Something else to consider - if you're still incorporating the charity, these might be startup costs rather than regular business expenses. The IRS allows you to deduct up to $5,000 in startup costs in your first year of business, with the rest amortized over 15 years. But the meal would still be subject to the 50% limitation within that startup cost category.

Great question! I went through something very similar when starting my nonprofit last year. Here's what I learned from my accountant and through experience: You absolutely need to keep that itemized receipt - not just the credit card slip. Write on the back (or keep separate notes) the name of the vendor, their company, and a brief summary of what business topics you discussed related to your charity. The IRS wants to see clear business purpose, so something like "Discussed website development services for [charity name] - reviewed pricing and timeline for donor portal" works well. Since you're still incorporating, I'd recommend creating a simple spreadsheet to track these pre-launch expenses separately. They'll likely be classified as startup costs rather than regular business expenses, which has different deduction rules (up to $5,000 first year, rest amortized over 15 years). One tip: don't stress about taking formal notes during the meal - that would be awkward! Just jot down the key business points discussed within a day or two while it's fresh. The goal is showing the IRS this was a legitimate business meeting, not a social lunch. Remember the 50% deduction limit applies even for nonprofits, and keep the expense "reasonable" - fancy steakhouses might raise eyebrows, but normal business lunch spots are fine. Good luck with your charity launch!

Just checked my NetSpend app after seeing Mikayla's update and mine hit too! Got my deposit at 2:47pm EST today (3/17). For anyone still waiting, it looks like NetSpend is releasing them in batches throughout the afternoon. I've noticed they usually do deposits in waves - early morning (12am-6am) for some people, then afternoon batches like this one. Don't panic if you haven't seen yours yet - there might be another wave later today or early tomorrow morning. The important thing is that your transcript shows the 3/17 date, which means the IRS has already sent the payment to NetSpend.

Still waiting here with a 3/17 DDD on my NetSpend account. It's now 4:30pm EST and nothing yet, but reading through everyone's experiences is actually pretty reassuring! Sounds like NetSpend really does process these in multiple waves throughout the day. I've been a NetSpend customer for about 3 years and this is exactly how it went last year - got mine around 6pm even though others got theirs much earlier. For anyone else still waiting, it seems like the key thing is having that 846 code with the 3/17 date on your transcript, which means the IRS has definitely sent the payment. NetSpend's batch processing just takes time to work through all the deposits. Going to try to be patient for a few more hours before I start worrying!

Just want to add that I'm in a similar production business with an S-corp and I DO file Schedules L and M-1 even though I'm under the threshold. My reasoning is that these schedules create a paper trail of your business's financial position over time. If you ever get audited or need to show financial history for loans/investors, having these forms consistently filed gives a more complete picture.

Based on your situation, you're absolutely correct that Schedules L and M-1 aren't required since you're well under the $250k threshold. However, I'd strongly recommend addressing the salary issue that Dmitry mentioned - the IRS can be quite strict about S-corp owners taking reasonable compensation when the business is profitable, even if it's just $1,270. For the schedules themselves, since you're a small one-person operation, I'd suggest keeping it simple and only filing what's required unless you have a specific reason to include them (like establishing a financial history for future lending). Your time is probably better spent on growing the business back to full operations. One practical tip: if you do decide to include the optional schedules in future years as your business grows, start maintaining the books now in a way that makes completing them easier later. This gives you flexibility without extra work this year.

FYI - your former employer is breaking the law. Employers are required to provide W2s by January 31st, and they must respond to requests for replacement W2s in a reasonable timeframe. You can actually file a complaint with your state's labor department as well as with the IRS.

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now and honestly, your former employer is being completely unprofessional. From what I've learned through my own research, you have several solid options that don't require your ex-boss to cooperate. The IRS wage transcript route is definitely your best bet for speed - you can get it online immediately through irs.gov if you create an account. This will have all the same info as your W2 and is completely legitimate documentation that state tax departments regularly accept. You should also absolutely report your former employer to the IRS at 800-829-1040. They're legally required to provide your W2 and the IRS takes this seriously. Even if it doesn't help you immediately, it might prevent them from doing this to other former employees. One thing I'd add is to document everything - save those texts where you asked for the W2, keep records of your calls to ADP, etc. This creates a paper trail showing you made good faith efforts to get your W2, which strengthens your case if there are any questions from tax authorities later.

My brother had this happen back in 2022 and ignored it since the money arrived. Then six months later he got a CP14 notice saying he owed additional taxes plus interest! Turns out the refund was correct but the IRS hadn't properly closed out his return in their system. If your WMR doesn't update within a week after getting your refund, I'd recommend keeping documentation of everything just in case. Better safe than sorry based on our family's experience.

I can relate to this situation completely! Just went through the same thing last month - my refund showed up in my account on a Wednesday but the WMR tool didn't budge from "Processing" for another 6 days. It's definitely nerve-wracking when you're not sure if everything is working correctly. From what I've learned reading through everyone's experiences here, it seems like this is just how their systems work (or don't work together, more accurately). I ended up calling the IRS directly after 5 days just to confirm everything was processed correctly, and they assured me this delay between payment and status updates is totally normal. Still frustrating though - you'd think in 2024 they could sync their systems better!