This is such a helpful thread! I'm 22 and was in the exact same boat - qualified for EIC last year but my tax software said no this year. After reading through all these comments, I realized I should check if I qualify as a "specified student" since I'm enrolled full-time at my local university. Sure enough, when I went back into my tax software and specifically indicated my full-time student status in the EIC section (not just the education credits section), it recognized the exception and I qualified! Apparently being enrolled full-time for at least 5 months during the tax year creates an exception to the normal age 25 minimum. It's frustrating that the software doesn't always ask the right questions upfront to catch these exceptions. For anyone else under 25 who thinks they don't qualify - definitely double-check if you're a full-time student, former foster youth, or experienced homelessness, as these can all be qualifying exceptions even if you're under the normal age threshold.

Great question! As someone who works in tax preparation, I can confirm that the EIC rules have been particularly confusing the past few years due to temporary expansions that have since expired. For the 2024 tax year (filing in 2025), the standard age requirement is 25-64 for taxpayers without qualifying children. However, you may still qualify under the "specified student" exception if you were enrolled full-time at an eligible educational institution for at least 5 months during 2024. This exception allows students as young as 19 to claim the EIC. Since you mentioned you're 23 and live in Minneapolis, if you were a full-time student for at least 5 months in 2024, you should definitely explore this exception. Many tax software programs don't automatically connect your student status to EIC eligibility, so you may need to specifically indicate this when the software asks about EIC qualifications. I'd recommend double-checking your student enrollment status for 2024 and making sure your tax software knows about it in the context of the EIC, not just for education credits. If you're still unsure, IRS Publication 596 has the complete details on all EIC exceptions for your tax year.

Per IRM 21.4.1.3 (Refund Inquiry Response Procedures), the IRS is not obligated to provide specific information about the status of a refund until 21 days after e-filing or 6 weeks after paper filing. Based on my experience as a tax professional, I've observed the following pattern for 2023 returns (2024 filing season): 1. Simple returns (W-2 only, standard deduction): 14-21 days 2. Returns with dividend/interest income: 17-24 days 3. Returns with Schedule C/E but no credits: 21-30 days The "Return Accepted" status simply means the return has passed the initial validation checks. Your return is likely in batch processing and should move to approved status within the next 3-5 days based on current patterns.

I'm in a similar situation and completely understand your frustration about needing to plan for medical procedures. Filed my simple return (just W-2, standard deduction) on March 15th and still waiting at the 20-day mark. One thing that's helped my anxiety is setting up text alerts through the IRS2Go mobile app - sometimes it updates faster than the website. Also, I've noticed from reading other forums that once your transcript shows a cycle code 20240XX (where XX is the week), your refund typically processes within 2-3 business days. For what it's worth, I called the Practitioner Priority Service line (even though I'm not a practitioner, they sometimes help regular taxpayers after 21 days) and was told that simple returns filed in mid-March are currently taking 22-25 days this year due to increased verification procedures, even for basic returns. Have you considered checking if your bank account information on file is correct? Sometimes returns get delayed if there's a mismatch with previous year's banking details, even if everything looks right on your end.

Filed my return on March 1st as a first-time e-filer with just W-2 income and standard deduction. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been so reassuring! I was getting worried seeing different timelines everywhere, but it sounds like 21-30 days is realistic for most situations. Already set up direct deposit and planning to check my transcript this weekend based on all the recommendations here. The batch processing explanation really helps explain why timing seems so unpredictable. Thanks to everyone for sharing their real experiences - it's way more helpful than the vague official estimates!

I filed on February 22nd with a straightforward W-2 return and just got my refund deposited this morning - exactly 21 days! What really helped manage my expectations was following the advice in this thread about checking transcripts instead of obsessively refreshing WMR. For anyone still waiting, I noticed my transcript showed code 846 (refund issued) about 3 days before the money actually hit my account. The batch processing explanation makes so much sense now looking back - my transcript updated on a Thursday night and the deposit appeared the following Tuesday. For future reference, I'm definitely bookmarking this thread because the real-world timelines shared here are way more accurate than the generic IRS estimates. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences!

As someone who's dealt with similar business expense questions, I'd recommend keeping meticulous records if you decide to pursue this. The IRS looks for three key things: ordinary (common in your industry), necessary (helpful for your business), and reasonable (not excessive). For a pet daycare, having a "demo dog" that helps socialize and train client animals could potentially qualify, but you'll need to prove it's genuinely business-related. Consider getting a letter from a veterinary behaviorist or animal trainer explaining how your dog's role benefits the business operations. Also, only deduct the percentage that's truly business use. If your German Shepherd spends 30% of her time actively working with client dogs, then 30% of training costs might be deductible. But regular vet care and food would likely be considered personal expenses unless you can document a clear business need. One more tip: take photos and videos of your dog actually working with client animals. Visual documentation of her training other dogs could be valuable evidence if the IRS ever questions the deduction.

This thread has been really helpful! As a tax preparer, I see unusual business expense questions like this fairly often. The key thing to remember is that the IRS doesn't care what your "employee" species is - they care about whether the expense is ordinary, necessary, and reasonable for your specific business. For a pet daycare, having a well-trained dog that helps with client animals is actually pretty standard in the industry. I've successfully helped clients deduct portions of working dog expenses before. The critical factors are: 1) Document everything with photos/videos of the dog working, 2) Keep a detailed log of business vs. personal time, 3) Only deduct the business percentage of expenses, and 4) Get professional validation (vet behaviorist letter is excellent advice from Callum). One additional tip: Consider getting your German Shepherd certified through a professional dog training organization for her role in your business. Having formal credentials strengthens your case that this is a legitimate business function, not just a pet expense in disguise.

Something nobody's mentioned yet - if your gambling activity is substantial and consistent enough, you might actually qualify as a "professional gambler" for tax purposes, which changes how you report everything. Instead of putting winnings on Line 8b and losses on Schedule A (subject to the 2% floor), you'd report everything on Schedule C. The key factors the IRS looks at: whether you approach gambling in a businesslike manner, your expertise, time invested, expectation of profit, and history of income from gambling. From your detailed record-keeping, it sounds like you might qualify. Benefits: You can deduct all losses (not just when itemizing) and deduct related expenses (travel to casinos, internet for online play, etc). Downsides: You'll pay self-employment tax on net profits. I'm not saying this is definitely your situation, but worth discussing with your CPA given how organized you are with tracking everything.

I went through almost the exact same situation last year with multiple online casinos and PayPal 1099-Ks. The advice here is spot-on - you're definitely on the right track with your detailed record keeping. One thing that really helped me was creating a simple reconciliation statement that I attached to my return. I made three columns: "PayPal Transaction," "Transaction Type," and "Actual Gambling Income." For each 1099-K transaction, I noted whether it was a deposit (no income), withdrawal of original deposit (no income), or withdrawal of actual winnings (taxable income). This made it crystal clear to anyone reviewing my return that I wasn't trying to hide anything - I was just properly categorizing what was actual gambling income versus money movements. My CPA said having this level of documentation made him much more comfortable with how we reported everything. The double-counting concern you mentioned with W2-G forms is real, but your detailed logs will protect you. Just make sure when you report gambling winnings on Line 8b that you're not including the same win twice if it appears on both a W2-G and gets captured in your PayPal withdrawals. You're being more careful than most people in this situation, so I think you'll be fine as long as you keep documenting everything the way you have been.