fees-from-refund option.

I understand the anxiety about timing, especially as a recent graduate! From what I've seen in this community, SBTPG is pretty consistent with their processing. Since your transcript shows a DDD of 4/17, you should expect SBTPG to receive the funds either on 4/17 or within 24 hours after. Then it's typically another 1-2 business days before it hits your bank account. So realistically, you're looking at having your refund by 4/19 at the latest, possibly as early as 4/17 if everything processes smoothly. I'd recommend setting up an account on the SBTPG website to track the status - it really helps with the waiting game! Just remember that weekends can add an extra day to the timeline if your DDD falls on a Friday.

I'm dealing with a similar situation but with cryptocurrency payments from international clients. Even though I don't get any official tax forms for crypto transactions, I've been reporting everything as business income. The IRS has made it pretty clear that ALL income needs to be reported regardless of the payment method or whether you receive tax documents. One thing that's helped me is keeping detailed spreadsheets with client names, project descriptions, payment dates, and amounts. This creates a clear paper trail showing these are legitimate business transactions, not gifts or personal transfers. If you ever get audited, having organized records will be crucial. Also consider that continuing to use F&F for business payments could potentially get your PayPal account restricted or closed. PayPal has been cracking down on misuse of their personal payment options for commercial transactions. Better to switch to proper business payments now and avoid potential account issues down the road.

Just want to echo what everyone else is saying - you absolutely need to report that $8,700 as business income regardless of how it was sent through PayPal. The IRS doesn't care about PayPal's internal categorization of payments; they care about the economic substance of the transaction. You're providing design services and getting paid for them, so it's taxable business income. I'd strongly recommend switching to proper PayPal business transactions going forward. Yes, your clients might pay slightly higher fees, but you'll avoid potential issues with PayPal's terms of service and create cleaner records for tax purposes. Most legitimate business clients understand and accept this. For this year's taxes, report the income on Schedule C along with your business expenses. Keep detailed records of everything - client communications, project files, invoices if you have them. The fact that you're asking these questions shows you want to stay compliant, which is the right approach. Better to pay the taxes you owe than risk penalties and interest later if the IRS catches up with you.

What about using the "last-month rule" for HSA contributions? If your plan qualifies as an HDHP on December 1st, you can contribute the full year's amount. But you have to remain HSA-eligible for the "testing period" (through Dec 31 of the following year). If i were you id double check if your wife's new plan (after the company acquisition) might qualify as an HDHP, even if her old one didnt.

This is such a common confusion! I went through something similar when my spouse switched jobs mid-year. Here's what I learned from my CPA: The key issue is that for HSA purposes, you're only eligible for family contribution limits if you have actual family HDHP coverage OR if both spouses have qualifying individual HDHP coverage. Having separate individual plans where only one qualifies as an HDHP means you're limited to the individual contribution amount. Since your wife's HR confirmed her plan is NOT an HDHP (even with the high deductible), you're definitely looking at individual limits only. The good news is you caught this before the tax filing deadline, so you can reverse the excess without the 6% penalty. One thing to watch out for - when you reverse the excess contribution, make sure your HSA administrator also removes any earnings on that excess amount. Those earnings need to be reported as income for the year they're distributed. Also, if your wife gets new coverage through the acquisition that IS an HDHP, you could potentially use the last-month rule for future years, but that wouldn't help with your 2024 situation.

I can share my experience with NJ state refunds and Chime over the past few years. Generally, I've found that state refunds are less predictable than federal ones with early deposits. My NJ refunds have arrived anywhere from on the exact DDD to 2 days early, but it's not as consistent as federal refunds which almost always come 2 days early for me. For investment opportunities, I'd honestly recommend having a backup plan since the timing can vary. I've learned the hard way not to count on early deposits for time-sensitive financial decisions. That said, with a DDD of 3/11, there's a decent chance you might see it by 3/9 or 3/10 based on the patterns others have shared here. Just keep checking your account starting a couple days before your DDD!

I've been banking with Chime for about 4 years now and can share my NJ state refund experience. Unlike federal refunds which are pretty predictable (usually 2 days early), state refunds seem to depend more on when NJ actually initiates the transfer. Last year my NJ refund came exactly on the DDD, but the year before it was 1 day early. This year I'm also waiting on mine with a DDD of 3/12, so I'll be interested to see if the timing is similar to yours. One thing I've noticed is that NJ tends to process refunds in batches, so if you're seeing other people get theirs early, there's a decent chance yours might follow the same pattern. I'd suggest checking your account starting 3/9, but definitely don't bank on it being early for investment timing - I made that mistake once and missed out on a good opportunity when my refund came exactly on the DDD instead of early like I expected.

Everybody is complicating this. The simplest fix is: 1. Both of you fill out new W4s 2. Skip the multiple jobs worksheet altogether 3. Figure out how much EXTRA you need withheld for the year 4. Divide that by # of paychecks your SPOUSE gets annually 5. Put THAT amount in Box 4(c) of SPOUSE'S W4 only 6. Leave your W4 simple with just the basic info This way, the extra withholding comes from the bigger paycheck where it won't hurt as much. My husband makes 6 figures and I make $40k and this method worked perfectly for us.

I went through this exact same frustrating situation last year! The issue is that when you have such a large income gap, the W-4 system assumes your small paycheck needs to be taxed at your spouse's marginal rate to account for your combined income. Here's what finally worked for me after months of trial and error: 1. Submit a new W-4 for yourself using ONLY the basic information (Steps 1, 3, and 5). Don't use any worksheets or check any boxes in Step 2. 2. Have your spouse submit a new W-4 and use the multiple jobs worksheet on THEIR form instead. Since they make $380k, the additional withholding won't devastate their paycheck like it did yours. 3. If you're still not withholding enough (you can estimate this from last year's return), have your spouse add a small amount in Step 4(c) rather than using the worksheet. The key insight is that the total withholding amount will be the same regardless of which paycheck it comes from, but taking it from the larger paycheck makes it much more manageable. Your weekly vs. biweekly pay schedules don't matter for this approach. I wish someone had told me this simple solution months earlier - it would have saved me so much stress!