One more thing to consider - if you're taking out construction loans, you need to be tracking loan proceeds carefully. Not all construction loan interest is immediately deductible. Interest paid on funds sitting unused might need to be capitalized into the basis of the property rather than deducted immediately.

This is a complex situation that highlights why proper business structure matters from the start. Based on what everyone has shared, it sounds like you have a few key issues to address: 1. **Partnership Formation**: Even without formal paperwork, you and your mother-in-law have created a partnership in the eyes of the IRS. You're pooling resources and sharing profits/losses on a business venture. 2. **Construction Interest Treatment**: The interest on your construction loan should likely be capitalized into the property's basis rather than immediately deducted, since you're building to sell. This means it reduces your taxable profit when you sell rather than giving you a current deduction. 3. **Required Filings**: You should be filing Form 1065 (Partnership Return) and issuing K-1s to both partners. Missing this could result in significant penalties. My recommendation: Get a written partnership agreement ASAP that documents your arrangement from the beginning, consult with a tax professional about proper treatment of the construction interest, and file the correct partnership returns. The potential penalties and audit risks of doing this incorrectly far outweigh the cost of getting proper guidance upfront. Don't try to force this into Schedule A - that's for personal itemized deductions, not business expenses from investment properties.

If part of your relocation package included temporary housing expenses, check if those were also included in your W-2. My company provided 60 days of temporary housing during my relocation, and that benefit (about $7,200) was added to my taxable income as well. I nearly missed it because it wasn't included in the amount they initially told me would be grossed-up!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm going through a similar situation with my work relocation from last year. One thing I want to add that caught me off guard - if your employer helped with any real estate costs (like realtor fees for selling your old home or closing costs on your new home), those are typically taxable too. My company covered $12,000 in realtor fees when I sold my house, and that entire amount was added to my W-2 income along with the gross-up. I only found out when I got my final paystub and saw a much larger "relocation taxable income" line than I was expecting. Also, Emma, definitely look into what Diego mentioned about tax equalization policies. My company had one but didn't mention it during the initial relocation discussions - I only found out about it when I specifically asked HR about additional tax impacts six months later. They ended up reimbursing me about $3,400 after I filed my taxes!

Back in 2022, I had almost the exact same timeline as you, and I remember how the status changed from "STILL being processed" to "IS being processed" right before I got my DDD. Instead of constantly checking WMR, I found it more helpful to set up alerts with my bank for any incoming deposits. That way I wasn't driving myself crazy checking multiple times a day. Another thing that helped was checking my transcript around 3-4am EST on Fridays when the weekly updates typically happen. Most people who verified their identity like you did end up getting their refunds, it just takes a bit longer than the advertised 21 days.

The wording change from "STILL being processed" to "IS being processed" is definitely meaningful! I went through this exact same thing last month. "Still being processed" usually indicates your return is in some kind of review queue or on hold, while "is being processed" means it's moved into active processing. Since you completed identity verification on 2/15 and it's now been over a week, you're probably in the final stages. The transcripts often don't update until the very last minute - I've seen people get their DDD on transcripts that were showing N/A just the day before. One thing to keep in mind is that the 21-day window resets after identity verification, so you're really only about 10 days into your processing time from verification completion. I know it's frustrating when you see others getting their refunds faster, but everyone's situation is slightly different depending on what triggered the verification and what other reviews might be happening. Try checking your transcript early Friday morning (around 3-6am EST) - that's typically when the weekly batch updates happen. Your refund is likely coming very soon!

Watch out for SBTPG's timing! Last year on April 12th, 2023, my status changed to 'funded' on a Friday afternoon, but the money didn't hit my account until Wednesday, April 17th. Their website claimed 1-2 business days, but it took 3 full business days. If your tuition deadline is coming up soon (like before April 30th), I'd recommend having a backup plan just in case. The timing is never guaranteed, especially this close to the tax deadline when their systems are overloaded.

I've been through this exact situation twice now! SBTPG does receive funds from the IRS on weekends - I've personally seen my status change from 'unfunded' to 'funded' on both Saturday and Sunday. However, the transfer to your actual bank account almost always follows standard banking business days. For your tuition deadline situation, here's what I'd suggest: check your WMR (Where's My Refund) tool to see if it shows "sent" - that's usually a good indicator that the IRS has already released your funds. If it shows sent and SBTPG is still showing unfunded, the money is likely in transit and should update within 24-48 hours. Given your tight timeline, you might also want to contact your school's financial aid office to explain the situation. Many schools will give a brief extension (like 2-3 days) if you can show proof that your refund is in process. Screenshot your SBTPG status and WMR tool as documentation. Fingers crossed it updates over the weekend for you! The waiting game is the absolute worst part of tax season.

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.