Just wanted to share my experience as someone new to this whole cycle thing! I was going crazy checking WMR every few hours until I found this thread. Based on what everyone's saying, I'm gonna try checking my transcript Friday morning around 6am instead of obsessing all week. Thanks for breaking down the timing @Yuki Sato - super helpful! 🙏 Also might give that taxr thing a shot since multiple people seem to love it. Better than driving myself insane refreshing pages lol

Just adding my 2 cents as someone who's been through this cycle madness multiple times! 05 cycle updates are pretty predictable once you know the pattern. I always check my transcript Friday morning around 5-6am EST - that's when mine consistently updates. WMR is usually a day behind so I don't even bother with it until Saturday. Also seconding what everyone said about taxr.ai - used it last year and it was spot on with predictions. Way less stressful than refreshing pages constantly! For anyone new to this, patience is key. The IRS runs like clockwork once you understand their schedule 😊

Something nobody's mentioned yet - check if your school/hospital has free tax help for international medical residents. Many teaching hospitals partner with accounting firms that specialize in non-resident tax issues. I'm a nursing student, but my roommate is an international medical resident and she got free specialized tax help through her program. Might be worth asking your program director or the international student office.

As someone who's dealt with visa-related tax issues, I can't stress enough how important it is to document everything when dealing with tax preparers. For your situation, I'd recommend: 1. Get written confirmation from H&R Block acknowledging their error before they file the amended return 2. Request a copy of all notes from your original appointment showing you requested non-resident status 3. Save any phone records or emails about the follow-up call where you confirmed non-resident status The fact that they called you to "double-check" your residency status actually works in your favor - it shows they had doubts about how to file your return but proceeded incorrectly anyway. Also, don't just rely on H&R Block to get this right the second time. Consider having someone else review the amended return before it's filed. Many international student offices have partnerships with CPAs who specialize in non-resident returns, and they can often catch nuances that general tax preparers miss. The good news is that since you're being proactive about fixing this, the IRS is usually pretty reasonable about waiving penalties when it was clearly the preparer's error and you're making a good-faith effort to correct it quickly.

Success story here! Got my state refund on February 2nd and my federal PATH Act refund hit exactly on February 27th. Isn't it weird how they make us wait even when they've clearly already processed everything? But yes, getting your state refund is usually a good sign that your information matches up correctly. Just keep checking your transcript every Wednesday and Friday morning - that's when they typically update.

Thanks for sharing this! I'm in a similar boat - filed in late January with EIC and just got my state refund yesterday. It's reassuring to hear that this is pretty normal. I've been checking my transcript obsessively and see the 570 code, so I guess I'm just playing the waiting game until mid-February. The anxiety is real when you're counting on that money for important expenses like tuition! Did you end up getting your federal refund right when the PATH Act lifted, or was there additional delay even after February 15th?

What about when you take potential clients out to dinner? I do vending at trade shows and sometimes take potential booth renters out to discuss business. Is that still 50% or is it something else? Also, is there a limit to how much you can spend per person?

As someone who runs a mobile food business and travels to different events, I can share what I've learned through trial and error (and a few IRS notices!). The 50% rule applies to most of your personal meals while traveling for business. The key word here is "personal" - if you're buying food that you consume yourself, it's generally 50% deductible. One thing that caught me off guard: groceries CAN be deductible if you're traveling overnight for business and staying somewhere without restaurant access. I learned this when I was doing a week-long festival in a remote area and had to buy groceries because there were no restaurants nearby. Just document why restaurants weren't a reasonable option. For contractor meals, treat them the same as employee meals - 50% deductible in most cases. But if you're providing meals as part of their compensation package, that might be a different category entirely. My biggest lesson: when in doubt, document everything. Write on the receipt WHO was there, WHAT business was discussed, and WHY the expense was necessary. The IRS cares more about proper documentation than the actual dollar amount in most cases. Also, don't forget about incidental expenses like tips to restaurant staff - those follow the same percentage rules as the underlying meal expense.

I might be overreacting, but I would perhaps consider calling them if it doesn't update within about two weeks or so. My brother-in-law waited almost a month thinking it was processing normally, but it turned out his verification wasn't properly recorded in their system. The IRS representative told him it happens occasionally when they're overwhelmed with in-person verifications during peak season.

I went through this same situation last month. My in-person verification took 11 business days to clear from the system, which was frustrating since I needed my refund quickly too. What helped me was checking my account transcript on the IRS website every few days - you can see if your verification was actually processed even if the notification is still there. The transcript will show a code 971 when they receive your verification documents. Also, make sure you keep any paperwork they gave you at the IRS office - I had to reference my confirmation number when I called to check on the status. Hang in there, the gig economy struggles are real and that refund will come through!