22 Has anyone used FreeTaxUSA for prior year returns? Their website says they support 2021 tax filing and it's free for federal (state is $15). Just wondering if it's user-friendly for past years.

Just wanted to add my experience - I filed my 2020 taxes late and it took about 10 weeks to get my refund, but I did get every penny I was owed! The key things that helped me were: 1) Making sure I had all my documents organized before starting, 2) Double-checking all the math since manual processing means they catch errors more easily, and 3) Sending it certified mail so I had proof it was delivered. The IRS processed it without any issues. You're definitely not too late for 2021 - just be patient with the processing time since paper returns take longer. Good luck!

Pro tip: dont waste time checking multiple times a day. cycle 5 is strictly a thursday night update schedule

Cycle 5 updates are typically Thursday nights/early Friday mornings around 2-6am EST. Since you're on cycle code 20250505, you should check your transcript Friday mornings for any updates. Your transcript looks pretty straightforward - processed on 2/18 with a decent refund amount. The waiting is definitely the hardest part! Just remember that cycle 5 filers usually see movement on Fridays, so try not to stress about checking throughout the week. Good luck! 🤞

Just went through this exact situation! I verified my identity on March 2nd and got my refund deposited on March 18th - so 16 days total. Like others mentioned, my WMR bars completely disappeared for about 10 days which had me panicking, but then it suddenly jumped to "approved" with a deposit date. The transcript codes were super helpful to track - I saw the 971 notice code first, then 846 refund issued about 3 days before the actual deposit. Definitely check your transcript if you haven't already, it gives you way more info than WMR. Fingers crossed yours processes soon since you're already a week in! 🤞

I just went through this same nightmare! Verified my identity on February 28th and finally got my refund deposited yesterday (March 14th) - so exactly 14 days. The waiting was absolutely brutal, especially since I also had bills depending on that money. My experience was similar to what others are describing: WMR went completely blank for about 8 days after verification, which made me think something went wrong. Then boom - suddenly updated to "approved" with a DDD. The transcript was definitely more helpful than WMR during the wait. I saw the 971 code appear about 5 days before my refund actually hit my account. Stay strong - you're probably closer than you think! Most people here seem to be getting theirs in the 2-3 week range after verification.

How do you know if you "materially participated" for sure? I resell stuff on Poshmark and Mercari like maybe 5-6 hours a week. Is that enough to count?

This is such a common mistake - you're definitely not alone in this! The material participation question is honestly one of the most confusing parts of self-employment taxes, especially for people doing online selling as a side hustle. From what you described (taking photos, writing listings, shipping items), you absolutely materially participated in your eBay/PayPal business. The IRS considers activities like sourcing inventory, marketing, customer service, and fulfillment as clear signs of material participation. You were running the business, not just passively collecting income. Definitely file that amendment (Form 1040-X) to correct this. It's actually likely to work in your favor since business income where you materially participate gets better tax treatment than passive income. The good news is that this type of mistake usually results in getting money back rather than owing more. Don't stress too much about getting flagged - this is a legitimate correction of an honest mistake, and the IRS sees these kinds of amendments all the time. Just make sure to clearly explain the correction on the amendment form and keep records of your business activities in case you ever need to demonstrate your level of participation.

Happened to me last year too! Just want to clarify something - the small earnings between contribution and conversion ($2.15 in your case) ARE actually taxable. You have to pay tax on that tiny bit of growth. But the original $6000 contribution is NOT taxable again as long as you document it properly with Form 8606. If you don't file Form 8606, the IRS has no way to know that you already paid tax on that money, which is why TurboTax is calculating additional tax on the full amount. The form establishes your "basis" (already-taxed amount) in the Traditional IRA.

Hey Ava! I went through this exact same nightmare last year - you're definitely not alone in this confusion. The good news is that this is totally fixable and you're NOT being double-taxed once you get Form 8606 filed correctly. Here's what's happening: Your 1099-R is correctly showing the $6,002.15 distribution, but without Form 8606, the IRS computer systems assume that entire amount is taxable income (as if it came from pre-tax/deductible IRA contributions). Form 8606 is what tells the IRS "Hey, this $6,000 was already taxed money, so don't tax it again!" To find Form 8606 in TurboTax, try this path: Go to Federal Taxes → Deductions & Credits → Retirement & Investments → Traditional and Roth IRA Contributions. When you enter your $6,000 Traditional IRA contribution, make sure to select that it's NON-DEDUCTIBLE (since your income is too high to deduct it anyway). This should automatically trigger TurboTax to include Form 8606. If that doesn't work, use the search function in TurboTax and type "8606" - it should pop right up. Once you get this sorted, you'll see your tax bill drop back to normal. Only that tiny $2.15 in earnings should be taxable, not the full $6,000+ that TurboTax is currently calculating.