mine was supposed to hit 2/10 but got delayed cuz of Presidents Day holiday fyi

Same DDD 2/10 here and still waiting! 😤 Presidents Day definitely threw a wrench in things. My credit union usually gets deposits a day early but nothing yet. Hoping we all see something by end of business today!

Just wanted to mention that if your net earnings from self-employment (like Grubhub) are LESS than $400 for the year, you don't have to pay self-employment tax on that income. You still report it on Schedule C, but you won't owe the 15.3% SE tax. So for your $560, after deducting mileage and other business expenses, if your net profit falls below $400, you'll just pay regular income tax on that amount, not the additional self-employment tax. This is a small but important distinction that might save you some money!

Great thread everyone! As someone who also does gig work, I want to emphasize one more important point: even if you're not required to file a tax return based on your total income, you might still WANT to file if you had taxes withheld from other jobs during the year. For example, if you worked a regular W-2 job and had federal taxes withheld, but your total income (including the Grubhub earnings) is still below the filing threshold, you could get a refund by filing. Just something to consider! Also, starting good record-keeping habits now will save you tons of headaches as your gig income grows. I learned this the hard way when I went from making $500 one year to over $3,000 the next and had to scramble to recreate my expense records.

I recently went through this exact process and found out something important that hasn't been mentioned yet. If you use any accounting software for payroll (like QuickBooks, Gusto, etc.), they usually require your EIN and legal business name to match EXACTLY what the IRS has on file. So even if you decide to wait for the IRS to process your name change, you might run into issues with your payroll software rejecting submissions in the meantime. When I called my payroll provider, they suggested adding the LLC as a "DBA" of the sole proprietorship in their system as a temporary workaround.

One thing I learned the hard way when I went through a similar transition is to keep detailed records of EVERYTHING during this process. I recommend creating a folder with copies of all correspondence with the IRS, your original EIN confirmation letter, your LLC formation documents, and any letters you send regarding the name change. The reason this is so important is that if there are any discrepancies or issues down the road, you'll need to be able to prove the timeline of your business structure change and that you followed proper procedures. I had an issue 18 months later where the IRS questioned some of my filings, and having that paper trail saved me from potential penalties. Also, make sure you're consistent with how you sign all tax documents during this transition period. Use your legal name as the member-manager of the LLC, not your old sole proprietor signature, even though you're using the same EIN. This helps establish the proper chain of authority for your business entity.

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Filed with H&R Block using my Emerald Card for direct deposit, but my refund status just switched to paper check yesterday. I checked my transcript like others suggested and sure enough, there's a 971 notice code followed by an 846 with paper check indicator. What's really frustrating is that I used the same Emerald Card last year with zero issues. Has anyone figured out if there's a pattern to which accounts are getting flagged? I'm wondering if it's related to the amount of the refund or specific tax forms used. Really need to plan around this 2-3 week delay everyone's mentioning since I have some bills due soon.

This is so frustrating but you're definitely not alone! I'm dealing with the exact same issue - filed early February with my Emerald Card that's worked perfectly for the past 3 years, and just got blindsided with the paper check conversion. What really gets me is that H&R Block never mentioned this could happen when setting up the direct deposit. I checked my transcript and found the 971 code everyone's talking about. The timing couldn't be worse since I was counting on that money for my quarterly payment too. Has anyone had success contacting H&R Block about getting some kind of heads up or notification system for future years? I feel like they should warn customers that prepaid cards have higher risk of conversion to paper checks, especially with how strict the IRS verification has become this year.

That's definitely encouraging progress! I went through something similar about 6 weeks ago. My as-of date jumped forward by about 2 months, and the status change happened within 24 hours. What really helped me track things was checking my account transcript daily around 6 AM - that's when the IRS typically updates their system overnight. The jump from February to April might seem dramatic, but it's actually pretty normal when they're catching up after identity verification. In my case, I saw the 846 refund code appear exactly 8 days after the status changed to "being processed." The waiting is definitely the worst part, but you're clearly moving through their system now rather than being stuck in limbo!

The status change from "still processing" to "being processed" combined with your as-of date jumping from February to April is actually a really positive development! I went through this exact scenario about 3 weeks ago after my identity verification. What you're seeing indicates that your return has cleared the verification queue and is now actively being worked on by their processing systems. The dramatic as-of date change might look concerning, but it's completely normal - it's just the IRS catching up their internal dates after the verification delay. In my experience, once you see that "being processed" status, you're typically looking at 1-2 weeks before your transcript updates with the 846 refund code and direct deposit date. Keep checking your transcript daily (early morning around 6 AM is when they usually update), and don't stress too much about the date jump - that's just their system recalibrating after getting past the identity verification bottleneck.