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Another tip from someone who's been doing solo 401k for 7 years - keep really good records of your contributions year over year. The IRS has been increasingly auditing retirement accounts and with a solo 401k YOU are the plan administrator. I track mine in a spreadsheet with dates, amounts, and whether it's employee or employer contribution. Believe me, trying to figure this out retrospectively is a nightmare.
Great advice from everyone here! As someone who just went through my first year of solo 401k reporting, I can confirm that the lack of forms from custodians was definitely confusing at first. One thing I'd add is to make sure you understand the deadline differences too. Unlike IRAs where you have until the tax filing deadline (plus extensions) to make contributions, solo 401k employee deferrals must be made by December 31st of the tax year. However, employer contributions can be made up until your tax filing deadline including extensions. This timing difference caught me off guard in my first year - I thought I could make all my contributions by April 15th like with an IRA, but realized I had missed the window for additional employee deferrals. Luckily I could still max out the employer portion, but it's something to plan for going forward. Also seconding the advice about keeping detailed records. I use a simple spreadsheet tracking contribution dates, amounts, and type (employee vs employer). When tax time comes around, having everything organized makes the reporting so much smoother.
This is such valuable info, thanks Sofia! I had no idea about the December 31st deadline for employee deferrals vs the extended deadline for employer contributions. That's a huge difference from IRAs and definitely something I need to plan around. Question though - if I'm self-employed and paying myself irregular amounts throughout the year, how do I know how much I can contribute as "employee deferrals" by December 31st if my final net income won't be calculated until I do my taxes? Do I just have to estimate conservatively?
11 Has anyone tried just hiring a part-time remote CFO instead of going with these services? I'm wondering if having someone 5-10 hours a month might be more valuable at the early stages.
For a fintech SaaS at your stage, I'd strongly recommend looking into inDinero - they specialize in startups and scale really well with growth. Their pricing starts around $700/month which includes bookkeeping, monthly financials, and tax prep. What sets them apart is their deep understanding of SaaS metrics and revenue recognition rules. Also consider looking into some of the newer AI-powered solutions like botkeeper or ScaleFactor (though double-check they're still operating). These can be more cost-effective while still providing the tech-savvy approach you need. One piece of advice from someone who's been through multiple funding rounds: invest in getting your books properly set up from day one, especially your chart of accounts and expense categorization. It'll save you thousands when you go to raise your Series A and need clean financials for due diligence. The R&D tax credit optimization alone could pay for your accounting costs for the entire year.
Waiting for your tax refund is like tracking a package that keeps saying "out for delivery" but never arrives! I was in your exact shoes last month - SBTPG showed funded on a Tuesday, and I refreshed my Chase app about 50 times that evening. Nothing. Went to bed disappointed, then woke up to find the money sitting in my account at 3:17am! Chase processes most deposits overnight, like rain collecting in a bucket until it's full enough to pour out all at once. Your money is already on its journey through the electronic banking system - you'll likely see it by tomorrow morning!
I'm in a similar situation right now! My SBTPG just switched to funded status about an hour ago and I'm also banking with Chase. Based on what everyone's saying here, it sounds like I should expect to see the deposit sometime between midnight and 6am tomorrow morning. Really appreciate all the detailed timelines people have shared - it's so much more helpful than the vague "1-2 business days" you get from customer service. Going to try to resist the urge to check my app every 10 minutes tonight! š
Same here! Just checked and my SBTPG switched to funded about 30 minutes ago. This thread has been incredibly helpful - way better than calling customer service and getting those generic timeframes. I'm also with Chase and feeling optimistic about seeing it tomorrow morning based on everyone's experiences. The hardest part is definitely going to be not obsessively checking the app tonight! š
This exact same thing happened to me two weeks ago! My WMR date jumped from 4/15 to 5/15 overnight and I was panicking because I had already budgeted that money for April expenses. After reading through similar posts here, I decided to trust my transcript over WMR since it hadn't changed at all. Sure enough, my refund hit my account on 4/16 - just one day after the original WMR date! I think what's happening is the IRS systems are getting overwhelmed with the volume of returns and the WMR tool is having sync issues with the actual processing database. Your transcript is pulled directly from the main system, so that's definitely more reliable. Since you mentioned you have quarterly taxes due on 4/15, I'd plan based on your transcript date rather than the shifted WMR date. The fact that your transcript hasn't changed is actually a really good sign that your refund is still on track for the original timeframe.
This is really reassuring to hear! I'm definitely going to trust my transcript over WMR from now on. Quick question - when your refund came on 4/16, did you get any notification beforehand or did it just show up in your account? I'm checking my bank obsessively now and wondering if I should expect any advance notice. Also, did your WMR tool ever correct itself to show the right date again, or did it stay wrong until after you got your refund?
I'm going through this exact situation right now! My WMR showed 4/22 yesterday and today it's showing 5/22. Like you, I checked my transcript immediately and there's been zero changes - no new codes, no updates to cycle dates, nothing. Based on all the responses here, it sounds like this is becoming a really common issue this tax season. I'm choosing to trust my transcript over WMR since everyone seems to agree that's the more reliable source. The fact that so many people are reporting their refunds came on or near the original date despite WMR showing later dates is really encouraging. For your quarterly taxes due 4/15, I'd recommend planning based on your transcript timeline rather than the shifted WMR date. It seems like this is just a front-end display issue rather than an actual processing delay. The consistency of these stories - dates shifting by exactly 30 days, transcripts remaining unchanged, refunds arriving on original schedule - really points to a systematic glitch rather than individual account issues. Fingers crossed both our refunds arrive as originally scheduled! This community has been so helpful in providing real experiences rather than just speculation.
LunarLegend
Called IRS yesterday - they said standard time is 4 weeks but could take up to 6 if theres any postal delays in your area
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Isaac Wright
I'm in week 4 waiting for my paper check too. Called my local post office and they said there's been unusual delays with government mail in my area due to processing backlogs. Might be worth calling yours to see if there are any local issues. Really wish I had done direct deposit - lesson learned for next year!
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