Ugh, this is so relatable! I'm dealing with the exact same thing right now - filed my IL return in January and it's been stuck on "processing" for over a month. Reading all these stories makes me feel a little better knowing it's not just me, but also terrified that I might be waiting until summer for my refund! 😅 The fact that their tracking system is completely useless is so frustrating. Like, how hard is it in 2025 to have systems that actually communicate with each other? At this point I'm just going to stop checking the status page and hope for a pleasant surprise in my bank account like you got. Thanks for sharing - at least now I know what to expect (or not expect) from Illinois!

This is such a relief to hear! I'm currently in week 7 of waiting for my Illinois refund and that stupid status page has been mocking me with "processing" this whole time. I was starting to think something went wrong with my return, but reading everyone's experiences here makes me realize this is just how Illinois operates - or doesn't operate, I guess! It's honestly wild that in 2025 we have to play this guessing game with our own money. The federal system isn't perfect but at least you get some idea of what's happening. Illinois seems to just throw your return into a black hole and maybe, if you're lucky, money appears in your account months later with zero explanation. I'm definitely going to stop obsessively checking that useless tracker and just wait for the surprise deposit. Thanks for posting this - saved me from going completely insane wondering if I did something wrong!

I went through something very similar when I switched jobs mid-year and my new employer somehow set up my withholding incorrectly. The good news is that with 2 kids under 10, you have some solid tax credits working in your favor. The Child Tax Credit alone could give you up to $4,000 ($2,000 per child), and depending on your income level, a significant portion of that can be refundable even if you paid zero in withholding. The Earned Income Tax Credit could also apply if your income falls within certain ranges - with 2 qualifying children, this can be worth thousands more. Your health issues might also qualify you to file as Head of Household, which has better tax brackets and a higher standard deduction. I'd definitely recommend running your numbers through some tax software to get a realistic picture, but don't panic - families with dependents often come out better than they expect, even with withholding issues.

The EITC income limits for 2023 (filing in 2024) with 2 qualifying children are pretty generous - you can earn up to about $50,594 if filing single or $56,844 if married filing jointly and still get some credit. The maximum EITC with 2 kids is $6,164, which phases out as your income increases. Combined with the Child Tax Credit, you could potentially see a substantial refund even with zero withholding. Just make sure your kids meet the qualifying child requirements (age, relationship, residency tests) and that they have valid Social Security Numbers. Also, definitely fix your W-4 going forward to avoid potential underpayment penalties next year. Your situation with health issues and being the primary caregiver for 2 young kids sounds like it would qualify you for Head of Household status, which would give you even better tax treatment.

Just wanted to add my experience here - I had the exact same Wealthfront/FreeTaxUSA struggle last year! What finally worked for me was logging into my Wealthfront account and downloading ALL the tax documents, not just the main 1099-DIV. There's usually a "Tax Center" or "Tax Documents" section where you can find the supplemental state information that breaks down which dividends are exempt by state. Once I had that state breakdown, entering it in FreeTaxUSA was actually straightforward. In the state section (after you've entered your federal 1099-DIV info), there's a specific question about state-exempt interest and dividends. You just enter the amount that's exempt for your specific state based on that Wealthfront supplemental document. The key thing I learned is that you can't rely on just the 1099-DIV form - you really need that additional state-by-state breakdown that Wealthfront provides separately. Hope this helps save you some of the hair-pulling I went through!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I was in the exact same boat with Wealthfront and FreeTaxUSA. After reading through everyone's experiences, I found the supplemental tax documents in my Wealthfront Tax Center (thanks @Dmitry!) and was able to locate the state-exempt dividend amounts. For anyone else struggling with this: the key is definitely getting ALL the tax documents from Wealthfront, not just the 1099-DIV. The "State Tax Supplement" document shows exactly which portions of your dividends are exempt from state taxes by state. Then in FreeTaxUSA, after you enter your 1099-DIV in the federal section, you go to your state return and look for the section about exempt interest and dividends - that's where you enter the state-exempt amounts from the supplement. It's actually pretty straightforward once you have all the right documents, but Wealthfront could definitely make this clearer for first-time users. Hope this saves someone else the headache I went through!

Don't forget that as a college student, you might qualify for education tax credits like the American Opportunity Credit or the Lifetime Learning Credit! Those can be worth up to $2,500 depending on your situation. So definitely file that W-2 and claim your education expenses too!

Just wanted to chime in as someone who was in almost the exact same situation last year! I had a campus job that lasted only a month and made about $520, and I was so confused about whether to report it since it seemed like such a tiny amount. The advice here is spot on - you absolutely need to report ALL W-2 income, no matter how small. I learned this the hard way when I initially didn't include mine and got a notice from the IRS a few months later asking about the discrepancy. It wasn't a huge deal to fix, but it was definitely stressful and could have been avoided. One thing that really helped me was keeping track of ALL my tax documents in one place - even the small ones. Now I have a simple folder (physical and digital) where everything goes as soon as I receive it. Makes filing so much easier when you're not scrambling to find that one random W-2 from a job you barely remember! Also, definitely look into those education credits Oliver mentioned - they can make a huge difference for students. Good luck with your first time filing!

Thanks for sharing all these perspectives! As someone who's been dealing with payroll compliance for years, I want to emphasize that proper W-2 reporting really is the safest approach here. Nick, for your $65/month benefit, you're looking at adding about $780 annually to each employee's taxable income. While that might seem like a lot, many employees still find significant value in employer-sponsored gym benefits even when taxable - especially if you can negotiate group rates that are better than what they'd pay individually. One approach I've seen work well is being completely transparent about the tax implications upfront, but also highlighting the total value they're receiving. For example, if you can get gym memberships that would normally cost $80/month for $65 through group purchasing power, employees are still getting a $15/month discount even after paying taxes on the benefit. The key is clear communication - don't let it be a surprise on their first W-2. Include the tax impact in your initial rollout materials so employees can make informed decisions about participation.

I've been working in benefits administration for about 8 years and wanted to add a few practical tips that might help with implementation. First, regarding group rates - absolutely pursue this! I've seen companies get 15-25% discounts with major chains like LA Fitness, Planet Fitness, and regional gym networks when you can guarantee a certain number of memberships (usually 20+ employees). Some gyms will even waive enrollment fees entirely for corporate programs. For communication, I always recommend a "total compensation" approach. Create a simple one-page breakdown showing: - Monthly gym benefit: $65 - Employee tax impact (assuming 22% bracket): ~$14 - Net monthly value to employee: $51 - Compared to individual membership cost: $80 - Total monthly savings: $29 Also consider offering it as an opt-in benefit during open enrollment rather than automatic enrollment. This way employees who are already paying for gym memberships can see the clear savings, while those who aren't interested don't feel like they're getting a "tax increase." One more tip - if you have any employees with HSAs, remind them that they might be able to use HSA funds for gym memberships if they have a letter of medical necessity from their doctor. This can help offset the tax impact for some employees.