Has anyone used TurboTax for claiming a parent? I tried last year and it kept asking me really confusing questions about my mom's income that I wasn't sure how to answer.

I went through this exact situation with my elderly father last year and can confirm what others have said about the qualifying relative rules. The key thing that helped me was keeping detailed records throughout the year of ALL expenses. I created a simple spreadsheet with categories: housing (rent/mortgage portion for his room, utilities), food (groceries and dining out), medical (co-pays, medications, doctor visits), transportation, clothing, and personal care items. At year-end, I compared what I spent versus what he spent from his Social Security. One tip - don't forget to include the fair market value of housing. If your mom lived independently, she'd pay rent somewhere. That "rent" you're providing counts as support even if your actual housing costs are lower. I used local rental prices for a similar room/apartment to calculate this. Also keep copies of her SSA-1099 and any other income documents. Social Security is usually not taxable income unless she has other significant income sources, so you'll likely meet the income test easily. The documentation will be important if the IRS ever questions your dependent claim.

Oh my gosh I was STRESSING about this same issue last month! If you need to make your April 15th estimated payment but are worried about accuracy, just pay what you reasonably think you'll owe based on last year's numbers. The safe harbor rule (Publication 505) says you won't face penalties if you pay at least 100% of last year's tax (or 110% if your AGI was over $150k). You can always adjust your June 15th estimated payment once your return is processed! That's what I did and it saved me so much anxiety!

Based on my experience working with IRS systems, the Friday morning update cycle is accurate, but there's an important detail many people miss: the IRS actually runs TWO separate update processes. The first is the Master File update (which affects transcripts) that typically completes between 2-6am ET on Fridays. The second is the transcript display system update that can take an additional 2-4 hours to reflect those changes. For business returns specifically, I've noticed that Schedule C income over $25,000 or any foreign account reporting (FBAR/8938) triggers additional review cycles that can extend processing by 2-3 weeks beyond the normal timeline. Since you mentioned "significant business income," this could explain your delay. One tip: if you need documentation for estimated tax calculations before your transcript updates, you can request a "Verification of Non-filing" letter online, which sometimes processes faster and can serve as interim proof while waiting for full transcript availability.

Mine took 25 days. Filed February 5. Transcript updated March 2. Refund deposited March 5. No issues with return. Normal processing time. Don't worry yet. Check weekly not daily.

I can relate to your frustration! I filed on March 8th this year and my transcript was also showing "No return filed" until just yesterday (April 1st) when it finally updated with all my return information. That's about 24 days from filing to transcript update. A few things that helped me stay sane during the wait: - Set up IRS2Go app notifications instead of manually checking daily - Remember that transcript updates are often the LAST step in their system - Focus on the WMR tool status since that's more real-time Since you're at the 21-day mark and WMR shows "Return Received," you're right on track for normal processing. I'd expect to see your transcript update within the next week or so. The remote work planning stress is real though - maybe set a calendar reminder to check again on April 9th instead of daily monitoring?

Just to throw another option out there - could you hire your friend as a consultant or for some administrative work they could do remotely? Then it becomes a legitimate business expense, and they get income they can use for medical bills. You'd need to make sure they actually provide services and you document everything well, but it might be more straightforward than setting up a charity.

I really appreciate everyone's thoughtful responses here. As someone new to this community, I'm dealing with a similar situation where my small business wants to help a family member with medical expenses. From reading through all the comments, it seems like the key takeaway is that direct donations to individuals aren't deductible no matter how you label them, but there are some legitimate alternatives worth exploring. The suggestions about QSEHRAs and Medical Expense Reimbursement Plans caught my attention, especially if there's genuine work that could be performed. I'm also intrigued by the 501(c)(3) option, though the 5-month timeline might be challenging if the need is urgent. The fiscal sponsorship approach while waiting for approval sounds promising. One question I have - for those who've successfully implemented any of these strategies, what kind of documentation did you find most important to maintain? I want to make sure everything is completely above board from day one. @Beatrice Marshall - your situation sounds really tough, and it's clear you genuinely want to help while being responsible about taxes. Whatever approach you choose, it sounds like getting official IRS guidance might be worth the investment given the amounts involved.

I tracked my transcript updates obsessively last year and noticed these patterns: • Main weekly updates: Thursday night/Friday morning (around 3-6am Eastern) • Secondary updates: Sometimes Tuesday morning for certain accounts • Account transcript updates first, then return transcript • WMR tool often lags 1-2 days behind transcript changes • The "N/A" for current year transcripts is totally normal early in processing Wow, I never realized how complex the IRS systems were until I went through this! My transcript went from nothing to fully processed in a single update.

Thanks for all the detailed information everyone! As someone who's been dealing with IRS transcripts for several years now, I can confirm that the Thursday night/Friday morning update schedule is pretty reliable. One thing I'd add is that if you're checking transcripts online, make sure you're looking at the right year - sometimes the dropdown defaults to the previous year and you might think nothing's updated when it actually has. Also, don't panic if your transcript shows codes like 150 or 806 - these are normal processing codes. The 150 code means your return was received and the 806 code indicates a refund freeze, which often gets released automatically within a few days. I've found that patience really is key with the IRS system - it's slow but generally reliable once you understand the timing patterns.