This blank screen issue has been driving everyone crazy lately! I've been having the same problem on and off for about a week now. What worked for me (besides incognito mode) was actually disabling my ad blocker temporarily - apparently some ad blockers interfere with the IRS site's security scripts. Also, if you're using any VPN, try turning it off since the IRS blocks some VPN IP ranges. The fact that you got it working with incognito is a good sign though - means your return is probably processing normally and it's just their website being glitchy as usual. With a $3,789 refund pending, definitely worth checking every few days to catch any updates early. Their system should show movement soon since you're at the 3-week mark! 🤞

Glad to see incognito mode worked for you! That's actually one of the most reliable fixes for the IRS website issues. For future reference, you can also try clearing your browser's cache and cookies specifically for irs.gov - sometimes old session data gets corrupted and causes these blank screen errors. Since you're at the 3-week mark with a $3,789 refund, you should start seeing some movement on your transcript soon. Pro tip: check your transcript in the early morning hours (6-8 AM) when their servers are less congested - you'll have much better luck avoiding these technical glitches. The IRS typically updates transcripts overnight, so morning checks often catch the freshest status changes. Keep us posted on what you find! 🤞

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with the exact same issue and was starting to think I was going crazy. I have about $4,200 in 1099-NEC income from freelance work, and TurboTax was showing dramatically different credit amounts depending on how I entered it. What really clicked for me reading these responses is understanding that it's not that Schedule C income doesn't count as earned income - it absolutely does! The issue is that the self-employment tax calculations reduce your NET earnings from self-employment, and THAT reduced amount is what determines your credit eligibility. So my $4,200 in 1099 income becomes maybe $3,800-ish in actual "earned income" for credit purposes after all the SE tax math. No wonder my Child Tax Credit and EITC amounts were lower than I expected! I was comparing apples to oranges when I tried the W-2 experiment. Thanks everyone for explaining this so clearly. I feel much more confident now that I'm entering everything correctly in TurboTax, even if the final credit amounts aren't as high as I initially hoped they'd be.

I went through this exact same confusion last year! The key thing to understand is that 1099-NEC income absolutely DOES count as earned income for tax credits, but there's an important calculation difference that TurboTax handles automatically. When you enter 1099-NEC income correctly as Schedule C business income, TurboTax calculates your self-employment tax (15.3% on 92.35% of your net profit) and then takes a deduction for half of that SE tax. The final result is your "net earnings from self-employment" - and THIS amount is what counts as earned income for EITC and Child Tax Credit purposes. So if you received $5,000 on your 1099-NEC with minimal expenses, your actual earned income for credit calculations might only be around $4,200-$4,300 after the SE tax adjustments. This reduced amount could be affecting your credit eligibility thresholds. The reason the W-2 experiment gave you higher credits is because W-2 income doesn't have these self-employment tax deductions - TurboTax counted the full amount as earned income, which isn't accurate for your situation. Make sure you're entering your 1099-NEC as Schedule C income (not hobby income, which doesn't count as earned income at all). You should still qualify for credits, but the net amount after self-employment calculations is what determines your eligibility levels. This is completely normal and correct!

The IRS Publication 974 actually has a pretty good example of this situation on page 26-27 (Example 2) that walks through shared policy allocations. Don't overthink it!

This is such a common issue that trips up many tax preparers! I want to emphasize something that hasn't been fully clarified yet - when you allocate 100% to the parents and 0% to the adult children, you're not just doing this for the premium amounts, but also for the advance premium tax credit (APTC) amounts shown in Column C of the 1095-A. The key steps are: 1) Use the state's SLCSP lookup tool to find the benchmark plan cost for JUST the parents (not the full family amount shown on the 1095-A) 2) Calculate the parents' PTC using their income and the adjusted SLCSP amount 3) Complete the allocation worksheet showing parents claim 100% of their portions 4) The adult children simply report they had coverage but don't file Form 8962 One thing to watch out for - make sure you're using the correct ages for the SLCSP lookup. Use the ages as of the first day of each coverage month, not current ages. This can make a difference in the benchmark calculation. Your instinct about the $5,600 PTC being more reasonable than $14,400 is absolutely correct. The higher amount would only make sense if you were calculating credits for all four family members, which isn't appropriate here since the adult children aren't in the parents' tax family.

This is actually a really important question that @Freya Andersen raised. When I had my returns done, they were definitely e-filed - I got the electronic confirmation and everything. But now that you mention it, I never really paid attention to what software they were using or how the process worked on their end. If the software requires a valid PTIN to e-file as a paid preparer, then either they somehow got around that requirement or they're filing under someone else's PTIN. Both scenarios are pretty concerning and suggest this might be more serious than just forgetting to renew their registration. I'm definitely going to ask them directly about this when I confront them about the PTIN issue. The fact that they've been able to e-file for years without a valid PTIN suggests there might be some deliberate deception going on rather than just an oversight.

As someone who's been through IRS issues before, I'd strongly recommend documenting everything before you confront your preparer. Make copies of all your past returns, any correspondence, receipts for payments to them, etc. The e-filing point that others raised is crucial - if they've been successfully e-filing without a valid PTIN, they're either using someone else's credentials (identity theft/fraud) or somehow gaming the system. Both are serious federal violations. I'd also suggest checking the IRS Preparer Directory online to see if your preparer appears there at all. You can search by name and location. If they're not listed anywhere, that's another red flag. Before confronting them directly, you might want to file Form 14157 first. That way if they become hostile or try to cover their tracks after you ask questions, you've already gotten your complaint on record with the IRS. The last thing you want is for them to disappear or destroy records once they know you're onto them.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is the potential impact of the SECURE Act 2.0 changes on 529 plans. Starting in 2024, you can roll over unused 529 funds to a Roth IRA for the beneficiary (subject to certain conditions and limits). This might factor into your decision about whether to cash out I-Bonds and move money to a 529. If you're concerned about overfunding a 529 plan or your daughter not using all the education funds, the new Roth IRA rollover option provides additional flexibility that I-Bonds don't offer. The 529 money gets tax-free growth potential, and any unused portion can eventually become retirement savings for your daughter. That said, there are strict requirements - the 529 account must be open for at least 15 years, and you can only roll over contributions and earnings that have been in the account for at least 5 years. But for long-term planning with a 12-year-old, this could be relevant to your overall strategy of I-Bonds versus 529 funding.

I've been following this discussion closely since I'm in a very similar situation with I-Bonds and education planning. One additional consideration that might help with your decision is the current interest rate environment and how it affects the relative attractiveness of keeping I-Bonds versus moving to a 529. I-Bonds purchased 3 years ago are likely earning decent fixed rates plus inflation adjustments, but the growth potential in a 529 invested in age-appropriate funds might outpace that over your 6-year timeline until college. However, the guaranteed nature of I-Bond returns provides certainty that market-based investments can't match. Another angle to consider: if you do decide to cash out some bonds and move to a 529, you might want to prioritize redeeming any bonds with lower fixed rates first while keeping the higher-rate bonds until closer to when you need the funds. This way you get the benefits of tax-free growth in the 529 while still maintaining some inflation-protected guaranteed returns. Given all the complexity mentioned in this thread about timing, state tax benefits, and the new SECURE Act provisions, it might be worth running the numbers with a fee-only financial planner who can model different scenarios specific to your situation. The tax implications alone seem complicated enough that professional guidance could pay for itself.