Quick question - my situation is different but related. My wife is not a US citizen yet (green card pending) but has an ITIN. Could I claim her as a dependent in this case? She made about $8k last year from a small business she runs.

I went through this exact same confusion when I first got married! The short answer everyone's given you is absolutely correct - you cannot claim your spouse as a dependent under any circumstances, regardless of income levels or who pays the bills. But here's what I wish someone had told me: before you commit to filing separately, make sure you're actually running real numbers. My husband and I were convinced filing separately would save us money our first year because he had student loans and I made significantly more. Turns out we were completely wrong! When filing separately, you lose access to so many tax benefits: - American Opportunity Tax Credit for education expenses - Lifetime Learning Credit - Child and Dependent Care Credit (if you have kids later) - Earned Income Credit - Student loan interest deduction (which sounds like it might apply to you) Plus the standard deduction rules can work against you. I'd strongly recommend using TurboTax to actually calculate both scenarios with your real numbers before deciding. The "common wisdom" about filing separately saving money for couples with different income levels is often wrong once you factor in all the lost credits and deductions. The tax code is designed to generally favor joint filing for married couples, which is why the spouse-as-dependent option doesn't exist - they assume you'll get better benefits filing together anyway.

One important detail nobody's mentioned yet: if your refund is being offset, you should receive a notice from the Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS) explaining which agency is receiving the money and their contact information. This notice typically arrives AFTER the offset has occurred, which is why checking your transcript is so important. Did you receive any correspondence from the IRS or BFS about potential offsets before filing?

If you're planning for medical expenses and worried about offsets, I'd recommend checking multiple sources before counting on your refund money. Start with calling the Treasury Offset Program at 800-304-3107 (as Ava mentioned) - it's automated and quick. Then pull your transcript from irs.gov to look for those TC 898 codes. I learned the hard way last year that even if everything looks normal initially, offset codes can appear later in the process. For medical planning, it's better to assume the worst case scenario until you actually see the money in your account. The stress of unexpected financial changes when dealing with medical issues is awful - been there myself.

Grant's advice on business structures saved me about $22k in taxes last year. But you need to understand he's not giving advice for regular people. His strategies work when you: 1) Have multiple income streams 2) Own significant real estate 3) Have a legitimate business 4) Can afford good tax professionals I implemented his advice about S-Corps and pass-through entities after making about $380k/year, and it was worth it. Below that? Probably not worth the complexity and annual costs.

I've been following this conversation and wanted to add my perspective as someone who's implemented some of Cardone's strategies. The key thing people miss is that his advice isn't meant to be copied exactly - it's meant to show you what's possible at different income levels. I started with basic strategies when I was making $150k (maxing retirement accounts, proper business expense tracking) and gradually added more sophisticated approaches as my income grew. Now at $450k annually, I use some of his entity structuring advice, but I had to modify it significantly for my situation. The biggest mistake I see people make is jumping straight to the complex stuff without building the foundation first. Start with legitimate basics: proper bookkeeping, maxing tax-advantaged accounts, and understanding what actually qualifies as business expenses. Then layer on more advanced strategies as your income and business complexity justify it. Also, never implement tax strategies without running them by a qualified CPA who knows your specific situation. Cardone's advice is educational, but it's not personalized tax advice.

Have you tried contacting your congressional representative? I know it sounds weird but my sister was waiting FOREVER for her refund last year (like 5 months) and nothing worked. She finally reached out to her congressional rep's office and they have staff specifically for helping constituents with federal agency issues. She emailed her congressman's office with details about her situation, and they reached out to their IRS liaison. She got a call from the IRS within a week and her refund was processed shortly after. Worth a try if everything else fails!

I went through this exact nightmare last year! After trying all the traditional routes (calling 800-829-1040 at 7am, using the "form questions" trick, etc.) with no success, I finally got through using a combination of strategies. What ended up working for me was calling the Practitioner Priority Service line at 866-860-4259. This is technically for tax professionals, but if you explain that you're calling on behalf of yourself and have been unable to reach anyone through normal channels, they'll sometimes help individual taxpayers. I got through in about 45 minutes compared to never getting through on the main line. Also, make sure you have your Account Transcript from the IRS website before calling - it has codes that can tell you exactly why your refund is delayed. Go to irs.gov, create an account, and request your Account Transcript. Look for codes like 570 (additional review needed) or 971 (notice issued). Having these codes ready when you finally talk to someone will save a lot of time. The medical bills situation definitely qualifies you for Taxpayer Advocate Service help too - definitely try that route as others have suggested. They're much more responsive to hardship cases.

For anyone trying to check their refund status through TPG: • Go to https://taxpayer.sbtpg.com/ • You'll need your SSN, filing status, and refund amount • The "Payment Status" section shows where your money is in their process • "Pending" means they received it but haven't processed it yet • "Funded" means they've sent it to your bank Also, be aware that some banks hold deposits for 24-48 hours after receiving them, so there could be additional delay on your bank's end too.

Thanks for sharing your experience, Rita! I'm dealing with the exact same situation right now. Filed on February 8th, accepted same day, IRS approved on February 25th with a deposit date of March 3rd. It's now March 9th and still showing "pending" on the TPG site. What's really annoying is that nowhere during the TurboTax filing process do they clearly explain that choosing to pay fees from your refund means your money goes through this third-party processor first. They make it sound like a simple convenience fee, not a potential week+ delay in getting your money. I called my bank to make sure it wasn't an issue on their end, and they confirmed they haven't received anything yet. So it's definitely stuck in TPG limbo. Really hoping it processes this week because like you, I have bills coming up that I was counting on this refund for. The stress of not knowing when it'll actually arrive is the worst part!