the waiting is the hardest part! filed 2/12, accepted same day, transcript updated last friday with ddd of 3/17. just need to make it through 2 more days...

Congratulations on getting your refund! This gives me hope since I'm still waiting on mine. Filed 2/14 with a DDD of 3/20, so hopefully I'll see mine hit soon too. It's such a relief when that money finally shows up after all the waiting and checking. For anyone else still in limbo - hang in there! Seeing posts like this reminds me that the system is actually working, just slowly. Thanks for sharing the good news and giving the rest of us some encouragement! 🤞

Just fyi, I made this exact mistake last year. I thought SALT would give me a huge refund, but it only saved me about $2,400 on my taxes because of my tax bracket. Make sure your itemized deductions exceed your standard deduction or else you won't benefit at all!!!

Great question! I see a lot of people have already covered the basics, but I wanted to add one more perspective since I went through something similar last year. The key thing to remember is that the SALT deduction is just one piece of the itemizing puzzle. Since you mentioned you and your girlfriend just bought the house, don't forget about mortgage interest deduction too! That combined with your SALT deduction might actually push you over the standard deduction threshold and make itemizing worthwhile. Also, keep track of any PMI (private mortgage insurance) payments if you have them - those can be deductible too depending on your income level. And if you made any charitable donations throughout the year, those can be itemized as well. I'd recommend using a tax software that can calculate both scenarios (standard vs itemized) to see which gives you the bigger benefit. Sometimes the difference isn't huge, but every bit helps when you're a new homeowner dealing with all those unexpected expenses! Good luck with your first year of homeownership - it's definitely a learning curve but the tax benefits can be pretty nice once you figure it all out.

Could you potentially categorize these expenses differently? Instead of withdrawing from your HSA, could you give your girlfriend the money personally, and then she pays for the medical expenses? That way they're being paid by the person who claims the child as a dependent. I realize it's more steps, but might avoid any potential HSA compliance issues.

Thanks everyone for the detailed responses! This has been really helpful in understanding the complexity of HSA rules for non-traditional families. Based on what I'm reading, it sounds like I have a few options to consider: 1. Keep the current arrangement where my girlfriend claims her son, and I just give her the money to pay medical expenses directly (thanks @Annabel Kimball for that suggestion) 2. Explore the "local parent" option that @PaulineW mentioned, since I do provide more than half his support when you include housing, insurance, and daily expenses 3. Get official clarification from the IRS using one of the services mentioned here I think I'm leaning toward option 1 for now since it's the simplest and avoids any potential compliance issues. The $1,200 medical bill isn't worth risking penalties over. But for future planning, I might look into whether it makes sense for us to switch who claims him as a dependent. We'd need to run the numbers on both scenarios to see what works better for our household overall. Really appreciate everyone taking the time to explain these rules - HSA dependency requirements are way more complicated than I realized!

I filed through Jackson Hewitt on February 20th and I'm in the exact same situation! Also newly married and filing jointly for the first time. My WMR has been stuck on "processing" for weeks now. After reading through all these responses, it sounds like JH has definitely had some system issues this year, especially with more complex returns like ours. I'm going to check my transcript like Connor suggested - didn't even know that was a thing! It's somewhat reassuring to know we're not alone in this delay, though I wish JH had been more upfront about the processing issues they were having.

I've been following Jackson Hewitt processing times closely this season, and what you're experiencing is unfortunately very common right now. JH seems to have had significant backend issues with their submission process, particularly affecting returns with any complexity (marriage status changes, credits, etc.). From what I've observed, their March filings are taking 25-30 days on average versus the typical 21. The fact that you're newly married filing jointly adds another layer of IRS verification that can extend processing. I'd recommend checking your IRS transcript directly rather than relying solely on WMR - it often shows movement days before the Where's My Refund tool updates. If you're past the 21-day mark, you can also call the IRS practitioner hotline, though wait times are brutal right now. Don't panic yet - delays don't necessarily indicate problems, just volume and verification backlogs.

Another thing to consider - if your mom owns her home, she might be eligible for property tax relief or homestead credits in many states. These often require filing a state tax return even when federal filing isn't required. Also, has she been paying estimated taxes during these unfiled years? If not, and she does end up owing, you might want to look into the IRS Fresh Start program which can help with penalties.

I'm going through something very similar with my grandmother right now, so I completely understand the stress and worry you're feeling! One thing that really helped us was getting organized first before diving into the actual filing process. Here's what we did: First, we gathered all her income documents for each year (SSA-1099s, 1099-Rs, 1099-INTs, etc.) and made separate folders for 2021, 2022, and 2023. Then we collected all those IRS notices and sorted them by date to see what they were actually asking for. The biggest relief was discovering that many of the "scary" notices were just automated reminders, not actual threats. Some were even for years she didn't need to file at all! Since your mom's income situation sounds relatively straightforward (Social Security + pension + small interest), this might be manageable to tackle together. But honestly, given that she's been getting IRS correspondence for a while, it might be worth the peace of mind to consult with a tax professional who specializes in unfiled returns. They can quickly determine which years actually require filing and help navigate any correspondence with the IRS. The most important thing is that you're helping her address this now - ignoring it only makes things more complicated. You're being a great child by stepping in to help sort this out!