Has anyone had issues with the age verification part? My son turned 17 in December and the system is counting him as 17 for the whole tax year even though he was 16 for 99% of the year. Seems unfair that if your kid's birthday is January 2nd they count for the credit but December 31st they don't.

Another thing to check is whether you accidentally entered any of your children as "qualifying relatives" instead of "qualifying children" - this is a common mistake that can zero out your child tax credits. In most tax software, there's usually a section where you specify the relationship and dependency status. If a child is marked as a "qualifying relative" rather than a "qualifying child," they won't be eligible for the Child Tax Credit even if they meet all other requirements. Also, double-check that you didn't accidentally enter any of their birthdates as being in the wrong year. I've seen people accidentally enter 2008 instead of 2018 for a child's birth year, which would make the software think the kid is way older than they actually are. Given that you found the solution (the dependent checkbox issue), this might help others who run into similar problems but don't have that specific issue.

According to the HR Block community forums (https://community.hrblock.com/), this is happening to a lot of people this tax season. The consensus seems to be that advances are now processing overnight instead of instantly. Some users reported that logging into the MyBlock portal and clicking on "Refund Status" showed more detailed information than what was in the text message. You might also want to check if you received an email from HR Block with more specific timing details - sometimes those contain different information than the texts.

I experienced this exact same issue two weeks ago! Got my approval text at 3:47 PM on a Tuesday and the funds didn't hit my card until 8:23 AM the next morning. What really helped me was calling the Pathward number directly (like Ava mentioned) - they were way more transparent than HR Block's customer service. The rep told me that starting this tax season, they moved from real-time processing to batch processing that runs overnight between 2-6 AM. She explained it's partly due to new anti-fraud measures but also because the volume of advance requests has tripled compared to last year. My advice: stop refreshing your account every few minutes (I know, easier said than done!) and just check first thing tomorrow morning. The money will be there. I also recommend screenshotting your approval text just in case, though I didn't end up needing it. The silver lining? My actual refund came exactly when predicted, so this delay doesn't seem to affect the main refund timeline at all.

What tax preparation software have people found useful for managing 501(c)(7) organizations? We're using a basic spreadsheet now but it's getting unwieldy as our hiking club grows.

Aaron, I went through this exact process with our photography club two years ago and can share some practical tips that might help streamline your application. Beyond what others have mentioned about the 65/35 income split and formal bylaws, here are a few things I wish someone had told me upfront: **Documentation is everything** - Start keeping detailed records NOW, even before you file. The IRS may ask for evidence of your activities and member benefits during the review process. We created a simple binder with photos from events, copies of member communications, and financial summaries by month. **Member vs. non-member benefits** - Make sure your bylaws clearly state that club facilities and primary benefits are reserved for members only. Those summer barbecues and holiday parties you mentioned should ideally be member-focused with non-member attendance as a limited exception, not a regular revenue source. **Consider your club's "social" purpose** - The IRS scrutinizes whether activities truly serve the social/recreational needs of members versus operating like a business. Document how your clubhouse rental and events specifically benefit your membership community. One surprise we encountered: they asked detailed questions about our leadership structure and how decisions were made. Having clear governance procedures in your bylaws (voting procedures, board responsibilities, etc.) really helped demonstrate we were a legitimate member-driven organization. The 6-8 month timeline Sophia mentioned is pretty accurate in our experience. Start early and be thorough with your paperwork - it's much easier than dealing with follow-up requests for clarification!

Question - does a tiny 2-unit HOA like this need to file state tax returns too? I'm in a similar situation in Michigan and our accountant is charging us $300 just to file the federal 1120-H that shows zero tax owed, plus another $250 for state filing. Seems excessive for such a simple return!

Your understanding is correct! For a 2-unit HOA with only $65 in interest income, Form 1120-H is definitely the right choice. The $100 specific deduction will indeed eliminate your tax liability completely. Just a few things to double-check to make sure you qualify for 1120-H: - At least 60% of your gross income needs to be exempt function income (your monthly dues) - which you clearly meet since that's almost all your income - The HOA needs to be formed to provide services, maintenance, etc. for residential units - which your setup qualifies for - Make sure you have basic HOA documentation (even simple bylaws work for a 2-unit setup) One tip: even though you owe no tax, you still must file the return by April 15th (or the 15th day of the 4th month after your fiscal year ends if you don't use calendar year). The IRS requires the filing regardless of whether tax is owed. Also keep detailed records of all HOA income and expenses, including bank statements and receipts for maintenance/utilities. This will make future filings much easier and protect you if there are ever any questions from the IRS.

Just a tip from someone who's been trading on margin for years: keep VERY detailed records of all your margin interest by month. My broker's year-end statement didn't properly break down which positions were on margin at different times, which created a nightmare during an IRS review. I now download monthly statements and track position-specific margin usage in a spreadsheet, even though the deduction is ultimately based on total investment income. This documentation saved me during questioning from the IRS about my investment interest deduction.

Be careful about one related issue! If any of your margin debt was used for anything other than buying securities that produce taxable income, that portion of interest isn't deductible. For example, if you withdrew cash from your margin account for personal expenses, bought tax-exempt municipal bonds, or purchased options (which sometimes don't count as producing investment income), the related interest might not be deductible.