Back in 2022, I had a similar situation with a PCS move and refund timing. I learned that while many prepaid cards like Dasher Direct advertise "early deposits," it's not guaranteed for tax refunds. The IRS batch processing system doesn't work like regular direct deposits. In my case and for most military families I know, refunds typically hit Dasher 0-24 hours before the DDD, but I've seen some arrive right on the date. My advice from going through three PCS moves: always assume it will arrive on the exact DDD and consider any early arrival a bonus. The last thing you need during a move is financial stress!

As someone who's used Dasher Direct for tax refunds the past two years, I can share my experience. My 2023 refund had a DDD of 3/8 and actually hit my Dasher account on 3/7 around 2 PM - so about 22 hours early. But my 2022 refund with a DDD of 2/24 didn't show up until exactly 2/24 at around 8 AM. So it's really inconsistent, even with the same bank/card. Since you're dealing with PCS timing, I'd definitely echo what others said about planning for the actual DDD date. Military moves have enough moving parts without adding the stress of uncertain deposit timing. Have you considered setting up account notifications so you'll know immediately when it hits? That might give you a little more flexibility in your planning without having to constantly check your balance. Good luck with your move and thanks for your service!

Question for anyone who might know - my situation is slightly different. I'm on disability but also worked part-time for about 3 months last year (very limited hours). Would this help or hurt my chances of getting the child tax credit for my 2 year old?

I want to share some encouragement as someone who's been in a similar situation. I'm also a single parent on disability, and I was so confused about taxes when my daughter was born. It took me way too long to realize I could still file and claim credits even without traditional employment income. The most important thing to remember is that you absolutely should file a tax return! Even if your disability benefits aren't taxable (which depends on whether you receive SSI or SSDI and your total income), filing allows you to claim the Child Tax Credit which could result in a refund of up to $2,000 for your son. Don't let the paperwork intimidate you - there are free filing options available, and many are designed to handle situations exactly like yours. The IRS Free File program is a good place to start. You'll need your Social Security number, your son's SSN, and any tax documents related to your disability payments (like a 1099 if you receive SSDI). One thing that really helped me was keeping simple records - just a folder with any tax-related mail I received throughout the year. It made filing much easier when the time came. You're doing an amazing job caring for your little one, and this extra financial support through the tax system is there specifically to help families like yours. Don't hesitate to take advantage of it!

Did you receive any CP01 notices? Those indicate identity verification issues. Have you checked your transcript for TC 570 codes? What about your account transcript - sometimes that updates before your return transcript.

I've seen this pattern before - when multiple tax years are being held simultaneously along with missing CTC payments, it often indicates a systemic account flag rather than just a processing delay. The fact that your return isn't even showing in the system after this long suggests it may be stuck in the Taxpayer Protection Program queue. Have you tried requesting your Account Transcript (not just Return Transcript) through IRS.gov? Sometimes the account transcript will show transaction codes even when the return transcript is blank. Also, if you haven't received any correspondence from the IRS at all, I'd recommend updating your address on file - sometimes verification letters get sent to old addresses and the lack of response keeps the account frozen.

Don't forget you can also deduct mileage which is way more valuable than the phone deduction! For 2025 its like 65.5 cents per mile i think. I made $6000 from doordash last year but after mileage deduction i only paid tax on like $2500.

Great question! I've been doing delivery work for about two years now and had to figure this out myself. Here's what I learned: For your phone deduction, you're absolutely right that you can claim the business portion. Since you only did deliveries for 3 months (Oct-Dec), you'll want to calculate it as: Business use percentage × Phone costs × 3/12 months. A few practical tips: - Keep receipts for both your phone purchase and monthly bills - Document your business usage somehow (screen time, delivery hours, etc.) - Be conservative but reasonable with your percentage - 25-35% is typical for part-time delivery work For the iPhone itself, you can deduct the business percentage of the full $1,200 cost, not just what you've paid so far. You can either depreciate it over several years or use Section 179 to deduct it all in the first year. One thing to consider for next year: some drivers find it easier to get a separate phone line just for business use, which makes the deduction cleaner and gives you better documentation. Also don't forget about other potential deductions like mileage (67¢/mile for 2025), delivery bags, phone accessories, etc. TurboTax should walk you through most of these on Schedule C.

Has anyone gone through an audit with collectible sales? I sold my old Barbies last year for way more than they cost in the 90s and just guessed at the original prices. Now I'm paranoid I did it wrong.

This is such a helpful thread! I'm in a similar situation with my old baseball card collection from the 80s and 90s. Reading through everyone's experiences has given me a much clearer picture of how to approach this. A few key takeaways I'm getting: 1. Use reasonable estimates for cost basis when original receipts aren't available 2. Document your methodology (old catalogs, price guides, etc.) 3. Track each item individually in a spreadsheet 4. Keep all supporting documentation for at least 3 years One question I have - for cards that were gifts (like most of mine were), should I try to estimate what the gift-giver paid, or is there a different approach? Most of my cards came from packs that cost maybe $1-2 back then, but individual cards are now selling for much more. Also, has anyone dealt with items that have actually decreased in value? I assume those would be capital losses, but I'm not sure if there are any special rules for personal collectibles.