This is exactly the kind of situation where getting personalized guidance can make a huge difference! As others have mentioned, yes - divorced parents can absolutely each claim one child on their separate returns, which is often the fairest approach. Since your son and his ex have been handling this informally so far, I'd strongly recommend they sit down together (or via video call) to hash out the details now, before tax season gets hectic. They should decide not just who claims which child, but also discuss any special circumstances - like if one child has higher medical expenses or daycare costs that might make it beneficial for a specific parent to claim them. The key is making sure they're both on the same page about the arrangement and that they understand all the tax benefits that come with claiming a dependent (Child Tax Credit, potential Head of Household status, etc.). Having this conversation now will save them both stress and potential mistakes when they're actually filing their 2025 returns. It sounds like they have a good co-parenting relationship if they've been flexible with arrangements - that's going to serve them well in making this tax decision too!

Just wanted to add from my own experience - make sure they consider the timing of when each child actually lives with each parent throughout the year. The "more than half the year" rule is based on actual nights spent in each home, not just what the informal agreement says. I learned this the hard way when my ex and I had a roughly 50/50 split but my daughter ended up staying extra weeks with me due to school schedules and summer camps. We had agreed he would claim her, but when I actually counted the days, she lived with me for about 195 nights that year. This created confusion about who was actually eligible to claim her as a dependent. My advice would be for them to keep a simple calendar or shared Google doc tracking where each child sleeps each night. It doesn't have to be fancy - just something they can both access to confirm the counts if needed. This way there's no guesswork when tax time comes, and they can even adjust their agreement mid-year if the actual custody time ends up being different than planned. The arrangement of each claiming one child consistently is smart, but they should make sure the custody time actually supports who's claiming which child!

Called the IRS yesterday and got hung up on 3 times lmaooo we love to see it 🤮

mine switched from still processing to processing after 8 weeks and got my ddd 2 days later! there is hope yall!!

Pro tip: sign up for informed delivery with USPS so you know when its coming

Just went through this last year - can confirm it's always a paper check for 1040X refunds. The IRS systems don't link your amended return to your original direct deposit info for security reasons. Since you mentioned it's a big amount, definitely set up that USPS Informed Delivery like Axel suggested. Also keep checking "Where's My Amended Return" on the IRS website for status updates. The wait is painful but hang in there!

Pro tip: In the future, NEVER have your fees taken out of your refund! Always pay upfront with a credit card. When you choose to have fees deducted from your refund, your money goes through a third-party bank that charges additional fees and creates opportunities for "errors" like this. If you pay the tax prep fee directly, your refund comes straight from the IRS to your bank account with no middleman.

This is exactly why I switched to filing directly through the IRS Free File program last year. No middleman, no hidden fees, and your refund goes straight from the IRS to your bank account. I was tired of these tax prep companies finding creative ways to skim extra money. For your situation, definitely get your IRS transcript and document everything. The transcript will show exactly what the IRS sent and when. If there's a discrepancy between what they sent and what you received, you have TurboTax dead to rights. Don't let them drag this out - escalate immediately and threaten to file complaints with the CFPB and your state's attorney general if they don't resolve it within a week. These companies count on people not checking their math or giving up when they encounter resistance. Stay persistent!

Quick question - does anyone know if you can update your direct deposit info on the Where's My Refund tool? I'm thinking about filing my taxes this weekend and want to avoid this same problem.

I went through this exact same situation two years ago with Chase Bank - used their wire routing number instead of the ACH routing number for my tax refund. The good news is that your money isn't lost! Here's what happened in my case: The bank rejected the deposit after about 5-7 business days, and the IRS automatically reissued it as a paper check. The whole process took about 3 weeks from when the IRS first attempted the deposit. The "Where's My Refund" tool eventually updated to show "Your refund will be mailed as a check" instead of showing it as deposited. One tip that helped me was checking with my bank every few days to see if they had received and rejected anything - sometimes they can see attempted deposits in their system even before they officially bounce back to the IRS. Also, make sure your mailing address is current with the IRS since they'll be sending that paper check! Try not to stress too much - this is actually a pretty common mistake and the IRS has systems in place to handle it. Your $1,300 will find its way to you, it's just going to take a bit longer than expected.