Quick question - I'm an Instacart shopper, I've been tracking my mileage with the Stride app since I started, but noticed it sometimes misses trips or adds personal drives. Will the IRS accept the Stride reports as is or do I need something else?

This is such a timely reminder! I'm a freelance photographer and I've been absolutely terrible about tracking my mileage to wedding venues, engagement shoots, and equipment rental places. I probably missed out on hundreds of dollars in deductions last year because I just guessed at my business miles. One thing I learned the hard way - if you use the standard mileage rate, you can't also deduct actual car expenses like gas, repairs, or depreciation. It's one or the other. For most people the standard mileage rate works out better, but if you have an expensive car or drive a lot of miles, it might be worth calculating both ways. Also pro tip: if you're meeting clients at coffee shops or restaurants, those trips count as business mileage too! I used to think it only counted if I was going to an "official" business location, but any trip with a legitimate business purpose qualifies. Definitely taking that odometer photo today - thanks for the reminder!

This exact thing happened to me last year! I was panicking because I owed about $2,800 and they hadn't withdrawn it yet, then suddenly got a refund check for $900. Turns out the IRS automated system caught that I had missed claiming some education credits that I was eligible for. The key thing is to wait for that CP12 notice (or similar) that explains what they adjusted. In my case, it took about 3 weeks after getting the check to receive the explanation letter. Once I got it, everything made perfect sense - they had recalculated my return with the proper credits, which reduced what I owed significantly. My scheduled payment was automatically canceled once they processed the adjustment, so I never had to worry about them taking the wrong amount from my account. The whole thing actually worked out in my favor once I understood what happened. Don't stress too much - the IRS computers are actually pretty good at catching these kinds of errors. Just hold onto the check until you get the official explanation, then you'll know exactly where you stand.

This is actually more common than you might think! I work in tax preparation and see this scenario fairly regularly during tax season. What likely happened is that the IRS's automated review system (they call it the Error Resolution System) flagged your return for potential credits or deductions you may have missed. The system runs every return through various checks and can automatically adjust things like: - Earned Income Tax Credit calculations - Child Tax Credit amounts - Education credits (American Opportunity, Lifetime Learning) - Standard deduction amounts - Filing status optimizations Since you mentioned doing everything online, there's a good chance you missed entering something or entered it in a way that didn't maximize your credits. The IRS computers caught this and processed the correction, which resulted in your refund. Your scheduled payment is likely still in the system but may be adjusted or canceled entirely depending on what they found. Keep monitoring your bank account, but don't be surprised if the withdrawal amount changes or doesn't happen at all. The CP12 notice explaining the changes should arrive within 2-3 weeks of receiving your check. Once you get that, you'll know exactly what they adjusted and whether you still owe anything. In the meantime, definitely hold onto that check but don't cash it until you understand what's happening!

Same thing happened to me last year with Cash App! The deposit literally appeared out of nowhere on March 5th (my DDD) at like 6 AM - no pending notification or anything. Cash App is different from traditional banks in that they don't show pending ACH transfers. Your WMR showing approved with a March 5th date means you're all set. The IRS batch processes refunds overnight before the deposit date, so you'll probably wake up March 5th and see it there. Don't stress about what you're seeing on social media - everyone's timeline is different based on when they filed and how complex their return is.

I went through this exact same situation with Cash App last year! Filed early February, got approved with a deposit date, but Cash App showed absolutely nothing pending. I was panicking because I kept seeing posts about people getting their refunds early. But then on my exact deposit date, boom - the money just appeared in my account around 5 AM with no warning. Cash App doesn't do the pending deposit thing like traditional banks. If your WMR shows March 5th as your deposit date and you're approved, that's when it'll hit. The IRS is pretty reliable with those direct deposit dates. Try not to stress about the social media posts - everyone files at different times and has different processing situations. You're right on track!

This might not be relevant to everyone but check if your state has a separate withholding form! I adjusted my federal W4 but forgot about my state withholding and was confused why my take-home wasn't changing as much as expected.

Just wanted to add - if you're in a tight financial spot like you mentioned, be really careful about adjusting your withholding too aggressively. While getting more money in each paycheck feels great right now, you don't want to end up with a massive tax bill next April that you can't afford to pay. The IRS charges penalties and interest on underpayments, which could make your financial situation even worse. Consider using one of those withholding calculators mentioned earlier to find the sweet spot where you get more take-home pay but still cover your tax liability. Also, if you're struggling with bills, look into whether you qualify for any tax credits like the Earned Income Credit or Child Tax Credit - these can significantly reduce what you owe and might allow you to withhold even less while staying safe.

As someone who's been doing gig work for about 2 years now, I really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here. I was actually considering reaching out to one of these SETC companies after seeing their ads everywhere, but after reading through all these comments, I'm definitely staying away. It's frustrating how these companies target gig workers specifically - they know we're always looking for ways to maximize our tax benefits since we don't get the same protections as traditional employees. The marketing is so aggressive and makes it sound like we're leaving money on the table if we don't apply. I think the key takeaway here is that if you're getting 1099s and don't have actual employees, you probably don't qualify for these credits no matter what the ads say. Better to focus on legitimate deductions we can actually prove with receipts and documentation. Has anyone here had success working with a CPA who specializes in gig worker taxes? I'm thinking it might be worth the investment to make sure I'm not missing any legitimate deductions without falling for these questionable schemes.

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this thread probably just saved me from making a huge mistake! I was literally filling out the application for Anchor Financial yesterday when I decided to do some research first and found this discussion. The red flags were definitely there when I looked closer. They wanted me to pay $800 upfront as a "processing fee" and kept pushing me to sign quickly before their "limited time offer" expired. When I asked specific questions about eligibility requirements, they gave really vague answers and kept saying "we'll handle all the details." After reading about the IRS warnings and seeing real examples of people getting audited and having to pay everything back, I'm definitely backing away from this. I'd rather stick with legitimate deductions I can actually document than risk getting on the IRS's radar for filing questionable claims. Going to look into finding a CPA who works with gig workers instead. Better to pay for real professional advice than get scammed by these SETC companies that are clearly taking advantage of drivers who are just trying to get the tax benefits we're actually entitled to.