I veryfied last Tuesday and my transcripts updated this morning! Got my DDD for next week lessgooo

Congrats to everyone getting their updates! For those still waiting, don't lose hope. The ID.me verification is just one step - sometimes there are other review processes happening behind the scenes that can add time. I verified 3 weeks ago and just got my transcript update yesterday. Hang in there! 💪

Just a heads up - there are additional complications with these real estate donation structures that aren't immediately obvious. I invested in one last year and found out afterward that there are strict "at-risk" and "basis" limitations that might restrict how much of these losses you can actually use. In my case, I could only deduct losses up to my actual economic investment (my "basis"), which was less than the paper losses the LLC generated. Also, the IRS has been scrutinizing these deals more closely lately, especially if the appraisals for the donated properties seem inflated. Make sure the LLC has strong supporting documentation for their valuations.

Question for anyone who understands Form 8582 - If I've invested in this LLC that generates passive losses through real estate, do I need to fill out the entire Passive Activity Loss Limitations form even if I'm under the 30% AGI limitation for the charitable contribution portion? I'm worried about triggering unnecessary IRS scrutiny with my return.

Congrats on the baby! Just a practical tip - don't forget you also qualify for the Child and Dependent Care Credit if you pay for childcare while you're looking for work, even if you're not currently employed. A lot of stay at home parents miss this. The credit can be up to $2,400 for one child.

Kennedy, you're absolutely right to question your husband's suggestion! As others have confirmed, spouses cannot be claimed as dependents regardless of income. The IRS explicitly excludes spouses from dependent status. Given your situation - new baby, single income household - filing jointly is almost certainly your best option. You'll get the higher standard deduction ($29,200 vs $14,600 each if filing separately), full Child Tax Credit eligibility, and access to other family-related credits that are reduced or eliminated when filing separately. The only scenarios where married filing separately might make sense are very specific situations like income-based student loan repayment plans or certain medical expense deductions. For most families with one income and children, joint filing saves thousands of dollars. Since you mentioned being uncertain about tax rules, you might want to run the numbers both ways or use a tax analysis tool to confirm the difference. But I'd be very surprised if filing separately benefited your situation at all.

This happens every year with these refund transfer products. I've seen this pattern repeat itself across multiple tax preparation companies. Back in 2022, I had a similar issue with Jackson Hewitt, and before that with H&R Block. These bank products add an extra layer of complexity that often causes confusion. Your refund is likely fine - it's just the tracking system that's problematic. Here's what I've learned works best: 1. Contact Liberty Tax directly - Republic Bank customer service often can't help with Liberty-specific issues 2. Check your IRS transcript directly if possible 3. Wait 24-48 hours after seeing your state refund before panicking about federal 4. Remember that the advance is separate from your actual refund processing

I'm dealing with the exact same Republic Bank login nightmare right now! Filed with Liberty Tax for the first time this year and regretting it. Their portal is absolutely terrible compared to what I'm used to with other services. I've tried every combination of amounts - full refund, refund minus fees, just federal, just state - nothing works. What's really frustrating is that I can see my state refund already hit my account, so I know the IRS processed everything, but I have no idea what's happening with the federal portion. Has anyone had success reaching an actual human at Liberty Tax who could explain their specific Republic Bank login requirements? I'm about ready to just wait it out and hope the money shows up, but not knowing is driving me crazy!

I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago and it was absolutely maddening! What finally worked for me was actually calling the IRS Practitioner Priority Service line (855-562-5227) early in the morning around 7 AM. Even though it's technically for tax professionals, they were able to help me reset my account access. The key was being super persistent and explaining that I couldn't file my taxes because of the account lockout. They transferred me to someone who could manually verify my identity over the phone using information from my previous tax returns. It took about 45 minutes total, but I was back in my account the same day. Worth trying before you go through the whole ID.me verification process again!

I'm going through the exact same nightmare right now! Been locked out for 2 weeks and it's so frustrating. The ID.me system is such a pain - I've submitted my documents three times and keep getting generic email responses that don't actually solve anything. Has anyone had luck with the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service that someone mentioned earlier? I'm getting desperate at this point and wondering if I should just try calling them directly instead of dealing with ID.me. This whole system feels broken! 😤