For your finance project, you might want to consider that different types of compensation have different YTD tracking. Regular wages, bonuses, stock options, benefits, etc. might all have separate YTD counters on your paystub!

As someone who's been dealing with payroll systems for years, I wanted to add that timing discrepancies like yours are super common with semi-monthly pay schedules. The key thing to remember is that YTD is always based on when you actually received the money, not when you worked for it. Your math of $2708.33 × 9 = $24,374.97 is correct if you've truly received 9 paychecks by the time you're looking at that stub. The online calculator showing $27,083.30 suggests it's calculating for 10 paychecks ($2708.33 × 10). One thing that might help for your finance project: create a simple spreadsheet tracking your actual pay dates (not pay periods) and the amounts received. This will give you the most accurate YTD progression throughout the year. Also remember that any mid-year salary changes, bonuses, or adjustments will throw off simple multiplication calculations.

Another thing to consider is the de minimis safe harbor election which lets u deduct items that cost less than $2,500 per invoice/item instead of depreciating them. So like if ur buying several fixtures and each one is under that amount, u might be able to deduct them immediately even if technically they're "improvements." You make this election every year with ur tax return.

Great question about rental property improvements during vacancy! I went through something similar last year. The key thing to remember is that as long as you're holding the property with the intent to generate rental income, you can start depreciating improvements even during vacant periods. Your timeline looks reasonable - 4 months of improvements followed by finding new tenants shows clear rental intent. However, if your mother-in-law moves in rent-free, that changes everything for 2025. The IRS considers rent-free family use as personal use, not rental use. This means you'd need to stop claiming rental deductions (including depreciation) for the time she's living there. The improvements you made in 2024 during the legitimate vacancy period would still be valid for depreciation, but you'd have to suspend that depreciation during any personal use periods. My advice: keep detailed records of your improvement timeline and costs, and if you do decide to let family live there rent-free, make sure to properly adjust your tax treatment for that period. You might want to consider charging at least fair market rent to keep it as a legitimate rental property for tax purposes.

Another option is to just paper file. Yeah it's slower, but it bypasses all the e-file verification issues completely. Print everything out, sign it, mail it in with your W-2s attached, and you're done. No dealing with AGI verification or PIN issues. That's what I ended up doing when I had a similar issue.

I'm dealing with the exact same issue right now! My husband just got his SSN after using an ITIN for years, and we keep getting rejected for the same reason. Based on what everyone's sharing here, it sounds like there are a few key things to try: 1. Use "0" for prior year AGI instead of the actual amount 2. Make sure to indicate the ID number change somewhere in your tax software 3. Consider getting an IP PIN online if the first two don't work I'm going to try the "0" AGI approach first since that seems to be the most common solution people are mentioning. It's so frustrating that the tax software doesn't explain this ITIN-to-SSN transition issue clearly - seems like it happens to a lot of people! Has anyone found specific instructions in FreeTaxUSA about how to handle this situation? I've been looking through their help section but can't find anything about identifier changes.

Has your cousin checked her mail carefully for the past 2 years? The IRS would have sent a CP79 notice if they disallowed her EIC. Sometimes these letters look like junk mail and people throw them away. Also, did she move in the last couple years? The notice might have gone to an old address.

I went through this exact same situation with my sister two years ago! The Form 8862 requirement caught us completely off guard too. What we learned is that the IRS has automated systems that can flag and adjust EIC claims months after you've already received your refund. Here's what I'd recommend: First, have your cousin create an online account at irs.gov and check her transcript. This will show any adjustments or notices from previous years that she might have missed. Second, when filling out Form 8862 in FreeTaxUSA, be extra careful with the qualifying child requirements - the IRS is very strict about things like the residency test (child must live with her more than half the year) and making sure the SSNs are valid for work. Don't panic about the 10-year ban someone mentioned - that's only for intentional fraud cases. As long as your cousin answers truthfully and has legitimate qualifying children, she should be fine. Keep good records though - school enrollment forms, medical records, anything that proves the kids lived with her. The IRS may audit EIC claims more closely after a Form 8862 is filed. Also, make sure she hasn't claimed these same children on previous years' returns where someone else (like their father) also claimed them. That's a common reason for EIC disallowance that people don't realize happened.

Just to clarify what others have said - the as-of date on your transcript is primarily used for calculating interest and penalties if you owe money. When it changes during processing, it usually means your return is still being actively worked on, but doesn't necessarily indicate how close you are to getting your refund. Back in 2022, I had my as-of date change 5 times before finally getting my 846 code, and I was a bit concerned each time it happened.

I'm going through the same frustrating situation right now. Filed in early March and my as-of date has changed three times with no 846 code yet. What's really getting to me is seeing other people who filed after me already getting their refunds. I called the IRS last week and they just told me to keep waiting, that it's still "processing normally." The medical bills don't wait though - I totally understand your stress about needing those funds. Have you tried calling them directly to see if there's anything specific holding up your return?