If your return was accepted but now says "we may need more information," check if you claimed any of these credits, as they often trigger additional review: - Earned Income Tax Credit - Child Tax Credit - American Opportunity Credit - Premium Tax Credit (for health insurance) My return was held up last year because of EITC verification. Took almost 8 weeks total but eventually processed without me needing to do anything.

I'm going through almost the exact same situation! Filed through FreeTaxUSA about 5 weeks ago, got the initial acceptance, then that dreaded "we may need more information" message appeared. Haven't received any mail yet either. Reading through these comments has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea about the identity verification delays when switching from a professional preparer to self-filing. That's probably exactly what's happening since we used H&R Block last year. The 21-30 day processing time Brandon mentioned gives me some peace of mind that we're still within normal range, even if it feels like forever when you're counting on that refund. Going to check out that Treasury Offset Program number Axel mentioned just to rule out any debt issues, and might try the taxr.ai tool if we don't hear anything in another week or two. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - makes me feel a lot less alone in this waiting game!

has anyone noticed that sometimes the "wheres my refund" tool doesn't update for days but then suddenly shows accepted and approved on the same day?? happened to me last year, nothing for 3 weeks then boom, money in my bank the next day! the systems dont always sync up right

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Filed 16 days ago and still stuck on "Return Received." It's so frustrating when you're counting on that money for something important like your car repairs. From what I'm reading here and elsewhere, it sounds like the IRS is just swamped this year. I've been checking the "Where's My Refund" tool obsessively (probably not helping my stress levels), but it seems like 2-3 weeks is becoming the new normal instead of the usual few days. The advice about waiting another week before panicking seems solid. I know it's easier said than done when you need the money, but at least we're not alone in this! Fingers crossed both our returns get processed soon. 🤞

Quick question for anyone who knows - does this mileage depreciation add-back work for other self-employed deductions too? I'm self-employed and take a home office deduction and some equipment depreciation. Would mortgage lenders add those back too?

This is a really important topic that I think a lot of self-employed people struggle with. I've been through the mortgage process twice as a freelancer, and I want to emphasize something that some of the other commenters have touched on but bears repeating: there's a huge difference between legitimate business expenses and manufactured deductions. The math your mortgage officer explained is correct - lenders do add back depreciation components because they're non-cash expenses. But the key word here is "legitimate." If you're claiming mileage for trips you actually took for business purposes, that's fine. If you're making up miles or claiming personal trips as business trips just to qualify for a mortgage, that's fraud. I'd strongly recommend getting your actual business mileage properly documented and organized rather than trying to game the system. Keep detailed logs of business trips, save receipts, and make sure everything you claim is defensible if you're ever audited. The mortgage approval isn't worth the risk of IRS problems down the road. Also, consider working with a mortgage broker who specializes in self-employed borrowers - they understand these income calculations better than general loan officers and can help you present your financial picture accurately without cutting corners.

To avoid this problem next year, I'd suggest printing and saving a complete copy of your tax return with all worksheets including 6251. I learned this lesson years ago and now keep both physical and digital copies of EVERY tax document. The digital copies go into a secure cloud storage folder so I can access them from anywhere when I need them.

This is a great reminder about record keeping! I'd also suggest setting up a dedicated email folder for tax documents and using it consistently each year. I forward all my tax-related emails (W-2s, 1099s, property tax statements, etc.) to a specific folder, and at year-end I download everything as PDFs. This way I have a complete digital trail that's searchable if I need to find specific information years later. I also use a simple spreadsheet to track key numbers from each year's return - things like AGI, taxable income, and yes, AMTI if applicable. Takes 10 minutes after filing but saves hours of hunting later.

I messed this up last year - had a $25k loss but my tax guy only applied $3k of it. I was so confused but he kept insisting that was the limit. Finally got a second opinion and found out he was completely wrong. Ended up having to file an amended return to properly apply my losses against my gains. Make sure whoever does your taxes understands capital loss carryovers!!

This is such a common area of confusion! I went through something similar when I had significant losses from some tech stock investments that went south. The key thing to remember is that capital loss carryovers work in two stages: first, they offset capital gains with no limit whatsoever. Then, any remaining losses can offset up to $3,000 of ordinary income per year. So in your case with the $27,000 loss carryover and $13,500 gain, you'd use $13,500 of your carryover to completely eliminate the capital gains tax. The remaining $13,500 would then be subject to the $3,000 annual limit against ordinary income - so you'd deduct $3,000 against your regular income in 2025 and carry forward $10,500 to 2026. One tip: make sure to keep detailed records of your carryover amounts and whether they're short-term or long-term losses, as this affects the order in which they're applied against different types of gains. It'll save you headaches down the road!