I made the switch from TurboTax to FreeTaxUSA two years ago and had similar concerns about my ETrade account. Here's what I learned after going through the process: FreeTaxUSA doesn't have direct import for ETrade, but it's really not as painful as you'd expect. The key is getting organized before you start entering data. ETrade provides several different reports in their tax center - don't just work from the 1099-B directly. What saved me was using ETrade's "Year-End Tax Summary" report alongside the standard forms. This report consolidates all your activity and shows clear totals for short-term gains, long-term gains, dividends, etc. It makes it much easier to enter the summary information in FreeTaxUSA rather than trying to add up individual transactions. For 30-40 transactions, you should be able to use FreeTaxUSA's summary entry option for most of your trades, especially if they're covered securities (which most recent stock purchases are). This means entering totals by category rather than every single transaction. I'd budget about an hour for the whole investment section, including time to double-check your numbers. The savings compared to TurboTax made it totally worthwhile - I'm paying about $15 for FreeTaxUSA vs. $120+ for TurboTax with investment features. Once you do it the first time, subsequent years are much faster since you know the process.

I've been using FreeTaxUSA with my ETrade accounts for three years now, and while there's definitely no direct import, it's really not as bad as it initially seems. The manual entry process becomes pretty streamlined once you know what you're doing. Here's my exact workflow that might help: First, log into ETrade's Tax Center (not just the regular account view) and download both the standard 1099-B and their "Realized Gain/Loss Summary" report. The summary report is crucial because it pre-calculates everything by the exact categories FreeTaxUSA asks for - short-term vs long-term, covered vs non-covered securities. In FreeTaxUSA, when you get to the investment income section, look for the option that says something like "Enter summary information for covered securities." This is where you can input totals rather than individual transactions. For your 30-40 trades, if they're mostly standard stock purchases from recent years, they'll likely qualify for summary entry. The whole process usually takes me 30-45 minutes, and I consistently save $80-100 compared to what I was paying for TurboTax Premier. The first year felt a bit clunky as I learned where everything was, but now it's actually faster than navigating through TurboTax's endless interview questions. One heads up: always double-check that your manual totals match the summary boxes on your 1099-B. ETrade sometimes splits information across multiple pages or sections, and it's easy to miss something if you're rushing.

I've dealt with this exact situation multiple times as both a parent and someone who's helped neighbors with their taxes. Here's my take: First, your babysitter's reluctance is actually pretty common, especially with cash-paid caregivers who may not fully understand the tax implications. Many think providing their SSN will automatically get them "in trouble" with the IRS, when really it's just standard documentation. Try one more conversation where you explain that you're required by law to provide her information to claim the credit - it's not optional on your end. Show her that this is about YOUR tax compliance, not reporting HER to anyone. You could even mention that the IRS likely already knows about her income if she's been reporting it properly. If she still refuses (which honestly sounds likely based on your description), definitely use "REFUSED" on Form 2441. Yes, this will delay your refund by probably 6-10 weeks because it triggers manual review, but you'll still get your credit. The IRS sees this situation constantly. Keep meticulous records - your text messages, bank records showing cash withdrawals that align with payment dates, any written agreements, calendar entries, etc. If questioned, you need to prove these were legitimate childcare expenses. Going forward, consider finding a provider who operates more like a legitimate business and understands basic tax requirements. This level of resistance to providing basic tax information is a red flag for how professional they are overall.

I went through this exact same situation last year with my home daycare provider! She was incredibly resistant about providing her EIN, kept saying it was "private business information" and got defensive whenever I brought it up. After weeks of back-and-forth, I finally had to use the "REFUSED" option on Form 2441. My refund ended up being delayed by about 7 weeks, which was frustrating but not the end of the world. The IRS eventually processed everything without any additional questions. The key thing that saved me was documentation. I had kept every text message about payments, screenshots of my bank account showing the cash withdrawals on payment days, and even photos of my calendar with the childcare dates marked. When you're paying cash, that paper trail becomes really important. One thing I learned is that you should send your caregiver a written request for their tax information (email works fine). Keep a copy of that request and their refusal. This shows the IRS that you made a good faith effort to get the required information. Looking back, I should have addressed this requirement upfront when we first started the arrangement. Now I always make it clear from the beginning that I'll need tax information if the annual payments exceed the credit threshold. It's just part of doing business properly. Don't stress too much about the delay - you'll still get your credit, it just takes longer to process. And definitely don't make up a number like you mentioned - that would create much bigger problems down the road!

I'm dealing with something similar right now! Filed in early February and got a 570 code that appeared last week. From what I've researched, the timing matters a lot - if your 570 appeared around the same time as mine (mid-March), it's more likely to be routine verification rather than PATH Act related. The PATH Act delays typically show up much earlier in the process. I'm trying to stay patient since you mentioned last year worked out fine by April 2nd. Fingers crossed we both see movement soon!

I had a 570 code last year that appeared in mid-March and it turned out to be a simple income verification issue - nothing to do with PATH Act. The IRS was just cross-checking my W-2 information with what my employer reported. It resolved automatically after about 18 days and my refund was deposited without me having to do anything. Since you mentioned this happened last year too with a successful outcome by April 2nd, it sounds like you might be in the same boat. I'd give it another week or two before worrying - the fact that your transcript updated on March 18th is actually a good sign that things are moving along normally.

Don't forget that as a contractor you'll be getting a 1099-NEC form (not 1099-MISC like in the old days) from whoever is paying you. This is what they'll send to the IRS to report how much they paid you. The W9 you're filling out now just gives them the info they need to create that 1099-NEC correctly.

Great question Miguel! You're absolutely right to be cautious about filling out tax forms correctly. Since you've filed your taxes properly for 2022 and 2023 and your SSN matches your name in the IRS system, you should be fine to sign the Part II certification on the W9. The backup withholding certification is mainly there to catch people who have either failed to report income in the past or have been specifically notified by the IRS that they're subject to backup withholding. One thing to keep in mind as you transition into contractor work - make sure you understand the difference between being an employee and an independent contractor for tax purposes. The company paying you should have legitimate business reasons for classifying you as a contractor rather than an employee. If you're doing the same type of work you did as a W2 employee but now as a "contractor," that could potentially be worker misclassification, which the IRS takes seriously. Also, since this is your first year doing contractor work, consider consulting with a tax professional who can help you navigate quarterly estimated payments and deductions you might be eligible for as a contractor. Good luck with your new side gig!

I'm dealing with the exact same situation! Filed through TurboTax on February 7th and my transcript is showing "Return Not Present" too. It's been really stressing me out because I need that refund for some medical bills. After reading all these comments, it seems like there's definitely something going on with February filings through TurboTax. So many of us are experiencing the same thing - got confirmation emails but transcript shows nothing filed. I just tried the taxr.ai tool that everyone's been recommending and honestly it was really helpful! For just $1 it analyzed my transcript and explained that the "not filed" status doesn't necessarily mean your return is lost - it often shows up when returns are in a verification queue or there's a processing backlog. It gave me a timeline of what to expect and when I should start worrying if nothing changes. Way better than trying to decode the IRS phone system that never lets you talk to a human. At least now I have some idea of what's happening instead of just panicking every day checking my transcript. Hopefully we'll all see our returns show up processed soon! 🙏

I'm going through the exact same thing! Filed February 12th through TurboTax and my transcript shows "Return Not Present" even though I have all the confirmation emails. It's been so stressful because I really need that refund money. After reading through all these comments, it's actually reassuring to see so many people dealing with this exact issue - especially other February TurboTax filers. Makes me think it's definitely a processing backlog or system issue rather than something we did wrong. I just tried the taxr.ai tool that everyone's been mentioning and wow, it was actually really helpful! For just $1 it analyzed my transcript and explained that "Return Not Present" often shows up when returns are stuck in verification queues or processing backlogs. It gave me a realistic timeline of what to expect and when I should actually start worrying if nothing changes. Way better than trying to get through to the IRS phone system which seems impossible right now. At least now I have some actual information about what's happening instead of just checking my transcript daily and panicking. Hoping we all see our returns processed soon! 🤞