The IRS is so behind rn its not even funny. My brother filed in February last year and didnt see his $ until September smh

I'm in a similar situation - filed with TurboTax about a week ago and got the acceptance notification. From what I've read, the test batch thing is mostly for early filers in December/January before the season officially opens. Since we're filing now during regular season, we're definitely in the normal processing queue. The 21-day timeline is pretty standard for simple returns, but it can vary. I've been checking WMR obsessively too 😅 Hang in there!

18 Does anyone know if dental and vision insurance premiums count toward the medical expense deduction too? My W-2 doesn't break anything out either.

Just wanted to add another perspective as someone who went through a similar situation last year. One thing that might help is to check if your husband's employer offers an HSA (Health Savings Account) or FSA (Flexible Spending Account). If you're contributing to either of these, those contributions would also reduce your taxable income and might explain why some health-related expenses aren't showing up where you expect them on the W-2. Also, if you do end up itemizing and can deduct some of your medical expenses, don't forget to include things like prescription costs, doctor visits, and even mileage to medical appointments (it's 22 cents per mile for 2024). These smaller expenses can add up and help you reach that 7.5% AGI threshold more easily. FreeTaxUSA actually has a pretty good medical expense tracker if you dig into the itemized deductions section - it walks you through all the different categories of qualifying expenses.

I had this exact same issue last year! The Wage and Income transcript is definitely the way to go - it shows everything the IRS has on file including all the EINs of companies that withheld taxes from you. One thing to watch out for though is that sometimes employers file corrections after your W-2 is issued, so what's on the transcript might be different (and more accurate) than what's on your actual W-2. Also make sure you're looking at the right tax year - I accidentally pulled 2022 data when I needed 2023 and was confused for way longer than I should have been! The transcript will show you exactly who submitted what withholding info under your SSN.

Just went through this same headache a few weeks ago! The Wage and Income transcript from your IRS online account is exactly what you need. It shows every single entity that reported withholdings under your SSN, complete with their EIN numbers so you can identify exactly who they are. What really helped me was printing it out and comparing it line by line with my actual W-2s and 1099s - turned out one of my employers had filed a corrected W-2 that I never received, which explained the discrepancy. The transcript will show you the most current/accurate information the IRS has on file, even if it differs from the original documents you received. Good luck getting it sorted!

This is why I hate Schedule L. The instructions are so vague!!! I spent like 3 hours on this last night and still couldn't figure it out. Has anyone used TurboTax Business for this? Does it automatically calculate capex or do I still need to manually figure this out? I dont want to spend $170 on the software if it doesnt even help with this.

I've been dealing with Schedule L calculations for years as a tax preparer, and I see this confusion constantly. The key insight that most people miss is that Schedule L is essentially a balance sheet, and when you're calculating capex, you're trying to understand the cash flow implications of changes in those balance sheet accounts. Here's what's happening in your example: The decrease in accumulated depreciation from $9.1M to $6.5M is a huge red flag that significant asset dispositions occurred. This isn't just normal depreciation - when a company disposes of assets, both the gross asset value AND the accumulated depreciation for those assets get removed from the books. For a proper capex calculation, you absolutely need to reference Form 4797 (Sales of Business Property) and potentially Form 4562 (Depreciation). These forms will show you the actual depreciation expense for the year and details about any asset sales or dispositions. Without seeing those supporting forms, you can't accurately calculate capex from Schedule L alone. The formula is correct, but you need the real depreciation expense (not the change in accumulated depreciation) to make it work. Don't get discouraged - this is one of the more complex areas of business tax preparation, and even experienced preparers sometimes need to dig through multiple forms to get it right.

Has anyone tried getting W2s directly from ADP or other payroll companies? I know several of my former jobs used ADP for payroll, and they supposedly keep records for many years. Just wondering if that's a viable option before I go through the IRS transcript hassle.

Don't feel bad about being behind on your taxes - you're definitely not alone in this situation! I went through something similar a few years back and it felt overwhelming at first, but it's totally manageable once you get started. One thing that really helped me was creating a simple timeline of my work history first. Even if you can't remember exact dates or company names, try to recall the general timeframe and locations where you worked. Then cross-reference that with your bank statements if you still have access to old ones - look for direct deposits or paychecks that might help you identify employers. Also, don't let perfect be the enemy of good here. The IRS is generally pretty reasonable when you're making a good faith effort to catch up on back taxes, especially if you're being proactive about it. Focus on getting the information you can gather easily first, then tackle the harder-to-find stuff. You mentioned this is technically your first time filing - consider getting help from a tax professional who deals with back taxes regularly. They often have experience with these exact situations and can guide you through the process while making sure you don't miss any deductions or credits you might be entitled to.