Anyone know if having a small business (Schedule C) is slowing down returns this year? I filed on Jan 29th and still nothing... getting worried since I see people who filed after me already getting theirs.

I filed my return on February 8th electronically with direct deposit and got my refund in exactly 21 days - right on schedule! This year definitely seems more efficient than last year's disaster. One thing that helped me was using the IRS "Where's My Refund" tool religiously. It updated every few days and gave me peace of mind that things were moving along normally. The key seems to be filing early before the March/April rush and making sure everything is accurate the first time. For anyone still waiting - don't panic if it's been less than 21 days. The IRS is still hitting their processing targets pretty consistently this year from what I can see.

Have you tried calling the marketplace? I kno its a pain but sometimes u gotta wait on hold forever to get this stuff fixed

Just went through this nightmare myself! The key thing is that if you've been on Medicaid all year, you definitely don't need a 1095-A form. That's only for marketplace plans. The rejection is probably happening because the IRS system sees that old 2018 application and thinks you had marketplace coverage. When you refile, make sure to check the box that says you had qualifying health coverage all year (which Medicaid counts as). You shouldn't need to upload any forms for Medicaid coverage.

Direct deposit to credit union accounts is another option. Many credit unions post ACH deposits early too. Mine consistently posts tax refunds 1 day before the official date. Less fees than prepaid cards. More consumer protections too.

I've been using Chime for my tax refunds for the past 3 years and can confirm they're pretty reliable with early deposits. Usually get mine 1-2 days before the DDD. With your April 18th date, I'd expect to see it around the 16th or 17th if the pattern holds. The key thing to remember is that it depends on when the IRS actually sends the payment - sometimes they batch process earlier in the week, sometimes later. I've found that checking your account first thing in the morning (around 6-7 AM) is when deposits typically show up if they're coming early. Good luck with your first prepaid card experience!

Just to add some reassurance - I've been doing taxes for 15 years and the Form 1095-A requirement only applies if you actually received advance premium tax credits through a marketplace plan. If you never enrolled in marketplace insurance, there's literally no way for you to have received these credits, so the IRS has no reason to expect that form from you. The rejections you're seeing are from people who DID have marketplace coverage but forgot to include their 1095-A. You're completely in the clear! 🙂

Another perspective here - I was in the exact same situation last year! Never had marketplace insurance, saw all the rejection posts, and was convinced the IRS was going to reject mine too. Filed anyway and got my refund in like 10 days. The anxiety was way worse than the actual situation. You're overthinking this one! 😄

I'm in the exact same situation! Filed on March 1st, cycle 0605, and my transcript has been blank for weeks now. What's really frustrating is that I used the same tax preparer as last year and had no issues then. I've been checking the Where's My Refund tool daily and it just keeps saying "being processed" with no timeline. At this point I'm wondering if I should call the IRS directly or just wait it out. Has anyone had success getting actual helpful information from calling them about blank transcripts? I don't want to waste hours on hold if they're just going to tell me to wait longer.

I'm in cycle 0605 too and filed on February 28th - still completely blank! Reading through everyone's experiences here is actually really reassuring. I was starting to panic that something was wrong with my return, but it sounds like this cycle is just moving slower than usual this year. The train analogy really helped me understand what's happening - my return is just waiting for its scheduled processing time. I think I'm going to stop checking daily since that might be counterproductive according to what Misterclamation mentioned about security flags. Going to try checking once a week instead and just be patient. Thanks everyone for sharing your timelines and experiences!