This might sound ridiculous but check if your name has any special characters or if it's extremely long. My husband has a hyphenated last name and we had similar transmission issues until we realized TurboTax was formatting it differently than what the Social Security Administration had on file. Such a stupid problem but took us forever to figure out!

I went through this same nightmare with TurboTax last year! After multiple failed transmission attempts, I discovered the issue was with my bank routing number on the direct deposit section. Even though I had entered it correctly, there was some formatting issue that TurboTax wasn't catching during their review process. Try going to the "Refund" or "Payment" section and double-check ALL your banking information, even if you're sure it's right. Sometimes removing the direct deposit option entirely and choosing to receive a paper check can get past transmission errors. You can always update your banking info with the IRS later if needed. Also, make sure you're filing during off-peak hours - I had much better luck transmitting early in the morning (like 6-7 AM) when their servers aren't overwhelmed. Don't give up! These transmission errors are usually something small and fixable once you identify the actual problem.

Those codes drove me INSANE last year. I was stuck in tax limbo for 3+ months. Finally got a human on the phone using Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they sorted it in minutes - turns out there was just a simple verification flag on my account. My refund was released like 2 days later. It was the best money I've ever spent after wasting countless hours trying to call the IRS myself.

I'm in almost the exact same boat! Filed early March and have been stuck with those same 570/971 codes for what feels like forever. My WMR just updated yesterday from "still processing" to "return received" too. It's such a relief to see ANY movement after weeks of nothing. Based on what everyone's saying here, it sounds like this is actually progress and not just another version of processing limbo. Really hoping we both see our refunds soon - this waiting game is exhausting! Thanks for posting this because I was starting to think I was the only one dealing with this confusing situation.

Just pointing out that if your company gives you the option, sometimes taking a bonus in January instead of December can make sense tax-wise if you think you'll be in a lower bracket next year. I pushed my bonus from Dec 2023 to Jan 2024 and it worked out better for me. Worth asking HR if that's a possibility!

Great question about bonus taxation! I just went through this exact situation and learned a ton. One thing that really helped me was understanding the difference between withholding and actual tax liability - your employer will withhold at that flat 22% rate, but come tax time, the bonus just gets added to your regular income and taxed at your marginal rate. For your $3,000 bonus, expect roughly $660 withheld for federal income tax, plus another $230 or so for FICA (Social Security/Medicare), and whatever your state takes. So you're probably looking at taking home around $2,000-2,100 depending on your state. The good news is if you're in a lower tax bracket (like 12%), you'll likely get some of that federal withholding back as a refund when you file. I'd suggest using one of those tax calculators people mentioned to get a better sense of your specific situation. And definitely ask your HR if you can defer it to January if you think you might be in a lower bracket next year!

One thing to consider that might be causing the discrepancy - are you including any investment income in your calculations? Even small amounts of interest, dividends, or capital gains (minus your capital loss carryover) need to be included in MAGI. TurboTax might be accounting for some investment income that you're not including in your manual calculation. Check if you received any 1099-INT or 1099-DIV forms from banks or investment accounts. Even $500 in dividend income could push you over the threshold in your situation. Also, if you had any side gig or freelance income (even small amounts), that would count toward your MAGI as well. Worth double-checking!

Has anyone here actually successfully claimed the used EV credit? I'm considering buying a used EV this year but worried about the MAGI limits since I'm right around that threshold too.

I just completed my first year as an AARP volunteer and thought I'd share my experience. While the training is mandatory, what nobody told me was how flexible the local coordinators can be about HOW you complete it. I did 90% online at my own pace (mostly late nights after my kids went to bed), and just showed up for the final in-person software training. My coordinator was accommodating because they're desperate for volunteers with tax knowledge!

Thanks for sharing your experience, Haley! This is exactly what I was hoping to hear. With my bookkeeping background, I'm confident I can handle the material, but I was worried about the time commitment with the training sessions. It's good to know the coordinators are flexible about the format, especially since they need experienced volunteers. Did you find the online portion covered everything you needed for the certification exams, or were there things you could only learn in the in-person sessions? I'm trying to plan out my schedule and want to make sure I allocate enough time for the parts that actually require face-to-face training.