Filed with FreeTaxUSA on February 29th and just wanted to add my experience to this thread! I'm 20 and this was my second year filing (did it myself both times). Simple return with just W-2 income from my campus job. I was stuck on "return received" for exactly 19 days, then yesterday it suddenly jumped to "refund approved" and this morning it shows "refund sent." Should hit my account by Friday according to the tool. What really helped me during the wait was reading threads like this one - seeing that 3-4 weeks is totally normal for our age group during peak season. I also learned not to stress about the WMR tool not showing incremental progress. Like others mentioned, it really does just sit on "return received" forever and then boom - everything updates at once. For anyone still waiting from late February filings, you're probably going to see movement any day now based on the patterns I'm seeing here. The IRS is just working through the massive backlog from peak filing season. FreeTaxUSA itself worked great - it's definitely the government processing that takes forever, not the filing software!

Filed with FreeTaxUSA on February 22nd and just got my refund approved yesterday after 22 days! I'm 19 and this was my first time filing too - just had a W-2 from my job at Target, standard deduction. The WMR tool was stuck on "return received" for the entire time until it suddenly jumped to "refund approved" yesterday morning. Today it updated to "refund sent" and should be in my account by next Wednesday. Reading through this thread really helped me stay calm during the wait. The explanation about first-time filers taking longer because the IRS has to set up new records makes total sense. And knowing that the WMR tool doesn't show incremental progress - just those three main statuses - helped me stop obsessively checking for daily updates. For anyone still waiting from late February filings with simple returns, hang in there! Based on all the timelines shared here, you should see movement very soon. The 3-4 week wait during peak season seems pretty standard for our age group. FreeTaxUSA worked perfectly - it really is just the IRS processing that takes forever this time of year.

whats SBT? trying to track my refund too

CK has been pretty inconsistent with tax refunds in my experience. Sometimes they release a day early, sometimes right on the DDD. Since your advance already hit there, the routing is definitely set up correctly. I'd expect it to drop either tonight or tomorrow morning if your DDD is the 12th. Keep checking overnight - that's when they usually process!

16 Have you considered using task-based services like TaskRabbit or other gig platforms instead of hiring someone? I'm also a 1099 contractor and I use these services for one-off tasks when I'm swamped. The benefit is you only pay for exactly what you need, when you need it.

Another angle to consider - since you're making good money ($86K in 8 months), you might also want to look into quarterly estimated tax payments if you haven't already. With that income level plus self-employment tax, you could be looking at underpayment penalties if you're not staying current. When you do hire help, whether employee or contractor, make sure you're factoring their cost into your quarterly estimates. The IRS expects you to pay as you go, not just settle up at year-end. A good rule of thumb is to set aside 25-30% of your gross income for taxes, including any amounts you'll owe on assistant wages. Also worth noting - if you go the employee route and they work in your home office, you might be able to deduct a portion of your home office expenses related to their workspace. Just another small benefit to consider in your cost-benefit analysis.

I've been dealing with precious metals transactions for my small business and wanted to add one more perspective that might help. The most important thing I learned is that consistency in your reporting approach matters more than perfection in your documentation. Since you mentioned your profit was under $1,200 after splitting, you're in a really manageable situation. Create that summary statement everyone's recommending, but also consider keeping a simple spreadsheet with your best estimates broken down by month if possible - it doesn't need to be perfect, just reasonable. One practical tip: if you remember roughly how many estate sales you hit and your typical spending pattern, you can work backwards to validate your estimates. For example, if you went to 20 sales and typically spent $50-100 each time, that gives you a baseline to check your total cost estimates against. The IRS manual actually has specific guidance for "hobby income" and casual collectibles sales that acknowledges most people in your situation don't have formal record-keeping systems. As long as you're making a good faith effort to report your actual income and expenses, you're doing exactly what they expect. Don't let this experience discourage you from continuing - just implement one of the simple tracking systems people mentioned here and you'll be set for next year. The community advice here has been spot-on!

I've been in a nearly identical situation with my estate sale jewelry finds! Just wanted to add that you shouldn't beat yourself up about not having perfect records - most of us who started doing this casually didn't realize we'd need formal documentation systems. One thing that really helped me when I was in your shoes was going through my bank account for any ATM withdrawals on days I remember going to big estate sales. Even though the transactions were cash, I could sometimes correlate my cash withdrawals with my buying activity to help estimate spending patterns. Also, if you have any photos of jewelry pieces you bought (even if you took them just because you thought they were cool), those can actually serve as supporting documentation that you were actively engaged in this activity. I found I had way more informal documentation than I initially thought. The advice everyone's given about creating a summary statement is absolutely correct. I did something similar and titled mine "Estate Sale Gold Recovery Activity - 2024" with just the basic totals and a note about cash transactions. The IRS was completely fine with it. For next year, I started using a simple voice memo app on my phone to record quick notes right after each purchase - "Bought three rings for $25 at the Johnson estate sale on Oak Street." Takes 10 seconds and saves hours during tax season!

I can't believe a licensed CPA would give such reckless advice! This is exactly the kind of misinformation that gets people into serious trouble with the IRS. Let me be crystal clear: **ALL income is taxable when received, regardless of whether you get a 1099 or any other tax document.** The $600 threshold is purely about when companies are *required* to send you documentation - it has nothing to do with your tax obligations. Here's the reality for your specific income sources: **Rakuten & Chase referral bonuses**: 100% taxable. You're essentially being paid for marketing services, which is clearly income. **Credit card welcome bonus**: This depends on the terms. If it required spending to earn (like "spend $500, get $150"), it's likely a non-taxable rebate. If it was just for opening the account, it's taxable income. **AdSense income**: Absolutely taxable as self-employment income on Schedule C, even if it's only $1. The IRS has sophisticated data matching systems and can discover unreported income years later through bank records, payment processor reports, or during audits triggered by other issues. When they do find unreported income, you'll face penalties and interest that often exceed the original tax owed. Please find a new CPA immediately - one who understands that tax compliance isn't optional just because documentation wasn't provided. The small amount of tax you'd pay now is nothing compared to the potential consequences of following this dangerous advice.

As a tax professional who's been practicing for over 15 years, I'm absolutely appalled by the advice your CPA gave you. This is fundamentally incorrect and could land you in serious hot water with the IRS. The principle is simple: **ALL income is taxable when received, period.** The $600 threshold for 1099 reporting is solely about when companies must send you documentation - it has zero bearing on whether that income is taxable to you. Here's the breakdown for your specific situations: **Rakuten referral bonuses**: Taxable income. You're being compensated for referral services. **Chase referral bonuses**: Also taxable income for the same reason. **Credit card welcome bonus**: This one's tricky and depends on the structure. If it required you to meet spending requirements, it's likely a non-taxable rebate. If it was just for account opening, it's probably taxable income. **AdSense income**: Definitely taxable as self-employment income on Schedule C, regardless of the amount. The IRS has become increasingly sophisticated at detecting unreported income through data analytics and cross-referencing. Even if they don't catch it immediately, discovery during a future audit can result in penalties and interest that far exceed your original tax liability. I strongly recommend finding a new CPA who understands basic tax law. The modest tax you'd pay on these amounts is insignificant compared to the potential penalties for non-compliance. When in doubt, always report income - it's much better to be overly cautious than to face IRS enforcement actions later.