I went through this exact same frustration about a month ago! Filed through TurboTax, got the acceptance email, but WMR kept giving me that "info doesn't match" error for almost 3 weeks. I was starting to panic thinking something was wrong. What finally worked for me was accessing my tax transcript through the IRS website (irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript). You have to go through their identity verification process which is a bit of a pain, but once I got in, I could see my return was actually being processed normally. Turns out the IRS had made a small adjustment to my refund amount - only about $27 difference - but that was enough to make WMR throw the error. The transcript showed me the exact adjusted refund amount, and once I used that number in WMR instead of my original amount, it worked perfectly and showed my refund was already approved for direct deposit. Definitely try the transcript route if you can get through the verification. It's way more detailed than WMR and updates more reliably. Good luck!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Filed my return through TurboTax on February 28th and have been getting that "info doesn't match" error for over a week now. It's so frustrating because I know I'm entering everything correctly - I've checked my SSN, filing status, and refund amount probably 20 times at this point. Reading through these responses is actually really reassuring though. I had no idea that the IRS could make small adjustments to your refund amount and that would cause WMR to throw an error. That makes so much sense! I'm definitely going to try accessing my transcript like several people suggested here. Has anyone had luck with the IRS2Go app that Sean mentioned? I might try that first since it sounds easier than going through the whole transcript verification process, though I'm prepared to do that if needed. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's nice to know this is a common issue and not necessarily a sign that something is seriously wrong with my return!

Has anyone tried using a payment app like Venmo or Cash App for these private seller transactions? I'm wondering if the digital receipt from that would be sufficient documentation.

Great question! As someone who's been running a small carpentry business for 3 years, I can share what's worked for me. You definitely need documentation for all business expenses, even from private sellers. Here's my system: I created a simple receipt template on my phone that I fill out on the spot. It includes: seller name, contact info, date, detailed description of materials (species, dimensions, quantity), purchase price, and payment method. I have the seller sign it if they're willing, take a photo of the materials, and note the intended business use. For sellers who won't sign anything, I still document everything I can and take timestamped photos. I also photograph my cash withdrawal receipt if I paid cash, which creates a paper trail. The IRS wants to see that you have adequate records to substantiate your business expenses. Consistency is key - use the same documentation method every time. I keep all my receipts (both formal and self-created) organized by month in both physical and digital folders. One tip: if you're buying expensive specialty wood, consider bringing a witness who can verify the transaction if the seller is hesitant about paperwork. This has helped me a few times with valuable hardwood purchases from estate sales.

As someone who's been reselling on various platforms for about 2 years, I can definitely confirm that phone deductions are legit! I upgrade my phone every couple years specifically because I need good camera quality for listing photos and a fast processor for managing inventory apps. One thing I learned the hard way - make sure you're also deducting things like your phone case and any accessories that help with business. I have a tripod mount and ring light attachment that I use exclusively for taking product photos, and my accountant said those are 100% deductible as business equipment. Also, regarding your monthly phone bill question - you're absolutely right that it's separate from your home office deduction. I've been deducting about 70% of my monthly bill based on my usage patterns, and it adds up to a nice chunk of savings over the year. The key is just being consistent with whatever percentage you choose and having a reasonable way to back it up if asked. Good luck with the new phone - having better tools really does make the business more efficient!

Great question about phone deductions! I've been doing eBay reselling for about 4 years and can confirm this is totally legitimate. Your 60% business use estimate sounds reasonable - I actually use about 70% for my reselling business. One tip that's saved me headaches: I keep a simple monthly log where I note my business vs personal usage pattern. Nothing fancy, just "approximately 70% business use this month - heavy listing activity, customer messages, and inventory scanning." Takes 2 minutes but gives me documentation if needed. For the phone purchase itself, you can either take the full business percentage as a Section 179 deduction in year one, or depreciate it over time. Most small sellers I know prefer the immediate deduction since cash flow matters more than spreading it out. And yes, definitely start deducting your monthly phone bill! It's completely separate from home office expenses. I've been deducting the business percentage of my monthly bill for years - it adds up to several hundred dollars in deductions annually. The IRS expects mixed-use items for small businesses, so don't stress too much about having the "perfect" percentage. Just be reasonable and consistent with whatever method you choose for calculating business use.

Anyone using tax software to handle this? I tried using TurboTax but it's still confusing me with how it imports the 1099-B and then what goes where.

As someone who's dealt with Schedule D and Form 8949 for several years now, I'd recommend double-checking your broker statements against what you report. Sometimes brokerages make errors on the acquisition dates or cost basis, especially if you transferred stocks between accounts. For your 6-month holding period stocks with $3,200 in profits, you're definitely dealing with short-term capital gains (taxed as ordinary income). Make sure each transaction on Form 8949 Part I matches exactly what's on your 1099-B forms - the IRS computer system will flag any discrepancies. One tip: if you have a lot of transactions, consider grouping identical securities with the same acquisition and sale dates on a single line of Form 8949, rather than listing each share lot separately. This keeps the form cleaner while still being compliant. Also, don't forget that short-term gains are added to your regular income for tax purposes, so depending on your tax bracket, you might owe more than you expect. Worth setting some money aside if you haven't already!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm a federal employee dealing with similar 401k optimization challenges with my TSP (Thrift Savings Plan). While TSP has some different rules than private sector 401k plans, the core principle about spreading contributions to maximize employer match definitely applies. One thing I've learned from our benefits office is that TSP has automatic "catch-up" for missed agency matching, but only if you contribute at least 5% of your salary in each pay period. If you frontload and then stop contributing mid-year, you lose the agency match for those remaining pay periods with no true-up provision. For anyone in federal service reading this, the TSP contribution limits are the same as private 401k plans ($23,000 for 2025), but we get both agency automatic contributions (1% of salary) plus matching up to 5%. The key is maintaining that consistent contribution throughout the year to capture every dollar of the matching funds. Thanks to everyone who shared their spreadsheet formulas and calculation methods - I'm definitely implementing the even distribution strategy for next year rather than trying to frontload!

This discussion has been incredibly valuable! As someone who's been struggling with the same frontloading mistake, I wanted to share what I learned after finally getting through to my plan administrator. Turns out my plan has a quirky true-up provision - they calculate it in January but only deposit it if you contribute at least $1 in December of the contribution year. So even if you frontload and max out early, you need to make sure you have at least a tiny contribution in your final paycheck to trigger the true-up calculation. This detail wasn't anywhere in my plan documents, and HR had no idea about it. Only the specialized retirement team knew this specific requirement. It makes me wonder how many people are missing out on true-up payments simply because they don't know about these hidden conditions. For 2025, I'm switching to the even distribution approach like many others here suggested. The math is straightforward: $885.65 per paycheck for 26 pay periods gets me to exactly $23,027, leaving a small buffer for any rounding issues. This way I'll get every dollar of employer match throughout the year without having to worry about obscure true-up rules. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's saved me from repeating the same expensive mistake next year!