Lots of comments about keeping good records, but nobody's mentioned WHAT records specifically. For my media business, I keep: 1) Project assignment document from client specifically requesting travel content 2) Dated production schedule showing filming times 3) Final deliverables with timestamps showing they were created during the trip 4) Receipts with business purpose noted 5) Photos of myself working at the location When in doubt, overcommunicate the business purpose in your records. Writing "dinner with client" on a receipt isn't enough. Write "Dinner with [client name] discussing upcoming content calendar for Q3" etc.

The fact that you have a legitimate contract with a travel company client and generate over $100K annually puts you in a much stronger position than most content creators dealing with this issue. The IRS generally looks at the primary purpose test - if the primary purpose of the trip was to create content for your paying client, then you have a solid case for deducting the full business portion of your expenses. For that $8,000 cruise, I'd recommend documenting exactly how much time was spent on business activities vs personal enjoyment. If you were filming content, managing social media posts, or working with your client for the majority of the trip, you could potentially deduct 100% of the core business expenses (your cabin, transportation to/from the cruise). However, any activities that were purely personal should be separated out. The key is having bulletproof documentation. Keep your client contract, content deliverables with timestamps, daily activity logs showing business vs personal time, and detailed receipts. Also consider getting a determination letter from the IRS if you're still unsure - it's better to get official guidance upfront than deal with questions during an audit later. One more thing - since you mentioned getting different opinions from accountants, make sure whoever you're working with has experience with content creator businesses. The rules can be quite different from traditional business travel.

IMPORTANT: If your DDD is 3/24 and that's a Sunday, be aware that ACH transfers don't process on weekends! Your refund will most likely appear Monday 3/25. The IRS Refund Processing Schedule indicates weekend DDDs roll to the next business day. Check your transcript for code 846 with the exact date to confirm!

I'm also with BoA and waiting on a 3/24 DDD! Based on what everyone's sharing here, it sounds like we're definitely waiting until the actual date. I've been checking obsessively too, but I'm going to try to be patient and just check Monday morning. One thing I noticed is that my transcript shows the 846 code with 20240324, so that seems to confirm the exact date. Has anyone else noticed if BoA sends a mobile notification when the deposit hits, or do you have to check the app manually? Trying to figure out if I'll know right away or need to keep checking throughout Monday morning.

BE CAREFUL with this error! Last year I ignored it thinking it was just a glitch, and it turned out there was an actual problem with my return. Someone had filed a fraudulent return using my SSN before I filed mine. Took 9 MONTHS to resolve and get my refund. I'd recommend calling the IRS identity theft hotline at 800-908-4490 if this persists more than a week, just to make sure nothing fishy is happening.

I went through this exact same frustration about a month ago! Filed through TurboTax, got the acceptance email, but WMR kept giving me that "info doesn't match" error for almost 3 weeks. I was starting to panic thinking something was wrong. What finally worked for me was accessing my tax transcript through the IRS website (irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript). You have to go through their identity verification process which is a bit of a pain, but once I got in, I could see my return was actually being processed normally. Turns out the IRS had made a small adjustment to my refund amount - only about $27 difference - but that was enough to make WMR throw the error. The transcript showed me the exact adjusted refund amount, and once I used that number in WMR instead of my original amount, it worked perfectly and showed my refund was already approved for direct deposit. Definitely try the transcript route if you can get through the verification. It's way more detailed than WMR and updates more reliably. Good luck!

Question about the TFSA distribution - if I closed my account and transferred everything to a US account like OP did, do I need to report this on Form 3520 every year going forward, or just for the tax year when I made the transfer? I'm thinking about doing the same thing to simplify my tax situation.

I went through a very similar situation with my Canadian TFSA last year and can confirm what others have said about the extension. Form 4868 does automatically extend Form 3520 to October 15th - you don't need to file a separate extension form. For your specific TFSA situation, the IRS generally treats Canadian TFSAs as foreign trusts (unlike RRSPs which have treaty exceptions). Your $28,000 distribution in January 2024 would likely need to be reported on Form 3520 as a distribution from a foreign trust. The good news is that if you're filing under extension, you have until October 15th to get everything sorted out. One piece of advice - consider getting professional help with this if the amounts are significant. The Form 3520 penalties are severe (the greater of $10,000 or 35% of the trust distributions), so it's worth making sure you get it right. The complexity of foreign trust reporting combined with the harsh penalty structure makes this one area where professional guidance often pays for itself.

Ugh I feel your pain! I had codes 424 and 810 on my transcript for like 3 months last year. The 424 means they're doing an examination (not necessarily a full audit, just reviewing something), 810 is the freeze, and 811 means they lifted part of the freeze or sent you correspondence. The waiting is the worst part honestly. Have you tried calling the practitioner priority line? Sometimes you can get through faster than the regular taxpayer line. Also keep checking your transcript weekly - mine updated randomly on a Wednesday and my refund hit 2 days later. Hang in there! 💪

Those codes can definitely be stressful to see! From what I understand, 424 means they're examining something on your return (could be income verification, credits claimed, etc.), 810 is the account freeze while they review, and 811 typically means they've either lifted the freeze or sent you a notice. The good news is that 811 often indicates movement in your case. I'd definitely keep checking your transcript weekly and watch your mail for any correspondence. In my experience, once you see that 811 code, things usually start moving within a few weeks. If you haven't gotten any letters yet, they might still be processing. The whole thing is frustrating but try to stay patient - most of these examinations do resolve in the taxpayer's favor eventually!