Anyone else with Chime get theirs yet???

Still waiting on mine too! Filed early February and got federal already but Oklahoma is taking forever. At least now I know it's not just me - sounds like they're doing waves throughout the week. Guess we just gotta be patient 🤷‍♂️

Has anyone used TurboSelf-Employed for reporting craft sales? I'm trying to decide between that and H&R Block.

@Sophia Long, yes you absolutely need to report that $4,200! Even though it seems like a small amount compared to your regular job, the IRS requires you to report ALL income. Since you made over $400 from self-employment, you'll also owe self-employment taxes (about 15.3% for Social Security and Medicare). Here's what you need to do: 1. File Schedule C to report your business income and expenses 2. File Schedule SE for self-employment tax 3. Start tracking everything NOW - save all receipts for materials, shipping, packaging, even part of your phone/internet bills Don't panic about not having perfect records this year. Try to reconstruct what you can remember spending on supplies, and the IRS is generally reasonable about estimates if they're realistic. One tip: you can deduct the cost of materials, Etsy fees, PayPal fees, packaging supplies, and even a portion of your home if you have a dedicated workspace. These deductions will reduce your taxable income significantly. You've got this! It's not as scary as it seems once you get organized.

I'm a Robinhood user and switched CPAs last year because of similar issues. First CPA wanted to charge me $200 extra for my Robinhood forms. Second CPA included it in their base price of $275 for everything. The difference? The second CPA uses Drake tax software which apparently handles Robinhood imports much better than whatever the first CPA was using. Might be worth asking what tax software they use and if they've tried importing your form directly rather than manual entry. Some CPAs are still manually entering every transaction which is why they charge so much!

I've been preparing taxes for over 15 years and can tell you that $250 specifically for a Robinhood 1099 with minimal trading activity is definitely excessive. For context, most CPAs charge between $50-150 extra for investment forms, depending on complexity. The fact that she's processing other brokerage statements for free but singling out Robinhood suggests she either has a workflow issue with that specific platform or is using outdated pricing assumptions. Many CPAs developed negative opinions about Robinhood forms during the early days when their reporting was genuinely problematic, but their 1099s have improved significantly. With only a few trades and under $1,000 in gains, your form should be straightforward to process. I'd recommend asking her to justify the specific additional work required for your particular situation. If she can't provide a clear explanation, consider getting quotes from other tax professionals. You shouldn't have to pay premium fees for what amounts to basic Schedule D preparation. Also, double-check that your gains are actually reportable - if they're all long-term gains from simple stock sales with proper basis reporting, the complexity should be minimal regardless of the brokerage.

This entire discussion perfectly illustrates why I've become so skeptical of the tax prep industry. I used to think paying more meant getting better service, but these big chains seem to train their staff just enough to handle basic returns while charging premium prices. What really bothers me is how they market these "guarantees" to people who don't know better - often folks who are already stressed about taxes and looking for reassurance. The fine print makes these promises essentially meaningless, but the average person doesn't realize that until after they've paid and potentially missed deductions. I appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here. It's clear that whether you go with DIY software, independent CPAs, or some of these newer AI-powered tools, taking time to understand what deductions and credits you might qualify for is crucial. These companies bank on customers not doing that research themselves. The IRS actually provides a lot of free resources on their website, including that interactive tool Maya mentioned. Might be worth spending an hour there before paying anyone hundreds of dollars to potentially miss things anyway.

This whole thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I've been using H&R Block for the past three years specifically because of their "maximum refund guarantee" marketing, and I'm now realizing I've probably been getting scammed this whole time. What really gets me is that they charge these premium fees while their staff often seems undertrained. Last year, my "tax professional" couldn't even explain why I didn't qualify for certain credits - she just said the software didn't flag me for them. For $180, I expected someone who could actually review my situation comprehensively, not just data entry. The part about having to pay another preparer first to prove they missed something before getting your money back is absolutely ridiculous. That's not a guarantee, that's just a way to discourage people from following through on complaints. I'm definitely switching this year. Between the AI tools people mentioned that actually scan for missed deductions and the much cheaper DIY options, there's really no reason to keep paying these inflated fees for subpar service. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community just saved me from another expensive mistake!

Called IRS about the outage, rep said its scheduled maintenance. Should be back tmrw

Same issue here! Been trying to access my transcript since early this morning and getting the exact same "Service Outage: February 14th" message. Really frustrating timing since I'm also waiting on my refund - filed early and have been obsessively checking for updates. The fact that even the basic navigation links aren't working confirms this is a major system-wide issue. Hopefully it's resolved soon since tax season is in full swing and people need access to their account information.