Has anybody had the situation where supplemental property tax bills arrive YEARS after you bought the property? We just got one from 2022 last month and it made me miss the SALT deduction for that year since I already filed! So annoying.

Great discussion here! One thing I'd add is that if you're close to the $10,000 SALT cap, it might be worth calculating whether bunching your property tax payments could be beneficial. For example, if you're going to be slightly over the cap in both 2023 and 2024, you might consider paying both installments in one year to maximize the deduction in that year, then potentially having more room for other SALT deductions (like state income taxes) in the other year. Also, make sure you're keeping good records of all payment dates and amounts. The IRS can be particular about documentation for property tax deductions, especially with supplemental bills that might not follow the typical payment schedule. I always recommend keeping copies of the cancelled checks or bank statements showing the exact payment dates, since that's what determines which tax year you can claim the deduction.

I think there's some confusion here about business deductions vs. tax credits for education. If you're taking courses to advance your career (like getting a higher degree), you might qualify for the Lifetime Learning Credit which wasn't affected by the tax law changes. It's worth up to $2,000 and is available even for W2 employees. It's different from deducting work expenses and has its own rules about what qualifies.

You're absolutely right about the Lifetime Learning Credit limitations! I ran into the same issue when I tried to claim it for my pharmacy technician continuing education requirements. The credit only applies to qualified educational institutions that are eligible for federal student aid programs, which excludes most professional CE providers, online platforms, and industry organizations. However, there's one workaround I discovered: some community colleges and universities now offer continuing education programs specifically designed for healthcare professionals that DO qualify for the Lifetime Learning Credit. For example, my local community college partners with our state nursing association to offer CE courses that meet licensing requirements but are delivered through the college system. It's worth checking with colleges in your area to see if they offer any CE programs in your field. The courses might cost slightly more than traditional CE providers, but the tax credit can make up for the difference. Plus, you get the same credits toward your license renewal. Not a perfect solution since it limits your CE options, but it's one way to still get some tax benefit for required education expenses as a W2 employee.

Just to add another data point - I filed my 2025 return through FreeTaxUSA yesterday evening around 6 PM and it was accepted this morning at 8:30 AM, so about 14.5 hours total. Pretty reasonable turnaround! One thing I learned from experience is that the IRS batch processes returns at certain times throughout the day, so it's not necessarily a continuous stream. That's why some people get accepted super quickly (like within an hour if they hit the timing right) while others wait the full 24-48 hours even with identical returns. For your $2,300 refund with direct deposit, you're looking at probably getting it within 10-14 days once it's accepted, assuming no issues. The early part of filing season tends to move faster since there's less volume in the system. Try to resist checking Where's My Refund more than once a day - I drove myself crazy last year checking it constantly when it only updates overnight anyway!

I can relate to the anxiety of waiting! I just went through this same process last month. Filed through TaxAct on a Tuesday evening and got accepted Wednesday afternoon - about 18 hours total. One thing that helped manage my expectations was realizing that the IRS systems have scheduled maintenance windows (usually Sunday nights) where processing can be delayed. So if you file on certain days, it might take the full 48 hours just due to timing. For what it's worth, once my return was accepted, the refund came surprisingly fast - 9 days with direct deposit. The Where's My Refund tool updated to "Approved" on day 6, then "Refund Sent" on day 8, and the money hit my account the next morning. My advice: set a phone reminder to check the status once per day at the same time, then forget about it. The constant checking just makes the wait feel longer! Your $2,300 should be in your account within two weeks of acceptance if everything goes smoothly.

I'm going through the exact same thing! Filed my AZ return on March 8th and it's been stuck on "Your return is being processed" for over 2 months now. The frustrating part is that my federal refund came through in less than 3 weeks, so it's definitely an Arizona-specific issue. I've been reading through all these comments and it sounds like there are a few things we can try: 1. Call right at 8:00 AM sharp when they open 2. Check the AZ Dept of Revenue website directly with our SSN instead of just using the confirmation number 3. Make sure all our info (address, bank details) exactly matches what's on our W-2 4. Contact our state representative if nothing else works The suggestions about taxr.ai and Claimyr are interesting too - might be worth trying if we can't get through the normal channels. It's ridiculous that we have to pay third parties just to get our own money back from the state, but at this point I'm desperate. Thanks for posting this - at least we know we're not alone in dealing with Arizona's broken system! Keep us updated if you make any progress.

I'm experiencing the exact same issue! Filed my Arizona state return on March 20th and it's been stuck on "Your return is being processed" for almost 2 months now. My federal refund was deposited within 2 weeks, so this is definitely an Arizona problem. After reading all these comments, I'm going to try a few things: 1. Check the status using my SSN directly on the AZ Dept of Revenue website instead of just the confirmation number 2. Set my alarm for 7:59 AM tomorrow and call exactly at 8:00 AM 3. Double-check that my address and bank info exactly match what's on my W-2 If none of that works, I'll contact my state representative - seems like that's been the most successful approach for people here. It's absolutely ridiculous that we have to jump through all these hoops just to get our own money back, but at this point I'm willing to try anything. Thanks for starting this thread - it's somewhat comforting to know we're all dealing with the same broken system. Arizona really needs to fix their processing issues!

Don't forget that if your income is under $60,000, you can get your taxes done for FREE through the VITA program (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance). They're specifically trained to help with credits like the EITC and Child Tax Credit. Just Google "VITA site near me" to find locations. This will save you from paying for tax software and they'll make sure you get every credit you qualify for. I've used them for years and they're amazing volunteers who really know their stuff about tax credits for families!

Remember that if your baby was born in 2024, they count as your dependent for the ENTIRE year, even though they weren't here the whole time! This surprises a lot of new parents. You get the full Child Tax Credit and they count for EITC purposes for all of 2024. Also make sure you're getting any state tax credits too! Many states have their own version of EITC that piggybacks off the federal one, so you could get even more money back.