Has anyone tried using TurboTax Self-Employed for calculating quarterlies with mixed income sources? Their website claims it can handle both self-employment and investment income for quarterly calculations.

I've been in a very similar situation and learned this the hard way last year. Yes, you absolutely need to include those short-term capital gains in your quarterly estimated tax calculations. The IRS considers all income when determining if you've paid enough throughout the year to avoid penalties. Here's what I'd recommend: Since you're already using the safe harbor method based on last year's tax liability, you have two main options: 1) Continue with safe harbor payments (100% of last year's tax if your AGI was under $150k, or 110% if over) and pay the additional amount due on your capital gains when you file your return. This is the simplest approach and guarantees no penalties. 2) Recalculate your remaining quarterly payments to include the capital gains. You'd add the estimated tax on your $7,800 gain (probably around $1,170-$2,340 depending on your tax bracket) and spread it across your remaining quarters. Given that your CPA is unavailable and you're worried about getting this wrong, I'd honestly go with option 1 for peace of mind. You can always adjust your approach next year once you have better guidance. The safe harbor rule exists exactly for situations like this where income is unpredictable.

I'm dealing with the exact same frustration right now! Filed through Liberty Tax on March 19th with the Deep Blue card and still waiting. WMR shows "approved" but no actual deposit date, which is driving me crazy. I've called Liberty twice and Deep Blue once - all three times I got the runaround and was told "normal processing times are 21-28 days." But from reading everyone's experiences here, it sounds like the Deep Blue card consistently takes longer than direct deposit because of all the extra processing steps between the IRS, Liberty, and Meta Bank. I'm definitely going back to filing myself next year and using direct deposit to my regular bank account. This uncertainty and delay just isn't worth whatever convenience I thought I was getting. Has anyone had any luck getting a more specific timeline when calling customer service, or do they all just give the same vague "wait longer" response?

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Filed through Liberty Tax on March 16th and opted for the Deep Blue card thinking it would be faster - what a mistake that was. It's been over 3 weeks and WMR just shows "approved" with no deposit date. I've called both Liberty and Deep Blue customer service multiple times and keep getting the same runaround about "normal processing times." What's really frustrating is that my sister filed her taxes herself the same week and got her direct deposit 10 days ago! After reading all these comments about the extra processing layers and fees, I'm definitely going back to doing my own taxes next year. The $250 I paid Liberty plus all this waiting and uncertainty just isn't worth it. Has anyone found a reliable way to track exactly where your refund is once it leaves the IRS and goes into Liberty's system?

keep calling them every week! i bugged them so much they finally processed mine after 45 days instead of 60

Ugh, I feel your pain! I'm currently on day 73 of my "60-day review" and still waiting. The IRS rep told me the same thing about waiting 120 days but honestly that feels like forever when you're counting on that money. I've been checking my transcript every few days but no updates yet. Has anyone tried requesting their congressman to help? I heard that sometimes works to speed things up.

Don't forget to look at your state taxes too. Some states are more generous with deductions for educators and self-employed individuals than the federal government. For example, my state allows additional deductions for educational professionals beyond what federal allows. Also, if you're self-employed even part-time, don't forget you can deduct health insurance premiums as well! I always missed that one until my accountant pointed it out.

Based on your situation, here are the key points for your tax filing: **For your private tutoring income ($560):** - Report this on Schedule C as self-employment income - You can deduct business expenses, but only the portion used for business **Equipment allocation is crucial:** Since you use the same equipment for both your W-2 job (learning center) and private tutoring, you need to split the costs. If you estimate 40% private tutoring use, you can deduct 40% of the $1,140 ($456) on Schedule C. **You have two depreciation options:** 1. Regular depreciation over 5-7 years 2. Section 179 election to deduct the full business portion immediately (since your amount is small, this might be simpler) **Important considerations:** - Keep detailed records of your usage percentage calculation - The educator expense deduction doesn't apply to private tutoring - Make sure your Schedule C deductions don't exceed your self-employment income - Consider quarterly estimated payments if you continue tutoring regularly **Documentation tip:** Create a simple log showing hours worked for each type of tutoring to support your allocation percentage. This will be valuable if the IRS ever questions your deduction. The equipment purchases right when you started private tutoring actually supports your business use claim, so keep those receipts and purchase dates well documented!

Looking at all these responses, it sounds like your 570 code with the 971 code is totally normal - just means they're reviewing something (probably your Child Tax Credit claim). The fact that you don't see an 846 code yet means your refund hasn't been released, but that's expected with the hold in place. Based on what the former IRS employee said, you're probably looking at 3-4 weeks total for the review. Since your 570 is dated 05-15-2025, you might see movement in the next week or two. Keep checking your transcript weekly - you'll want to see a 571 code (hold released) followed by an 846 code (refund issued). The 290 code you mentioned for $500 is definitely an adjustment they made, so your final refund will be $500 less than what you expected. The 766 code for $2,800 is likely your Child Tax Credit. If you get tired of waiting and checking codes, it sounds like calling through one of those callback services might help speed things up if an agent can release the hold manually. But honestly, it sounds like everything is progressing normally - just slowly!

I feel your pain! Tax transcripts are like reading a foreign language. I went through the exact same thing last year - had a 570 code for what felt like forever and kept refreshing the Where's My Refund tool hoping for good news. From everything I've learned (the hard way), your situation sounds completely normal. The 570 with the 971 code means they're just doing their due diligence on your Child Tax Credit claim. It's frustrating but super common, especially this year. One thing that helped me stay sane was setting up a weekly reminder to check my transcript instead of obsessing over it daily. The codes will change when they change, and checking every day just made me more anxious. If you're really in a bind and need the money ASAP, calling through one of those services people mentioned might help. But otherwise, it sounds like you're on track for a normal resolution in the next few weeks. Hang in there!