Pro tip: take pictures of all your documents and save them somewhere safe. They might ask for verification later and having everything ready helps speed things up.

Code 570 is actually pretty common and not necessarily bad news! It just means they're holding your refund while they complete their review. Since you have withholding of $5,200 and only owe $3,835, you should get a refund of $1,365 once they finish. The fact that your transcript is showing activity is a good sign - it means they're actively working on it. Just keep an eye on it and you should see a 571 code (release of hold) followed by an 846 code (refund sent) once they complete the 60-day review.

Another option to look into if commuting costs are high - check if your employer offers any commuter benefits! My company lets us use pre-tax dollars for parking and public transit through our benefits program. It's not as good as a tax deduction but it does reduce my taxable income a bit.

I totally feel your frustration with the commuting costs! As everyone has confirmed, those daily miles to your regular office unfortunately aren't deductible. But since you mentioned you've been doing this 3-year commute, you might want to explore some alternatives to help with those costs. One thing that helped me was calculating whether it would actually be cheaper to move closer to work or find a job closer to home. With 64 miles daily (32 each way) at current gas prices plus wear and tear, you're probably spending $4,000+ annually just on commuting costs. That's a significant chunk of money that could go toward rent in a closer location or justify negotiating remote work days. Also, keep detailed records of ANY business travel you do beyond your regular commute - even small trips to pick up office supplies or attend off-site meetings. Those miles at 67 cents each can add up to real deductions. And definitely ask HR about commuter benefits or flexible work arrangements if those are options at your company!

As someone who prepares taxes, I wanted to add one thing - keep track of any days you work from home! If you're hybrid and don't go to the office every day, make sure you're not paying for parking on days you don't use it. Some parking garages

Another option to consider is carpooling or ride-sharing with coworkers if any live near you! I was in a similar situation and found two colleagues who were also struggling with downtown parking costs. We rotate driving duties and split parking expenses three ways, which brings my monthly cost down from $240 to around $80. Plus we can use the HOV lanes during rush hour which saves time too. It took some coordination at first but now it's routine and we've all become good friends. Might be worth posting on your company's internal message board or asking around to see if anyone else is interested in sharing the cost burden.

Don't forget to check with your state tax agency too! Some states have their own free file programs separate from the federal ones. I'm in California and they have CalFile which is completely free for state filing regardless of income, and it accepts unemployment income. Saved me $39 on state filing fees and was actually easier to use than the paid services.

Just wanted to add another option that worked great for me last year - TaxSlayer through the IRS Free File program. I had a W-2, 1099-G from unemployment, and some student loan interest deduction, and it handled everything for free (federal filing). The key thing is making sure you access it through the official IRS Free File portal like others mentioned. When I went directly to TaxSlayer's website, they wanted to charge me, but through the IRS portal it was completely free for my income level. One thing I liked about TaxSlayer is that it walks you through each form step-by-step and explains what each line means in plain English. Super helpful when you're dealing with unemployment tax situations for the first time. Definitely worth checking out as another free alternative!

The as of date is literally the most useless thing ever invented by the IRS and thats saying something considering everything else they do 🤮

The "As Of" date is basically just the IRS's internal system timestamp - it updates automatically based on their processing cycles, not actual progress on your return. I've been through this same frustration multiple times. The date changing weekly is totally normal and doesn't indicate movement forward or backward on your refund. Focus on your actual processing date and cycle codes instead - those are way more meaningful than the As Of date which is essentially just computer housekeeping.