I'm a regular player on these social casinos and was disappointed to learn these aren't deductible! But it makes sense - I'm basically just buying entertainment. One thing to consider though - if you're a content creator or streamer who plays these games as part of your business, you might be able to deduct them as a business expense. That's what my accountant told me since I have a small YouTube channel where I review social casino games.

This is a great question that comes up a lot! The consensus here is correct - social casino purchases where you can't cash out real money are treated as entertainment expenses, not gambling losses. I've seen people get confused about this because it *feels* like gambling, but the IRS looks at whether there's actual monetary risk/reward. One thing I'd add is to be extra careful about record-keeping if you do have any legitimate gambling activities. The IRS can be pretty strict about documentation for gambling loss deductions, so you want to make sure you're not mixing entertainment expenses with actual gambling losses on your return. Keep those social casino receipts separate from any real gambling records to avoid any confusion during an audit. Also worth noting - if you're spending $2500+ on these games, you might want to consider whether that money could be better invested in tax-advantaged accounts like an IRA or 401k where you'd get actual tax benefits!

Yes, you absolutely should update your W4 when you go from multiple jobs to one job! The "multiple jobs" checkbox changes how your withholding is calculated - it assumes you have additional income that needs to be accounted for, so it withholds more from each paycheck. Since you mentioned your pay stub still shows minimal federal withholding and HR questioned your resubmission, it sounds like they may not have processed your new W4 yet. I'd recommend being more direct with HR - explain that you previously had two jobs (which is why you checked that box originally), but now you only have one job, so your withholding needs to be recalculated. You can also double-check by looking at your pay stub for any codes like "MJ" (multiple jobs) in the filing status section. If it still shows that, then your new W4 definitely wasn't processed. The difference in withholding you noticed compared to your old job could be due to different payroll systems, pay periods, or benefit deductions, but getting your W4 situation sorted out should help normalize things. Don't let HR make you feel bad about updating your form - it's completely appropriate to submit a new W4 when your employment situation changes!

It's definitely worth updating your W4 even late in the tax year! Every paycheck where you have the correct withholding puts more money in your pocket now instead of waiting for a refund next year. Think about it this way - if you're having an extra $50 withheld from each paycheck due to the incorrect "multiple jobs" setting, and you have 8 paychecks left in the year, that's $400 you could have in your bank account instead of giving the IRS an interest-free loan. Even if it's just a few months left, that extra cash flow can be really helpful, especially around the holidays. Plus, getting your W4 corrected now means you'll start next year with the right withholding from day one, rather than having to remember to fix it in January. I'd say go ahead and submit that updated W4 - there's really no downside to having accurate withholding!

The as of date is literally the most useless thing ever invented by the IRS and thats saying something considering everything else they do 🤮

The "As Of" date is basically just the IRS's internal system timestamp - it updates automatically based on their processing cycles, not actual progress on your return. I've been through this same frustration multiple times. The date changing weekly is totally normal and doesn't indicate movement forward or backward on your refund. Focus on your actual processing date and cycle codes instead - those are way more meaningful than the As Of date which is essentially just computer housekeeping.

ya'll need to stop obsessing over these dates fr. go touch some grass 💅

Ugh I feel your pain! My 'as of' date has been jumping around like crazy too - went from Feb 15 to March 1, then back to Feb 22, now it's at March 8. I was literally losing sleep over this until someone on here mentioned that AI transcript analyzer thing. Just tried taxr.ai and it actually broke down exactly what each date change meant for my specific situation. Turns out mine keeps changing because they're verifying my dependents, not because there's anything wrong. Finally have some peace of mind! Worth the few bucks just to stop the constant anxiety checking 😅

I've seen this happen before, and sometimes the issue isn't with the IRS processing but with how the amendment was prepared. Back in 2022, I had a similar situation where my amended return showed $0 adjustment because I had made an error in how I calculated the change. Have you considered getting a second opinion on your amendment from a tax professional? It might be worth paying for an hour of a CPA's time to review what you submitted. In my case, I had to submit a second amended return to correct the first one, which was a headache but eventually resolved the issue. Sometimes the DIY approach with amendments can lead to technical errors that aren't obvious to non-professionals.

I'm going through something very similar right now! Filed my amended return in June and it's been showing that same frustrating $0 adjustment since September. What I've learned from talking to multiple IRS reps is that when your amendment involves claiming additional credits (especially CTC or EITC), it automatically triggers what they call an "identity verification review." The $0 is basically a placeholder while they verify you're eligible for the credits you're claiming. The really annoying part is that this review can take 16-20 weeks from the processing date, not the filing date. So even though yours was "processed" in September, the clock for the review period actually started then. As for the CTC payments stopping - that's standard procedure when there's any kind of review involving child-related credits. They pause all payments until the review is complete to avoid overpayments. I know it's incredibly frustrating, but from what I've seen in this community, most people eventually get their full refund once the review is complete. Hang in there!