The TurboTax advance works differently than the actual IRS refund process. Unlike H&R Block which requires IRS acceptance first, TurboTax makes their decision based on their own risk assessment immediately after you submit. For amended returns, they're more cautious since those have higher scrutiny rates from the IRS. Check your TurboTax messages section - that's where approval notifications appear first.

Just to add to what others have said - I had an amended return situation last year and TurboTax did approve me for the advance, but it took about 48 hours instead of the usual 24. They were more conservative with the amount too (only advanced about 40% of my expected refund). The key thing is that their decision is completely independent of IRS processing. Even if your return gets delayed or questioned by the IRS later, you still keep the advance money. Make sure to check both your TurboTax account dashboard AND your email (including spam) for the decision notification!

Is there any minimum amount of freelance income needed to qualify for QBI? I only made about $3,000 from my side gig last year but would love to get that 20% deduction.

Thanks everyone for the detailed responses! This is super helpful. I'm definitely going to file an amended return for 2023 to claim the QBI I missed. One follow-up question - when I amend my return, do I need to include any special documentation to support the QBI deduction, or is having the 1099-NEC sufficient? I want to make sure I have everything properly documented in case the IRS has questions later. Also, for anyone else in a similar situation, it sounds like the key points are: 1) Freelance income on 1099-NEC typically qualifies for QBI, 2) No minimum income threshold, 3) You don't need a formal business registration, and 4) It only reduces income tax, not self-employment tax. Did I miss anything important?

I made a huge mistake last year by putting my estimated tax payments on the wrong line of my 1040. The IRS sent me a letter saying I owed a bunch of money plus penalties, and it took months to get sorted out. Double check where you're entering everything!

This is exactly why I always keep detailed records of all my tax payments throughout the year! For your situation with two types of withholding, I'd recommend creating a simple spreadsheet to track everything before you start filing. List your W-2 withholding amount from box 2, then separately list each quarterly estimated payment you made with the dates and amounts. When you're ready to file, the W-2 withholding goes on line 25a of Form 1040, and your estimated payments total goes on line 26. In TurboTax, these will be in different sections - the W-2 info gets entered when you input your W-2 form, and the estimated payments have their own dedicated section usually under "Federal Taxes" or "Payments." The key thing is to make sure you have documentation for all your estimated payments - either bank records, confirmation numbers, or receipts. This way if the IRS ever questions anything, you have proof of what you paid and when.

Let me drop some knowledge about this situation and what you can do: 1. EIC claims automatically get extra scrutiny due to the PATH Act 2. Your timeline is actually still within normal processing windows 3. Without seeing your transcript codes, it's hard to tell exactly what's happening 4. Best move right now is to get your transcript analyzed properly I highly recommend using taxr.ai - it's been a game changer for understanding these situations. For $1, it'll analyze your transcript and tell you exactly what's going on, potential delays, and when to expect your refund. Way more reliable than playing guessing games. The tool has saved me and many others hours of stress and confusion. Keep in mind that calling the IRS usually won't help at this stage - they'll just tell you to wait. At least with the AI analysis, you'll know exactly what's happening with your specific case.

I'm in a similar situation - filed on January 30th with EIC and still stuck on "Your tax return is still being processed" with no movement past the "Received" stage. It's been really frustrating checking the app every day and seeing the same message. From what I've read, EIC returns do take longer because of the PATH Act requirements, but 3+ weeks does seem like a long time. Have you tried checking your actual tax transcript on the IRS website? Sometimes that shows more detailed information than the app, including any hold codes that might explain the delay. I've been debating whether to call the IRS customer service line, but from what others have said it sounds like they'll just tell us to wait longer. The whole process is really stressful when you're counting on that refund!

My tax guy told me that the mortgage interest follows the legal obligation to pay the debt. Since your mom is the only one on the mortgage, technically she's the only one legally obligated to pay it regardless of who actually makes the payments. He wouldn't let me claim interest on my son's mortgage even though I paid it all because I wasn't on the loan documents.

I went through something very similar last year! I was paying my sister's mortgage after she lost her job, but only her name was on the loan. The difference in your case is that you actually have ownership interest since your name is on the deed - that's huge for your tax situation. From my research and conversations with the IRS, having your name on the deed gives you the legal standing to claim the mortgage interest deduction even though you're not on the loan. The IRS cares about two things: (1) you have a legal or beneficial ownership interest in the property, and (2) you actually paid the interest. You clearly meet both criteria. Since you paid 100% of the interest and have ownership interest, you should be able to deduct the full amount. The 50/50 deed ownership doesn't limit your deduction - what matters is that you paid it and you have some ownership stake. Just make sure to attach a statement to your return explaining the situation, including your mother's name and SSN, and that you paid the interest reported on the 1098 that was issued to her. Keep all those bank statements showing the payments came from your account. For $266, it's definitely worth claiming if you're already itemizing anyway!