I think everyone's overthinking this. The IRS isn't going to come after a small yoga business for writing off a few massages lol. I've been writing off all kinds of stuff for years with zero issues.

As someone who's dealt with business deductions for my consulting LLC, I'd strongly recommend being conservative but thorough with your documentation. The retreat classes and workshops are definitely your safest bet - those are clearly professional development expenses that directly relate to your business. For the travel expenses, keep detailed records of your mileage (use the standard IRS rate) and any other transportation costs. If the retreat requires overnight stays to attend multiple days of classes, the lodging becomes more defensible as a business expense. The massage/bodywork question is trickier. While some yoga instructors do deduct these, you'd want solid documentation showing they're truly necessary for your job performance rather than general wellness. A letter from a healthcare provider specifically recommending regular bodywork for injury prevention in your profession would help significantly. My advice: Start conservative in your first year while you're learning the ropes. Focus on the clearly deductible items (classes, necessary travel, business-required lodging) and build up your documentation practices. As you get more comfortable with business tax requirements, you can explore other potential deductions with proper support. Better to leave some money on the table than deal with an audit when you're just starting out!

This exact thing happened to me last year! I was panicking because I owed about $2,800 and they hadn't withdrawn it yet, then suddenly got a refund check for $900. Turns out the IRS automated system caught that I had missed claiming some education credits that I was eligible for. The key thing is to wait for that CP12 notice (or similar) that explains what they adjusted. In my case, it took about 3 weeks after getting the check to receive the explanation letter. Once I got it, everything made perfect sense - they had recalculated my return with the proper credits, which reduced what I owed significantly. My scheduled payment was automatically canceled once they processed the adjustment, so I never had to worry about them taking the wrong amount from my account. The whole thing actually worked out in my favor once I understood what happened. Don't stress too much - the IRS computers are actually pretty good at catching these kinds of errors. Just hold onto the check until you get the official explanation, then you'll know exactly where you stand.

This is actually more common than you might think! I work in tax preparation and see this scenario fairly regularly during tax season. What likely happened is that the IRS's automated review system (they call it the Error Resolution System) flagged your return for potential credits or deductions you may have missed. The system runs every return through various checks and can automatically adjust things like: - Earned Income Tax Credit calculations - Child Tax Credit amounts - Education credits (American Opportunity, Lifetime Learning) - Standard deduction amounts - Filing status optimizations Since you mentioned doing everything online, there's a good chance you missed entering something or entered it in a way that didn't maximize your credits. The IRS computers caught this and processed the correction, which resulted in your refund. Your scheduled payment is likely still in the system but may be adjusted or canceled entirely depending on what they found. Keep monitoring your bank account, but don't be surprised if the withdrawal amount changes or doesn't happen at all. The CP12 notice explaining the changes should arrive within 2-3 weeks of receiving your check. Once you get that, you'll know exactly what they adjusted and whether you still owe anything. In the meantime, definitely hold onto that check but don't cash it until you understand what's happening!

Quick question - I'm an Instacart shopper, I've been tracking my mileage with the Stride app since I started, but noticed it sometimes misses trips or adds personal drives. Will the IRS accept the Stride reports as is or do I need something else?

This is such a timely reminder! I'm a freelance photographer and I've been absolutely terrible about tracking my mileage to wedding venues, engagement shoots, and equipment rental places. I probably missed out on hundreds of dollars in deductions last year because I just guessed at my business miles. One thing I learned the hard way - if you use the standard mileage rate, you can't also deduct actual car expenses like gas, repairs, or depreciation. It's one or the other. For most people the standard mileage rate works out better, but if you have an expensive car or drive a lot of miles, it might be worth calculating both ways. Also pro tip: if you're meeting clients at coffee shops or restaurants, those trips count as business mileage too! I used to think it only counted if I was going to an "official" business location, but any trip with a legitimate business purpose qualifies. Definitely taking that odometer photo today - thanks for the reminder!

Same thing happened to me last year with Cash App! The deposit literally appeared out of nowhere on March 5th (my DDD) at like 6 AM - no pending notification or anything. Cash App is different from traditional banks in that they don't show pending ACH transfers. Your WMR showing approved with a March 5th date means you're all set. The IRS batch processes refunds overnight before the deposit date, so you'll probably wake up March 5th and see it there. Don't stress about what you're seeing on social media - everyone's timeline is different based on when they filed and how complex their return is.

I went through this exact same situation with Cash App last year! Filed early February, got approved with a deposit date, but Cash App showed absolutely nothing pending. I was panicking because I kept seeing posts about people getting their refunds early. But then on my exact deposit date, boom - the money just appeared in my account around 5 AM with no warning. Cash App doesn't do the pending deposit thing like traditional banks. If your WMR shows March 5th as your deposit date and you're approved, that's when it'll hit. The IRS is pretty reliable with those direct deposit dates. Try not to stress about the social media posts - everyone files at different times and has different processing situations. You're right on track!

Has anyone compared the audit protection features between these options? That's one thing that always makes me nervous with a small business. TurboTax's audit protection seemed decent but not sure about the others.

I'm in almost the exact same situation! Started an LLC last year for a small consulting side business and TurboTax hit me with that ridiculous $1,300 fee. I ended up going with TaxAct and paid around $90 total. The interface definitely isn't as sleek as TurboTax, but it handled my Schedule C perfectly fine and walked me through all the business deductions step by step. For a straightforward LLC situation like yours (pass-through entity, basic expenses), any of these alternatives should work great. One tip - make sure you have all your business expense receipts organized before you start. The cheaper software options don't have as much hand-holding when it comes to suggesting deductions you might have missed, so you need to be a bit more proactive about knowing what you can deduct.