I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! I've been legally blind since childhood but only recently learned about the tax benefits. One thing I'd add is that if you're employed, you might also want to look into whether your employer offers any vision-related benefits or accommodations that could have tax implications. Some assistive technology purchases for work can be deductible as unreimbursed employee expenses if you itemize. Also, I discovered that if you use a tax preparer, many of them aren't familiar with these specific deductions for blindness. When I went to H&R Block last year, the preparer had to look it up because they'd never handled it before. So don't feel bad about not knowing - even some tax professionals miss this stuff! It might be worth specifically asking your preparer about disability-related deductions when you file going forward.

Great question about assistive technology deductions! From my experience, items like screen readers, braille displays, and voice recognition software can potentially qualify as medical expenses if they're primarily for managing your blindness, but the rules are tricky. For work-related equipment, it depends on whether your employer reimburses you and whether you itemize vs take the standard deduction. The key thing with assistive technology is documenting that it's "primarily for medical care" - so if you use a braille display 80% for managing daily tasks related to your blindness and 20% for general computer use, it would likely qualify. But if it's mainly for general productivity, it might not. One thing that helped me was getting a letter from my eye doctor specifically stating that certain equipment is medically necessary for my condition. This creates a clear paper trail if the IRS ever questions it. Also, keep detailed records of how you use each piece of equipment - the IRS may want to see that it's truly medical in nature rather than just convenient technology. You're absolutely right about asking your CPA to review past returns! Many tax professionals don't specialize in disability-related deductions, so being proactive about bringing this up could uncover missed opportunities. There are often multiple angles beyond just the standard deduction - medical expenses, equipment costs, sometimes even transportation expenses related to medical care.

I used taxr.ai when this happened to me its actually crazy accurate. told me exactly when id get my refund and what was holding it up. Better than waiting for the notice tbh

I went through the exact same thing last year with a 570 code and EIC review! The good news is your transcript looks normal for this type of hold - they're just verifying your income to make sure the EIC amount is correct. Since your AGI is $7,739 and you're claiming $2,090 in EIC, they want to double-check that you actually earned that income and qualify. The 971 notice should arrive within the next week or so and will tell you exactly what documents to send in. Pro tip: start gathering your documents now - W2s, 1099s, any records of the income that supports your EIC claim. When that notice comes, respond ASAP because the faster you send everything back, the faster they'll release your refund. In my case, it took about 4-5 weeks total from the 570 code to getting my money. Your $3,331 is safe, it's just sitting there waiting for verification. Hang in there! 💪

I'm confused about the child tax credit situation with Form 8332. If I let my ex claim our kids using this form, does that mean they get ALL the tax benefits? Or do I still get some of them?

Just want to add one more tip that saved me a lot of trouble - make sure you keep detailed records of when you give the completed Form 8332 to your ex. I take a photo of the signed form and send it via email so there's a timestamp, then also give them the original. Last year my ex lost the form right before filing and we had to scramble to get another one signed. Having that digital backup with the date stamp helped prove I had provided it on time. Also helped when the IRS had questions later - I could show exactly when the form was completed and delivered. The whole process is stressful enough without having to worry about lost paperwork!

I almost messed up my tax loss harvesting by forgetting about the special rules for mutual funds! If anyone's planning to sell mutual funds (not ETFs) on December 31st, remember that mutual funds only trade once per day after market close. You have to place your order before the fund's cutoff time (usually 4pm Eastern) for it to execute on that day. Miss the cutoff and your trade gets processed on the next business day, which would be next year!

Just want to add another important timing consideration - if you're planning to do tax loss harvesting with international stocks or ADRs (American Depositary Receipts), be extra careful about the settlement timing. While US stocks typically settle T+2, some international securities can have longer settlement periods. Also, if you're holding stocks in a foreign market that trades on a different schedule (like Tokyo or London), make sure you understand when their December 31st equivalent deadline falls in your local time zone. I had a friend who missed harvesting losses on some European stocks because he didn't account for the time difference properly. The key takeaway remains the same - it's the trade date that matters, not settlement - but just wanted to flag these additional complexities for anyone with international holdings in their portfolio.

I'm dealing with this right now too! Got my 570 code about 10 days ago and received the dreaded "60-day review" letter yesterday. This is my first time experiencing this and it's honestly pretty stressful since I was planning to use my refund to pay down some student loans. From what I've been researching, it seems like the IRS has really ramped up their review processes this year. I filed a pretty straightforward return - just W-2 income, student loan interest deduction, and standard deduction. Nothing that should raise red flags, but here we are! One thing that's been helpful is checking my transcript every Friday to see if there are any updates. I've also been keeping a log of the dates and codes just in case I need to reference them later. The uncertainty is the worst part - not knowing if it's going to be resolved in 2 weeks or the full 60 days makes it really hard to plan anything. Hang in there! From what I'm seeing in this thread and other forums, most people are getting resolved within 30-45 days even though they say 60. Fingers crossed we're both in that faster group!

Same exact situation here! Got hit with the 570 code about 2 weeks ago and just received my review letter yesterday. This is my first time dealing with this too and it's honestly nerve-wracking. What's frustrating is that I filed the most basic return possible - just my W-2, standard deduction, nothing fancy. I'm a recent grad too so I was really counting on that refund to help with some expenses while I get settled in my new job. From everything I've been reading here and other forums, it seems like the IRS is just being extra cautious this year. Probably a combination of being understaffed and wanting to crack down on fraud. Unfortunately that means legitimate taxpayers like us get caught in the crossfire. I've been checking my transcript every few days and keeping screenshots just in case. The waiting is the worst part since there's literally nothing we can do except... wait. But it's reassuring to see so many others going through the same thing and most seem to get resolved within 30-45 days despite the scary 60-day warning. Hoping we all get our 571 codes soon! Will definitely update if I see any movement on mine.