Has anyone else noticed that the IRS2Go app seems to update only once a day? I found that checking multiple times daily just leads to frustration. My status disappeared for like 4 days then suddenly appeared with an approved refund.

This exact same thing happened to me two weeks ago and I was panicking just like you! Filed through TurboTax in early February, everything was fine for weeks, then suddenly the app said my info didn't match. Turns out my return was just moved into manual review because I had some self-employment income that needed verification. The "information doesn't match" error is misleading - it doesn't mean your return is lost or rejected, it just means the system can't display your status while it's being processed differently. My refund actually came through last Friday, about 10 days after the error message first appeared. The key thing is that if your return was already accepted (which yours was on Feb 5th), then the IRS has it and you're in the system. That acceptance confirmation is the important part. Try not to stress too much and give it a few more days before taking any action!

Did you check if the $581 is from a previous year? Sometimes they'll hold current refunds for old debts

My transcript had both 971 and 290 codes. The notice basically said they adjusted my refund amount. After that it took about 3 weeks to get the money deposited

3 Has anyone tried claiming AOTC for online classes taken through those alternative education platforms like Coursera or edX? My work paid for some of these courses that were part of a certificate program, but I'm not sure if they count as eligible expenses for AOTC.

Just wanted to add some clarity here since I see some great discussion but also some confusion. The key IRS rule is that AOTC is available for the "first four years of post-secondary education." What matters is whether you've completed four academic years at the START of the tax year, not when you finish your degree. So yes, if you graduate from undergrad in May 2025 but were still in your 4th year (or earlier) when January 1, 2025 began, you can claim AOTC for qualified expenses throughout 2025 - including both your spring undergrad costs AND fall graduate school expenses. One important note that hasn't been mentioned: make sure your graduate program qualifies! The student must be enrolled at least half-time in a program leading to a degree, certificate, or other recognized educational credential at an eligible institution. Most traditional graduate programs qualify, but it's worth double-checking if you're in an unusual program. Keep excellent records - enrollment verification letters from both institutions showing your status, receipts for all qualified expenses, and Form 1098-T from each school if provided.

Did you check if both programs are correctly applying education tax credits? The American Opportunity Credit and Lifetime Learning Credit have different requirements and values. One program might be better at optimizing which credit works best for your situation.

This is a really frustrating situation! I went through something similar last year with different software showing wildly different refund amounts. The key thing is to focus on that $1,000 gross income discrepancy you mentioned - that's definitely not normal and is likely driving most of your refund difference. Since you're a student with scholarships exceeding tuition, here's what I'd suggest checking specifically: Look at how each program is reporting the taxable portion of your scholarship on line 1 of your 1040. TurboTax might be incorrectly including scholarship money that was actually used for required textbooks or fees, which should be tax-free. Also double-check that both programs have the exact same amounts for your qualified education expenses. Even small differences in how they categorize required vs. optional expenses can significantly impact your taxable scholarship income. If H&R Block is showing your correct W-2 gross income and TurboTax is inflating it by $1,000, that's a red flag that TurboTax is miscalculating something with your education-related income. I'd lean toward trusting H&R Block in this case, but definitely try to identify exactly where that extra $1,000 is coming from before filing.

Has anyone used TurboTax to handle the excess HSA contribution reporting? I'm wondering if it walks you through Form 5329 clearly or if I should go to a tax professional this year.

Just went through this exact situation last month! I over-contributed by $380 to my HSA and initially thought about just paying the penalty too. But after reading through all the IRS documentation, I realized it's definitely worth removing the excess. Here's what I learned: You need to contact your HSA provider and request an "excess contribution removal" before your tax filing deadline (including extensions). They'll calculate the earnings attributable to that excess amount and remove both the excess contribution AND the earnings. The earnings portion gets added to your taxable income for the year, but you avoid the recurring 6% penalty. The process was actually much easier than I expected - took one phone call and about 10 business days to process. My provider (HSA Bank) had a specific department that handles these requests, so they knew exactly what to do. Don't let the $441 turn into a recurring annual headache!