I would caution about one thing that happened to me last year: Credit Karma's tax preparation service was acquired by Cash App Taxes, and during that transition period, some refunds experienced unusual delays. While your situation sounds like a normal processing delay, it's worth keeping in mind that sometimes system changes or updates on their end can affect processing times. If it goes beyond 3-4 business days, I'd definitely start making calls to both SBTPG and your bank.

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Filed through Credit Karma, SBTPG shows funded as of yesterday, but still no deposit in my account. It's so frustrating when you're counting on that money. Based on what everyone's saying here, it sounds like this is pretty normal during peak season. I'm going to try to be patient and wait until Monday before I start panicking. Thanks for posting this - at least I know I'm not alone in dealing with this delay!

Has anyone successfully used TurboTax for reporting futures trading correctly? My trades aren't that complicated and I'm wondering if I can just do it myself instead of dealing with CPAs who don't understand Form 6781.

I went through almost the exact same situation last year with my CPA getting Form 6781 completely wrong. After wasting weeks trying to get them to understand Section 1256 treatment, I finally just switched to a new tax professional who specializes in active trader taxation. The difference was night and day - the new CPA immediately recognized the issues, correctly applied the 60/40 split, and saved me over $6,000 in taxes compared to what my old CPA had calculated. Don't let your current CPA's ego cost you money - if they're not willing to admit they made a mistake on something this fundamental, find someone who actually knows futures taxation. You might also want to double-check if they made similar errors in previous years' returns. I discovered my old CPA had been incorrectly reporting my futures trades for 2 years, so I had to file amended returns to get my refunds. The clock is ticking though - you generally only have 3 years to amend and claim refunds for overpaid taxes.

Chime user here in NY - got my state refund yesterday! Filed Jan 30th so about 2.5 weeks total. Seems like some states are definitely moving faster than others. CA and TX folks might just need to hang in there a bit longer based on what I'm seeing in the comments.

Still waiting on mine too - Chime user in FL here. Filed my state return on Feb 1st and nothing yet. It's reassuring to see I'm not alone in this waiting game! My federal came through Chime super fast (like 6 days) but state is definitely taking its sweet time. Seems like it really varies by state based on everyone's experiences here.

Great question Mei! As someone who went through this exact same situation last year, I totally understand the overwhelm. Here are some key points that really helped me: **Start with the basics:** You'll file Schedule C with your regular tax return. The good news is you don't need any special permits for federal tax purposes - just treat it like any other business. **Essential deductions to track:** Transportation to clients (huge one!), professional development (workshops, courses), business use of your phone/internet, photography equipment for portfolio work, business cards/marketing materials, and any styling tools or equipment. **Organization tip:** I wish someone had told me this earlier - set up a separate business checking account even if it's just a free one. It makes tracking so much cleaner and shows the IRS you're treating this as a legitimate business. **Self-employment tax:** This caught me off guard my first year! You'll pay about 15.3% on your net profit for Social Security/Medicare, plus regular income tax. Setting aside 25-30% of each payment you receive is a good rule of thumb. The most important thing is to start tracking everything NOW, even if you're not perfectly organized yet. You've got this! Feel free to ask if you have specific questions about any deductions.

Hey Mei! I'm a newer freelance stylist too (about 18 months in) and I remember feeling exactly the same way about taxes. Here's what I wish I'd known starting out: **Get organized NOW:** Even if your receipts are messy, start sorting them into basic categories - travel/mileage, equipment, marketing, education, etc. I use a simple accordion folder with labeled sections until I can enter everything digitally. **Home office deduction:** If you use part of your home exclusively for work (even just a corner desk for admin stuff), you can deduct that! I use the simplified method which is $5 per square foot up to 300 sq ft. **Fashion-specific deductions I've learned about:** Professional styling tools, garment bags, steamers, measuring tapes, color wheels, subscriptions to trade publications, networking events, and even some client entertainment costs if you're taking them to lunch to discuss their styling needs. **Estimated taxes:** Start making quarterly payments even in your first year if you're earning decent income. I learned this the hard way and got hit with penalties! Use Form 1040-ES or tax software to calculate. **Track client gifts separately:** If you give clients small gifts (like a nice hanger or accessory), those are deductible business expenses up to $25 per person per year. The most important thing is just to start somewhere - you don't have to be perfect right away! Consider getting at least one consultation with a tax pro who understands creative businesses, even if you file yourself.

I'm in a very similar situation - verified through ID.me about 6 weeks ago after my return was flagged, and still seeing absolutely no movement on my transcript. The agent told me the same thing about it being processed but no timeline. It's so frustrating not knowing if there's an actual issue or if it's just sitting in some digital pile somewhere. What's really getting to me is that I filed in early March, so we're looking at almost 6 months total now. I've been following the Wednesday/Friday checking schedule that others mentioned, which has helped my sanity a bit compared to checking daily. Has anyone here had success calling the IRS after verification to get an update? I'm wondering if it's worth trying to get through to someone or if they'll just tell me to keep waiting. The uncertainty is almost worse than just knowing it would take X amount of time. Really hoping we all see movement soon - this whole process has been such a nightmare this year!

I went through ID.me verification about 8 weeks ago and finally saw movement last week! My transcript updated with the 971 notice code on a Wednesday, then got the 846 refund code the following Friday with a deposit date. Total timeline was almost exactly 2 months from verification to getting my money. The waiting was absolutely brutal, especially since I filed back in February. What kept me going was reading success stories like the ones in this thread and knowing that once you're verified, you're definitely in the system - it's just a matter of when your return gets picked up for processing. One thing I noticed is that my transcript updated in batches - like multiple codes appeared on the same day rather than gradually. So even though nothing was showing for weeks, when it finally moved, everything happened pretty quickly after that. Stay strong everyone who's still waiting! I know it feels endless but based on what I've seen here, most people are getting their refunds within 6-10 weeks of verification. The system is definitely slow but it does eventually work.