Double check that your withholding from your paychecks was entered correctly. If TurboTax thinks you had way more tax withheld than you actually did, that could explain the large refund. Check line 25d on your draft 1040 - this should match the total federal tax withheld from all your W-2 boxes.

Your refund amount sounds completely legitimate! As a single parent with two kids in that income bracket, you're hitting the sweet spot for multiple tax benefits. The EITC alone can be worth up to $6,728 for someone with 2 qualifying children in your income range. Add the Child Tax Credit ($4,000 for two kids) and education credits (up to $2,500), and you're already at over $13,000 in potential credits. The key thing to remember is that these are refundable credits - meaning even if they exceed your actual tax liability, you still get the full refund. This is exactly how the tax system is designed to support working families like yours. I'd suggest keeping all your documentation organized (W-2s, education receipts, proof your kids live with you) just in case, but don't let fear of an audit stop you from claiming what you're entitled to. The IRS processes millions of returns with similar refund amounts for single parents every year.

Has anyone mentioned that if your son made under a certain amount (I think it's around $12,950 for 2025), he might not be REQUIRED to file? But he should probably still file anyway because he'll likely get a refund of any withheld taxes!

Great question! As someone who works in tax preparation, I'd definitely recommend starting with the IRS Free File program - it's legitimately free for federal AND state filing if your son made under $73,000. Since he's interested in learning the process, I'd suggest having him try one of the guided software options first (like TurboTax Free Edition or H&R Block Free) which will walk him through each step and explain what everything means. This gives him the educational experience he wants while ensuring everything gets filed correctly. One tip: make sure he has his Social Security card, W-2 from the restaurant, and any 1099s if applicable before starting. The software will ask for these documents and it's much easier when you have everything ready. Also, even if he doesn't owe any taxes (likely with just summer job income), he should definitely file anyway to get back any federal or state taxes that were withheld from his paychecks. First-time filers often miss out on refunds they're entitled to! The fact that he wants to learn this himself is awesome - financial literacy is such an important life skill and understanding taxes early will serve him well.

Has anyone actually been audited over this? I've been deducting some of my protein and meal prep as business expenses for 2 years now since it's directly related to my fitness content. Wondering if I'm playing with fire here.

I'm a newer fitness influencer and this thread has been super helpful! I've been tracking my food expenses but wasn't sure what was actually deductible. Based on what everyone's saying, it sounds like I need to be way more strategic about documenting which foods are used specifically for content versus personal consumption. Quick question for those who've been doing this longer - do you actually buy separate ingredients/supplements just for videos to make the documentation cleaner? Seems like it might be worth it to avoid any gray areas, especially with what @Sophia Carson mentioned about increased IRS scrutiny on fitness influencers. I'd rather be overly cautious than deal with an audit down the road. Also really appreciate the tool recommendations - going to check out both taxr.ai and Claimyr since I've been struggling to get clear answers on this stuff.

There's another angle here nobody's mentioned - the employer could be illegally classifying an employee as an independent contractor to begin with. If your friend works regular hours, uses their equipment, follows their specific instructions on how to do the work, etc., he might legally be an employee regardless of what they're calling him. In that case, they owe a lot more than just a 1099 - they owe proper withholding, unemployment insurance, possibly benefits, etc.

This situation is unfortunately more common than it should be. The employer benefits in several ways by not issuing 1099s: they avoid reporting the payments to the IRS (which could trigger scrutiny of their own tax situation), they don't have to deal with the administrative burden of proper tax reporting, and they may be trying to keep these payments "off the books" entirely. What's particularly concerning is that $40k annually puts your friend well above the $600 threshold where a 1099-NEC is absolutely required. The employer is definitely breaking federal tax law. They could face penalties of up to $280 per unfiled form, plus potential criminal charges for willful failure to file. Your friend should seriously consider documenting everything - keep copies of all checks, bank deposits, any written agreements about work duties, and correspondence about the missing tax forms. Even without a 1099, he's legally required to report this income on Schedule C and pay self-employment taxes. But having detailed records will protect him if the IRS ever questions the unreported income on the employer's side. The family is essentially gambling that they won't get caught, but tax evasion has a way of catching up with people, especially when dealing with substantial amounts like $40k annually.

I went through almost the exact same situation two years ago. One crucial thing to keep in mind is that even though his name is on the mortgage, the IRS looks at who actually made the payments when determining who can claim the deductions. Since you have a court order giving you exclusive possession and you've been making all payments from your individual account since April, you have a strong case for claiming those deductions for the period after separation. For the joint payments made January-March, you'd typically divide based on your contribution percentage to that joint account (your 35%). Also, definitely explore the Head of Household filing status that others mentioned - it can save you significant money compared to married filing separately. The combination of HOH status plus claiming the mortgage interest and property tax deductions you actually paid could result in substantial tax savings. Keep detailed records of every payment you've made since the separation. Bank statements, online payment confirmations, everything. This documentation will be invaluable if there are any disputes or if the IRS has questions later.

I'm going through a very similar situation right now and this thread has been incredibly helpful! One thing I wanted to add based on my recent experience with my tax attorney - make sure you also consider the timing of when your protection order was issued versus when expenses were paid. Since you got the emergency protection order right away and the sheriff formally removed him by April 8th, you have strong legal documentation showing when your exclusive possession began. This creates a clear timeline that supports your position for claiming deductions on expenses you paid after that date. My attorney also advised me to keep a simple log showing not just what I paid, but when the legal separation occurred, because the IRS recognizes court-ordered separation as establishing separate households even before divorce finalization. This can be crucial for both the deduction allocations and the Head of Household filing status others mentioned. The stress of dealing with taxes on top of everything else during divorce is overwhelming, but having that court order really strengthens your position. Document everything and don't let him intimidate you into giving up deductions you're legally entitled to claim!