Has anyone tried using the IRS's Filing Information Returns Electronically (FIRE) system to submit the 1099? I heard you can submit them electronically instead of mailing paper forms but i'm not sure if that applies to individuals or just businesses.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with a similar situation where I paid my divorce attorney $4,200 last year and had no idea about the IRS filing requirement. Based on what everyone has shared, it sounds like I need to file a 1099-MISC (Box 10 for attorney fees) with the IRS along with Form 1096 as the transmittal form, even though this was for personal legal services. I'm definitely going to check out both taxr.ai for getting the forms prepared correctly and Claimyr if I need to speak with an IRS agent about any penalties for late filing. It's frustrating that TurboTax doesn't make this clearer for individual taxpayers who aren't running businesses but still need to issue 1099s. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this could have been a costly mistake to overlook!

Talk about tax season drama! 😅 I literally just finished dealing with this exact problem last week. Here's what worked: call JH corporate at 1-800-234-1040 (not the local office number), then press 4 for "other services" and then 2 for "refund advance questions." When the rep answers, immediately ask for the "advance repayment department" - those exact words seemed to be the magic phrase that got me transferred to someone who could actually help. Had to mail a check directly to their processing center in Delaware. Whole thing was resolved in about 8 days. Good luck!

This sounds incredibly frustrating! I haven't dealt with Jackson Hewitt specifically, but I went through something similar with TurboTax's refund advance program a couple years ago. What finally worked for me was being very persistent about getting the exact mailing address and account information for direct repayment. Have you tried asking the customer service reps to email you the written repayment instructions? Sometimes they have different information available via email that they don't mention over the phone. Also, if you paid for the advance with a debit/credit card originally, you might be able to reference that transaction to help them locate your account in their system. Document everything in case you need to dispute any potential credit reporting issues later!

I completed my verification on February 17th this year, and like your boyfriend, the notification disappeared almost immediately. My return was fully processed and the refund hit my account on March 4th. The system seems to be working much better this year than in previous tax seasons. If he verified through ID.me (which is what the IRS uses), and that verification was accepted, you should be in good shape for summer tuition planning.

As someone who went through identity verification last year, I can relate to the anxiety! The quick disappearance of the notification is definitely promising. In my experience, the IRS system has become much more efficient - when verification goes smoothly, it really does process that fast. One thing I'd suggest is setting up an IRS account online if your boyfriend hasn't already. You can check his account transcript there, which updates more frequently than Where's My Refund and gives you a clearer picture of what's happening behind the scenes. The transcript will show codes that indicate where his return is in the process. Also, just to manage expectations for summer tuition - even with successful verification, refunds can still take 3-6 weeks to process completely. It might be worth having a backup plan just in case, but based on what you've described, things sound like they're moving in the right direction!

Watch out for the quarterly estimated tax payments if your trading is profitable! I got hit with an underpayment penalty last year cause I didn't realize I needed to make payments throughout the year on my trading gains. The Fidelity dashboard shows YTD figures but doesn't remind you about this requirement.

Based on your numbers, you're looking at about $800 in net short-term capital gains ($2,300 - $1,500), which will be taxed at your ordinary income rate. The Fidelity YTD dashboard is generally reliable for tracking realized gains/losses. A few key things to consider: First, make sure you understand wash sale rules - if you've been buying back the same or substantially identical securities within 30 days of selling at a loss, some of those losses might be disallowed. Second, consider whether you need to make estimated quarterly tax payments. If you'll owe more than $1,000 in additional taxes and your current withholding doesn't cover at least 90% of this year's tax liability (or 100% of last year's), you might need to pay quarterly. For someone in your situation with relatively modest gains, setting aside 20-25% of your net gains is usually a safe approach, but the exact amount depends on your total income and tax bracket. Given the complexity of trading taxes, especially with frequent transactions, it might be worth consulting with a tax professional or using specialized tax software that can handle investment activities properly.

Has anyone tried Credit Karma Tax? I switched to them last year and they're completely free for federal and state. No hidden fees, no refund transfer delays. The IRS direct deposited to my account in 8 days. The interface isn't as nice as TurboTax, but for the price difference, I can deal with it.

This is exactly why I always tell people to avoid the refund transfer option if possible! I've been preparing taxes for family members for years and learned this lesson the hard way. The marketing makes it sound convenient, but what they don't emphasize is that you're essentially adding an extra middleman (the bank) between you and your refund. Michael, I'm sorry you had to deal with this runaround. For future reference, if you can't pay the prep fees upfront, some tax software companies like FreeTaxUSA actually let you file your federal return for free and only charge for state returns. That way you can still get your federal refund directly from the IRS without any third-party delays. Also, for anyone reading this - always check the "Where's My Refund" tool on the IRS website. It will show you exactly when the IRS processed and sent your refund, which gives you ammunition when dealing with these processing banks if there are unexplained delays.