FYI - I've been using TurboTax Self-Employed for a few years, and it actually has a really good section on handling mixed business/personal travel. It asks a series of questions about your initial intent, percentage of time spent on business, and walks you through what documentation you need.

As someone who's been through several IRS audits as a freelancer, I can confirm that the key is really in the documentation. For your situation, I'd recommend creating a detailed timeline of your Miami trip showing exactly when personal time ended and business activities began. One thing I learned the hard way - the IRS is surprisingly reasonable about these situations IF you can prove legitimate business necessity. Since your clients had emergencies that required immediate attention, that's actually strong evidence that the business portion was necessary, not just convenient. For the original flight, there's actually some flexibility here that others haven't mentioned. If you can show that a significant portion of your trip became business-focused due to unforeseen circumstances (which it sounds like you can), you may be able to allocate part of the transportation costs. I'd suggest consulting with a tax professional on this specific point since it's more nuanced than the standard "initial intent" rule. Document everything with timestamps - client emails, call logs, work deliverables completed during the trip. The conference room rental and extended hotel stays are slam dunks for deduction since they were purely business-driven expenses.

ur good fam, no audit codes. should see that $$ hit ur account soon 💅

Hey Mia! I see you're dealing with the same confusing transcript codes that trip up so many of us. Those 2025 dates are definitely just system placeholders - I had the exact same thing happen with my return last month and was panicking thinking I'd have to wait until next year! Your codes look really good actually - 150 means your return is filed and accepted, 766 is your refundable credits, and 768 is your earned income credit. The fact that you don't see any hold codes like 570 or 971 means you're in the clear for processing. Since you filed 2/24, you should be getting close to that 21-day mark. Have you been checking Where's My Refund on the IRS website? That usually updates before the transcript does with your actual deposit date. The $9,804 total ($2,844 + $6,960) should hit your account any day now based on your timeline!

Just want to add something important: even if you're below the minimum filing threshold, you might WANT to file anyway. I didn't have to file last year (made about $10,200), but I filed anyway and got back all my withheld income tax PLUS qualified for a partial Earned Income Credit. Ended up getting almost $1,800 back! Don't leave money on the table by not filing when you don't "have to.

Just to clarify something I learned the hard way: the $400 self-employment threshold is separate from the standard filing threshold. I made $12,000 from my regular job and $350 from selling crafts online last year. My tax software said I didn't need to file because I was under the standard threshold AND under the self-employment threshold. But if I had made $420 from my crafts, I would have needed to file even though my total income was still below the standard threshold. The thresholds work separately, not together.

Count me in for tracking! I have the exact same codes (570 and 971) both dated March 10, 2025, so we're definitely in the same processing batch. This is my first time dealing with these codes and honestly, I was starting to panic until I found this thread. My cycle code is also 20251405, which confirms we're all being processed together. I've been checking my transcript religiously every morning around 6am based on the advice here, but no changes yet. Haven't received any mail notice either, but from reading everyone's experiences, it sounds like that's normal for the first week or so. Really hoping we follow the shorter timeline patterns rather than the longer ones! I'll definitely keep everyone updated with any changes. Thanks for creating this tracking system - it's so much better than trying to figure this out alone. The community support here is amazing, and it's reassuring to know that so many others have gone through this exact situation successfully.

Adding myself to the March 10th tracking group! I also have 570 and 971 codes with identical dates of March 10, 2025, and my cycle code is 20251405 as well. This is actually my second time dealing with these codes - last year I had a similar situation that resolved in about 23 days, so I'm trying to stay patient based on that experience. What's interesting is that last year my codes appeared in mid-February and this year they're appearing in March, but the cycle code pattern looks identical. I've been checking my transcript every morning around 5:45am and haven't seen any changes yet, but no mail notice either which seems consistent with everyone else's timeline. Really appreciate this tracking thread - it's so helpful to have others going through the exact same situation with the same dates and codes. I'll definitely keep everyone posted on any updates. Based on my previous experience, I'm expecting to see movement sometime in the next 2-3 weeks, but it's reassuring to have this community to compare notes with!

I've been dealing with oil and gas K1s for several years now, and I completely understand your frustration. The tax benefits are real, but they're often misunderstood by general tax preparers who don't specialize in these investments. Here's what you should specifically look for on your K1: Box 13 is where most of the magic happens. Look for code "V" which represents your share of intangible drilling costs (IDCs) - this is typically the largest deduction and can often be taken in full in the first year. You might also see code "W" for depletion allowances. Don't forget that some oil and gas partnerships also provide separate statements or schedules that break down the tax treatment of your investment. The partnership should have sent you supplementary information explaining how your investment dollars were allocated between IDCs (immediately deductible), tangible drilling costs (7-year depreciation), and lease acquisition costs (recovered through depletion). If your current accountant isn't familiar with these specialized deductions, it's worth getting a second opinion from someone who regularly handles oil and gas investments. The tax code has specific provisions for these investments that many general practitioners simply aren't familiar with.

I went through something very similar with my oil and gas K1 last year. The key thing I learned is that you really need to understand the different "buckets" your investment gets divided into for tax purposes. Most drilling partnerships allocate your investment roughly like this: 60-80% goes to intangible drilling costs (IDCs) which are immediately deductible, 15-25% to tangible equipment that gets depreciated over 7 years, and the remainder to lease costs recovered through depletion allowances over time. The IDCs are the big win - they should show up in Box 13 of your K1 with code "V" and can typically offset your regular income dollar-for-dollar in year one. This is probably what the promoter was referring to when they talked about tax benefits. One red flag: if your accountant isn't familiar with oil and gas investments, they might be treating everything as subject to passive loss limitations, which would be incorrect for IDCs. The tax code has special provisions (Section 469(c)(3)) that exempt IDCs from these limitations. I'd suggest asking your accountant to specifically look at Box 13 codes V and W, and if they're not comfortable with oil and gas taxation, definitely get a second opinion from someone who specializes in energy investments. The tax benefits are real, but you need someone who knows where to find them on the K1.