I'd echo what others have said about being cautious with that high refund estimate. As a tax preparer, I see this kind of confusion regularly when people use different AI tools or online calculators. The business equipment purchases you mentioned could definitely be a major factor here. Photography equipment often qualifies for immediate Section 179 deduction (up to $1,160,000 for 2023), which can dramatically reduce your taxable income. Combined with child tax credits and higher withholding, a large refund is definitely possible. However, AI tools frequently make errors with: - Business expense categorization (not all equipment qualifies for immediate deduction) - Income limits for various credits and deductions - Proper calculation of self-employment tax for business income - Phase-out thresholds for credits based on AGI Before you count on that $13,416, I'd strongly recommend: 1. Use established tax software (TurboTax, H&R Block, etc.) as a second opinion 2. Make sure you have all your business income and expense documentation organized 3. Consider consulting a CPA if your wife's business had significant income alongside the equipment purchases The good news is that if you do get a large legitimate refund, you'll know for next year to adjust your withholding so you're not overpaying throughout the year!

I've been following this discussion and want to add a few important points that haven't been covered yet. First, regarding your wife's photography business - the timing of when you purchased equipment versus when the business actually started operating can affect how you claim deductions. If equipment was purchased before the business was "active," you might need to depreciate it rather than take the full Section 179 deduction immediately. Also, be very careful about hobby vs. business classification. If the photography business shows losses for multiple years (especially with high equipment costs and low initial revenue), the IRS might classify it as a hobby rather than a legitimate business. This would disallow many of the deductions and could result in a much smaller refund than expected. The AI calculator might be assuming all equipment purchases qualify for immediate business deduction without considering these nuances. I'd strongly recommend keeping detailed records of: - When the business officially started - Business income and expenses by month - How the equipment is used (business vs. personal) Given the complexity with the new business, I'd actually recommend consulting with a tax professional rather than just using software. The cost of a CPA consultation could save you from potential issues with the IRS later, especially if that $13,416 refund triggers an audit. Better to get it right the first time than deal with amended returns or IRS questions down the road!

their website is trash ngl. always giving errors or timeout messages

Also worth mentioning that if you e-filed, you generally need to wait at least 24 hours after the IRS accepts your return before the "Where's My Refund" tool will have any info. And if you filed by mail, it can take 3-4 weeks before it shows up in their system.

I just received my deposit with Go2Bank about an hour ago! My DDD was 3/15 as well. Have you checked your account recently? Sometimes they don't send notifications right away. I've noticed that Go2Bank tends to process their deposits in waves throughout the day, unlike some banks that only do it once in the morning. Are you seeing the deposit pending in your account or nothing at all yet?

I'm also waiting on my Go2Bank deposit with a 3/15 DDD! Reading through everyone's experiences is really helpful - it sounds like Go2Bank is pretty reliable but just not as predictably early as some of the other fintech banks. I've been obsessively checking my account all day after seeing people with Chime getting theirs yesterday. For what it's worth, I called Go2Bank customer service this morning and they said they don't have visibility into when IRS deposits will hit, but that they typically process them as soon as they receive the funds from the Treasury. The rep mentioned that deposits can come through at various times throughout the day, not just in the morning like traditional banks. Still refreshing my account every hour though! 😅 Will definitely update here when mine comes through to help establish that Go2Bank timeline pattern you mentioned.

ngl the mass tax system is so broken. why they gotta make everything so complicated smh

I went through the same thing in Massachusetts last year! The "Refund Reduced" status typically means they've already processed the offset and your remaining refund should be issued within 3-5 business days. In my case, I had about $800 taken for old UI overpayments but got the rest of my $2,100 refund pretty quickly after seeing that status. One thing to note - if you create the MassTaxConnect account now, you'll be able to see the exact breakdown immediately instead of guessing. The letter they mail is basically the same info but formatted differently. The account setup only takes like 10 minutes and you'll have access to all your tax docs going forward. Also, don't stress too much about the amount they took. Massachusetts can only offset what you actually owe to UI, not a penny more. So if your original refund was $1,500 and you owed $300 to unemployment, you'll get $1,200 back.

Have you checked if the 846 date on your transcript has already passed? I had mine show up on April 12th with a deposit date of April 17th, but then got a verification letter on April 15th. I completed the verification on April 16th, and still got my deposit on April 17th as scheduled. Curious about your timeline specifically.

This sounds like a classic case of the IRS's left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing! I went through something similar last year - had the 846 code with a deposit date, then got a letter asking for identity verification three days later. I was panicking thinking my refund would get held up, but it actually deposited exactly when the transcript said it would. The verification letter turned out to be completely unnecessary in my case. I think what happens is their automated letter system triggers based on certain flags in your return, but by the time the letter gets generated and mailed, your return has already completed processing through a different part of their system. The 846 code is basically the IRS saying "we're sending you money" - they don't issue that code unless everything has been approved and cleared. My advice would be to monitor your bank account around the deposit date on your transcript, and if the refund shows up as expected, you can probably ignore the verification letter. But definitely keep the letter just in case, and maybe call back to speak with a different rep who might have a clearer picture of your account status.