I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! Filed my amended federal return two weeks ago and TurboTax is telling me I need to file the state amendment even though literally nothing changed. I'm in California and was hoping to avoid the hassle, but reading all these responses it sounds like I really do need to file it. The part about creating a paper trail makes sense - I'd rather spend the stamp and time now than deal with notices later. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, especially the tax prep professional's insight. Going to mail mine out tomorrow with a copy of my 1040X attached. One question though - should I include any kind of cover letter explaining that there are no changes, or just send the forms as-is?

I appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here! As someone who went through this same situation last year, I can confirm that filing the amended state return (even with zero changes) is definitely the right move. I was in a similar boat - amended my federal return but it didn't affect my state taxes at all. I initially thought "why file paperwork showing nothing changed?" But after reading advice similar to what's shared here, I went ahead and filed it. Sure enough, about 6 months later I got a routine notice from my state tax department acknowledging they had received and processed my amended state return. The notice specifically mentioned that it was filed "in conjunction with federal amendment" - which told me their systems definitely do track this stuff and cross-reference with IRS data. The whole process was painless - just filled out the state amended form with the same numbers as my original return, attached a copy of my federal 1040X, and mailed it certified mail. Took maybe 30 minutes total and cost me about $8 in postage and fees. Small price to pay for peace of mind and avoiding potential headaches down the road. @Tyrone Johnson - definitely go ahead and file that Virginia amended return. Better to be proactive than deal with notices later!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm in a similar situation as the original poster - mostly W-2 with some freelance income on the side. I purchased a $2,200 laptop last year that I use about 60% for my freelance graphic design work. After reading through all these responses, I'm leaning toward the de minimis safe harbor route since my laptop is under the $2,500 threshold. It sounds like the simplest approach - just deduct the business portion ($1,320) directly without dealing with Form 4562 at all. But I want to make sure I understand this correctly - if I go the de minimis route, do I still need to maintain detailed records of my business use percentage? And should I document this somewhere in case I get audited? I keep pretty good records of my freelance projects and when I use the laptop for business vs personal stuff, but I want to make sure I'm covering all my bases. Also wondering if anyone has experience with making that de minimis election statement - is it something I can write myself or should I have my tax preparer handle it?

Great discussion everyone! As someone who's been doing freelance work alongside my W-2 for several years, I wanted to add a few practical tips based on my experience with equipment deductions. First, for the original question about the $1700 laptop - you have multiple valid options, but here's what I'd consider: Since you're new to freelancing, the de minimis safe harbor route mentioned by Nathan and others is probably your simplest path. At $1700, you're well under the $2500 threshold, and you can deduct 75% ($1275) immediately without Form 4562. However, one thing to keep in mind that hasn't been mentioned much - consider your current year freelance income vs. expected future income. If your freelance income is relatively low this year but you expect it to grow significantly, you might actually benefit more from regular depreciation spread over several years to maximize the tax benefit when you're in higher brackets. Also, regardless of which method you choose, I can't stress enough how important it is to document your business use percentage. I keep a simple spreadsheet tracking hours of business vs personal use for the first few months after purchase, then extrapolate for the full year. This saved me during an audit a few years back. One last tip - if you're using the computer for both W-2 work (like working from home) AND freelance work, make sure you're only claiming the freelance portion. The W-2 work portion isn't deductible under current tax law for most employees.

Cycle code 04 means your return gets processed on Wednesdays, but don't stress too much about the exact timing. I've been tracking mine for years and sometimes they batch process things a day early or late depending on volume. The key thing is that once you see a 846 refund issued code on your transcript, your money usually hits your account within 1-3 business days regardless of cycle code. Just keep checking every few days rather than obsessing over the exact schedule!

The cycle code 04 processing on Wednesdays is correct, but here's what most people don't realize - your refund timing also depends on your bank's processing schedule. Even if the IRS releases your refund on Wednesday, some banks don't process ACH deposits until Friday. Also, if you're getting the Child Tax Credit or Earned Income Credit, there are additional PATH Act delays that can push things back regardless of your cycle code. I'd recommend setting up direct deposit alerts with your bank so you know the moment it hits rather than constantly refreshing your transcript!

Anyone know how long the paper check usually takes to arrive? I made the same mistake but it's been 4 weeks already and still nothing in my mailbox.

This exact same thing happened to me two years ago! I was absolutely panicking when I realized I'd transposed two digits in my routing number. Like others have said, the good news is your money is completely safe - there's basically zero chance it could end up in someone else's account since the routing/account combo won't match any real account. I ended up getting my paper check about 5 weeks after I filed, which was actually faster than I expected based on what I'd read online. The hardest part was just the waiting and not knowing for sure what was happening. One thing I learned: you can track the status using the "Where's My Refund" tool on IRS.gov. Once they attempt the direct deposit and it fails, the status will update to show they're mailing you a check instead. That at least gives you some peace of mind that the process is working as expected. Your $3,200 is definitely not lost - just delayed by a few weeks. Try not to stress too much about it (easier said than done, I know!).

Just wanted to add a quick tip - when I did my OIC last year, I used the NADA guide instead of KBB for my car values. My revenue officer told me they often prefer NADA because it tends to be more conservative and realistic about used car values, especially for older vehicles with issues.

This is really great advice from everyone here! I'm going through a similar situation with my OIC and was making the same mistake of trying to do the math myself (good condition value minus repair costs). One thing I learned from my tax preparer is that you should also consider getting documentation from a used car dealer showing what they'd actually pay for your car in its current condition. Sometimes this "trade-in" value can be even more accurate than KBB or NADA for demonstrating true "quick sale" value, especially if your car has significant issues. I ended up getting quotes from three different places: a CarMax-type dealer, a local used car lot, and a mechanic who also buys cars for parts/repair. The lowest of those three values became my documented "as-is" value for the OIC. Having multiple sources of valuation really strengthened my case and showed the IRS I wasn't trying to lowball the asset value.