I'm facing a similar situation right now! My tax preparer is also wanting to charge me almost the full fee again for an amended return. Reading through these responses has been really helpful - I didn't realize that amended returns require essentially preparing everything from scratch again. One question I have is about the self-employment tax aspect that was mentioned. If I forgot to include some freelance income (around $3,000), will I definitely owe self-employment tax on that, or does it depend on how much total self-employment income I had for the year? I'm trying to figure out the full financial impact before I decide whether to pay my current preparer or try one of the alternative services mentioned here. Also, has anyone had experience with amended returns that involve both adding income AND claiming additional deductions that were missed? I think I might have some business expenses related to that freelance work that I could deduct.

I'm dealing with this exact situation right now too! My tax preparer wants to charge me $350 for an amended return when my original filing was $400. At first I thought it was excessive, but after reading these responses I understand better why the cost is so high. What's really helping me decide is getting a clear estimate of what I'll actually owe before committing to the amendment fee. I used the IRS withholding calculator to get a rough idea, but I'm wondering if anyone has tips for calculating the self-employment tax portion more precisely? I have about $2,800 in unreported freelance income and I want to make sure the amendment fee is worth it compared to just waiting to see if the IRS catches the discrepancy. Also, for those who mentioned the AI tax services - do they handle state amendments too, or just federal? My state requires a separate amendment filing and my preparer wants to charge extra for that as well.

Setting up a separate bank account for your photo sales is also super helpful for keeping things organized. Most banks offer free student checking accounts, and this way you can keep all business transactions separate from personal ones. Makes it WAY easier at tax time and helps you track your actual profits more accurately. Plus, if your mom somehow sees your regular account, there won't be any suspicious transactions to explain!

As someone who's been through this exact situation, I want to emphasize something that might not be obvious: even though you're trying to keep this private from your mom, you still need to think about how this affects your overall tax situation. If your mom currently claims you as a dependent on her tax return, your photography income could potentially affect that. Once you start earning significant income, there are rules about whether you can still be claimed as a dependent. You might want to have a conversation with her (without getting into specifics about what you're selling) about potentially filing your own return this year. Also, don't forget about estimated quarterly payments if you start making decent money. The general rule is if you'll owe more than $1,000 in taxes at the end of the year, you should be making quarterly payments to avoid penalties. You can calculate this easily once you know your approximate income. One last tip: consider opening a business savings account too, not just checking. Set aside about 25-30% of your income for taxes so you're not scrambling come tax time. Self-employment tax plus regular income tax can add up faster than you'd expect!

I went through this process about 18 months ago after a correspondence audit for my 2022 return. One thing that really helped me was understanding that the IRS processes post-audit refunds in batches, typically on Fridays. My refund was issued exactly 39 days after my audit closure date, and it appeared in my account on a Tuesday (meaning it was processed the Friday before). The biggest lesson I learned was to keep meticulous records of everything - payment confirmation numbers, audit closure letter, and screenshots of my account transcript showing the closure date. When I called for a status update around day 35, having all those details ready made the conversation much smoother. The representative was able to immediately see my case status and confirm my refund was in the next processing queue. One more tip: if you haven't already, consider signing up for IRS email notifications through your online account. I got an automated email the day before my refund was deposited, which was a nice peace of mind after weeks of checking my account daily. The whole process definitely tests your patience, but the refund will come through!

I'm going through this exact situation right now and these responses are incredibly helpful! I completed my correspondence audit for 2023 about 3 weeks ago and paid what I owed through EFTPS. Reading everyone's experiences, it sounds like I'm right in that normal 4-6 week window that most people are experiencing. The tip about setting up the online account to track the transcript is brilliant - I just did that and can see my audit closure date was officially recorded 5 days after I made my payment. Based on the Friday batch processing info that Marilyn shared, I'm going to stop obsessively checking my bank account daily and just check on Tuesdays instead! One question for those who've been through this - did any of you experience delays if your refund amount was larger? Mine is about $3,200 after paying what I owed, and I'm wondering if larger amounts go through additional review processes. Thanks everyone for sharing your real experiences - it's so much more helpful than the generic IRS website information!

I work as a tax preparer and see this issue unfortunately often during tax season. Here's what I tell my clients in your situation: First, the marketplace is legally required to provide you with a 1095-A if you had qualifying coverage, so don't accept "you're out of luck" as an answer. Document every interaction you have with them - dates, times, representative names if possible. For immediate relief, you can file an extension (Form 4868) to buy yourself more time while you sort this out. This gives you until October 15th to file your return without penalties, as long as you estimate and pay any taxes owed by the original April deadline. When calling Healthcare.gov again, use these specific phrases: "I need to file a missing document request for my 2023 Form 1095-A" and "Please escalate this to your Document Services department." Don't let them transfer you around - insist on speaking with someone who can actually initiate the document retrieval process. Also try accessing your account from a computer instead of mobile if you haven't already - their mobile interface sometimes has display issues that hide available documents. The IRS can work with estimated amounts if you have supporting documentation, but getting the actual 1095-A is always preferable. Keep pushing Healthcare.gov until you get results!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Had marketplace coverage for 8 months in 2023 and my 1095-A form is completely missing from my Healthcare.gov account. Got the same notification email in January saying it was ready, but nothing shows up when I log in. After reading through all these responses, I'm going to try a combination approach. First calling Healthcare.gov again tomorrow and specifically asking for the Document Services department like DeShawn suggested, then if that doesn't work, I'll contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service that Anna mentioned. It's so frustrating that this seems to be a widespread problem but Healthcare.gov reps act like it's the first time they've heard of it. Really appreciate everyone sharing their solutions here - gives me hope that there are still options to get this resolved before the deadline!

I work in banking operations and can shed some light on why tax refunds behave differently with early deposit features. The key difference is in ACH file timing and Federal Reserve processing schedules. Regular employers typically submit payroll ACH files 3-5 business days before the effective date, which allows banks like Credit Karma to see the incoming deposit and release funds early. However, the U.S. Treasury operates on a much tighter schedule for tax refunds. They usually initiate the ACH transfer only 1-2 business days before your DDD, sometimes even on the same day. For your March 3rd DDD, here's what likely happens behind the scenes: - March 1st: Treasury initiates ACH file to Federal Reserve - March 2nd: Fed processes and sends to Credit Karma - March 2nd-3rd: Credit Karma receives notification and releases funds So realistically, expect your refund on March 2nd at the earliest, more likely March 3rd as scheduled. The IRS is actually quite reliable with their deposit dates - it's one of the few government processes that consistently hits its timeline. Pro tip: If you absolutely need the funds on a specific date, always plan for the official DDD. Early deposit with tax refunds is more like a 24-48 hour advantage, not the full 5-day window you see with regular paychecks.

I've been through this same situation with Credit Karma and tax refunds for the past three years, so I can share some real data points. Here's what I've experienced: **2022 Tax Refund:** - DDD: March 9th - Actual deposit: March 8th (1 day early) **2023 Tax Refund:** - DDD: February 22nd - Actual deposit: February 21st (1 day early) **2024 Tax Refund:** - DDD: March 14th - Actual deposit: March 13th (1 day early) So consistently, I've gotten exactly one day early with Credit Karma for IRS refunds - never the full 5 days, but reliably one day ahead of schedule. Based on this pattern, I'd expect your March 3rd refund to hit on March 2nd. The reason seems to be what others have mentioned - the IRS doesn't send ACH files days in advance like employers do. They're more like "hey, we're sending this money tomorrow" rather than "we're scheduling this for next week." For your planning purposes, I'd budget for March 2nd as a realistic expectation, with March 3rd as your backup date. Don't count on anything earlier than March 1st though - I've never seen anyone get an IRS refund more than 2 days early through Credit Karma, despite their "up to 5 days" marketing.