I'm dealing with the exact same frustration! Filed my Colorado return on February 8th and still showing "pending" while my federal was processed weeks ago. What's really bothering me is that my tax liability jumped by almost $900 this year even though my 1099 income was actually slightly lower than 2023. I've triple-checked my deductions and everything looks correct. Has anyone figured out specifically which deduction limits Colorado changed? I'm wondering if it's worth having a tax professional review my return before it finishes processing, or if I should just wait it out and potentially file an amended return later if needed.

I'm experiencing the exact same delays and tax increases! Filed my Colorado return on February 12th and it's still showing "pending" on the Revenue Online portal. Like many of you, my federal return was processed weeks ago. What's really concerning is that my tax bill increased by about $750 this year despite my income being roughly the same as last year. I've been an independent contractor for 3 years and this is the first time I've seen such a significant jump. I'm starting to wonder if I should contact the Department of Revenue directly or just wait it out. The uncertainty is really stressful, especially when you're budgeting around expecting a refund and suddenly owing money instead. Has anyone had luck getting specific information about what deduction changes are causing these increases?

What tax software are you using? This matters because different programs handle 1099-NEC entry differently. I use TurboTax and it automatically asks about Schedule C after I enter a 1099-NEC, but it doesn't double-count the income.

I ran into this exact same problem when I first started doing freelance work! The key thing to understand is that you're not actually filing "both" - the 1099-NEC and Schedule C work together as part of one process. Here's what's probably happening in your tax software: You entered the 1099-NEC information correctly the first time, but then later when the software asked about "business income" or "self-employment income," you entered that $12,500 again thinking it was a separate requirement. That's why you're seeing $25,000 total. The fix is simple - go back and remove one of those entries. Keep the 1099-NEC entry and let the software automatically flow that information to Schedule C. Don't manually add the same income amount anywhere else in the program. Even though you have zero business expenses, you still need the Schedule C because it's required for all self-employment income. It will show your gross income ($12,500), zero expenses, and net profit ($12,500). This is also what triggers the calculation of your self-employment taxes. Most tax software handles this pretty intuitively once you know not to double-enter the same income. Which program are you using? That might help others give you more specific guidance on where to look for the duplicate entry.

Has anyone here dealt with an audit where you had a small amount of earnings between the time you made the nondeductible contribution and when you converted it? I contributed $6k to a traditional IRA in January and it grew to $6,250 before I converted it to Roth in March. The IRS is saying I owe taxes on the full $6,250 instead of just the $250 earnings.

I went through almost the exact same situation last year with my backdoor Roth conversion audit. The IRS flagged my 2021 return for the same reason - they treated my conversion as an early withdrawal despite proper Form 8606 filing. What really helped me was organizing a complete timeline of the transactions with all supporting documents. I created a simple table showing: 1) Date of nondeductible contribution to traditional IRA, 2) Form 5498 showing the contribution, 3) Date of conversion to Roth IRA, 4) Form 1099-R showing the distribution, and 5) Form 5498 showing the Roth conversion deposit. I also included a cover letter explaining that this was a legitimate backdoor Roth IRA conversion, not an early withdrawal, and referenced IRC Section 408A(d)(3) which governs IRA-to-Roth conversions. The key was showing the IRS that every dollar distributed from the traditional IRA was immediately deposited into the Roth IRA. My audit was resolved in about 6 weeks with no additional taxes or penalties. The IRS auditor even mentioned that these cases are becoming more common as more people do backdoor Roth conversions, but their computer systems don't always recognize the transaction pattern correctly. Don't panic - you did everything right, it's just a documentation issue that can be cleared up!

I want to warn you about something I experienced that could save you some stress. When my amended return was processed last year, here's what happened: 1. Tax Advocate told my senator's office it was processed (similar to your situation) 2. I checked WMR tool daily - no updates for 2 weeks 3. I called IRS directly and they confirmed payment was scheduled 4. The refund was sent BUT to my old address despite having updated it 5. Had to wait for it to be returned to IRS 6. Then had to request a trace on the payment 7. Finally received it 6 weeks later than expected Make sure your address and direct deposit info are correct in the system! The processing and payment systems are separate, and sometimes address updates don't transfer between them. Double-check everything now to avoid delays later.

This sounds really promising! When the Tax Advocate confirms processing is complete but mentions the "payment update hasn't hit the system yet," you're essentially in the final queue. I went through this exact process two years ago with my amended return after getting my representative involved. From my experience, once TAS confirms processing completion, you're typically looking at 1-2 weeks max before the refund date appears in the Where's My Amended Return tool. The key thing to remember is that the IRS processing system and the Treasury payment system operate somewhat independently - think of it like your return has cleared customs but is waiting for the final shipping label. One tip: keep checking the WMR tool every few days rather than daily (I know it's tempting!). The system usually updates overnight on Wednesdays and Fridays. Also, make absolutely sure your direct deposit information and address are current in the system - sometimes the payment processing pulls from older records than the processing system uses. You should be able to start making those home improvement plans soon! The congressional inquiry route typically expedites things significantly once you reach this stage.

Might be a stupid question but I just started with Instacart... does mileage include driving to the store or only from store to customer? Also what app does everyone use for tracking? I'm just using my car's odometer and writing it down but there's gotta be a better way lol

Great question! I was making the same mistake when I started doing gig work. The mileage deduction doesn't give you cash back - it reduces your taxable income dollar-for-dollar. So if you made $220 and have $177.55 in mileage deductions, you only pay taxes on $42.45 instead of the full $220. One thing to keep in mind though - you'll still owe self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare) on your net profit, which is currently 15.3%. But even with that, the mileage deduction is huge for gig workers because it accounts for all your vehicle costs rolled into one simple rate. Make sure you're tracking every single business mile! From your house to the first pickup, between deliveries, and back home at the end of your shift. Those miles add up fast and can save you hundreds or even thousands in taxes.