Anyone know which tax software handles this education credit situation the best? I've used TurboTax in the past but I'm in my 5th year of school now and want to make sure I get the right credits.

Your H&R Block tax specialist was definitely mixing up the rules. The Form 1098-T itself has no lifetime limit - you'll receive one every year you're enrolled and have qualified education expenses, and you can use it on your tax return each time. What has the 4-year lifetime limit is specifically the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC). This is the most valuable education credit (up to $2,500 per year, partially refundable), but it's limited to 4 tax years per student and can only be used for the first 4 years of undergraduate education. After you've exhausted your AOTC eligibility, you can still claim the Lifetime Learning Credit using your 1098-T information. The LLC is less generous (up to $2,000 per year, non-refundable) but has no year limit and can be used for undergraduate, graduate, or professional courses. So to be clear: keep using your 1098-T every year, but strategically plan which credit to claim based on your situation. Don't let misinformation from a tax preparer cost you money!

I waited 3 months after getting this code last year. Finally called and turns out they needed more documents smh. Would've been nice to know earlier

Got the same code 1121 on mine too! Called the IRS yesterday and they said it's just an automated flag for identity verification. The rep told me to watch for a letter in the mail (CP05A) within 2-3 weeks with instructions on how to verify. Don't panic - it's not necessarily a problem with your return, just extra security measures they're doing now.

One tip that helped me with EFTPS: you can schedule all your quarterly payments for the ENTIRE YEAR at once! I just set up all four payments in January with the correct due dates, and I never have to worry about forgetting a payment. The system will automatically process them on the dates you select.

Another thing to keep in mind when using EFTPS - make sure you're making your payment at least 1-2 business days before the due date, especially if it's your first time using the system. I learned this the hard way when I tried to make a same-day payment on the quarterly deadline and ran into technical issues with the website being slow. Even though EFTPS allows same-day payments, giving yourself that buffer helps avoid any last-minute stress. Also, if you're ever unsure about which tax period to select, the current quarter due dates are: Q1 (Jan-Mar) due April 15th, Q2 (Apr-May) due June 15th, Q3 (Jun-Aug) due September 15th, and Q4 (Sep-Dec) due January 15th of the following year.

This is definitely becoming more common! I work in banking compliance and can confirm that financial institutions have ramped up verification requirements significantly in 2024-2025, especially for tax refunds due to the massive increase in refund fraud. The key red flags to watch for: legitimate requests will ALWAYS come through your secure app portal or official website, never through email links or text messages. If you're unsure, call Chime directly using the number on your debit card (not any number provided in the message). They should be able to confirm if the request is legitimate and guide you through their secure upload process. Better to spend 5 minutes verifying than risk your personal info!

This is definitely legitimate but I totally understand the panic! I went through this exact same thing with Chime about 8 months ago. The verification process is real and becoming standard across most banks now. Just make sure you're uploading through the official Chime app - never through email links or texts. When I did mine, I logged directly into the app, found the verification section, and uploaded my 1040 and driver's license there. Took about 36 hours to clear and then my refund was released. The waiting is nerve-wracking but it's just their fraud prevention kicking in. Stay safe and only use official channels!

SBTPG is just sitting on your money making interest. They got your refund from the IRS but haven't sent it to your bank yet. When mine said funded last month, it took 3 more days to hit my account. They never update the status to tell you when they actually send it out. Just keep checking your bank account, not the SBTPG site.

Based on my experience with SBTPG over the past three filing seasons, "funded" status means they've received your refund from the IRS but haven't necessarily sent it to your bank yet. Here's what typically happens: 1) IRS sends refund to SBTPG, 2) Status changes to "funded", 3) SBTPG deducts their fees (usually 24-48 hours), 4) They initiate ACH transfer to your bank, 5) Your bank processes the deposit (1-3 business days). The frustrating part is SBTPG doesn't provide a "sent to bank" status update - you'll just have to monitor your bank account. Most people see their money 2-4 days after the funded status appears. Since you're newly married, just know this waiting period is unfortunately normal for refund transfer products.