I'm in the exact same boat - filed my amended return on February 8th and still waiting! It's frustrating seeing others who filed after us already getting their refunds. I've been checking the "Where's My Amended Return" tool religiously and it just says "received" with no updates. From what I'm reading in these comments, it sounds like the processing times are really all over the place right now. Some of these third-party tools people are mentioning sound interesting, especially if they can give more detailed status updates than the basic IRS tool. Might be worth looking into taxr.ai or claimyr if you're as anxious as I am about this whole process. Have you tried calling the IRS yet, or are you waiting until you hit that 16-week mark? I'm torn between being patient and wanting to know what's actually happening with my return.

I'm going through the exact same thing! Filed my amended return on February 18th and it's been radio silence ever since. The "Where's My Amended Return" tool is basically useless - just shows "received" like everyone else is saying. After reading through all these comments, I'm definitely going to check out taxr.ai. The fact that @Evelyn Xu got actual useful information about her education credit amendment and @Mason Kaczka could see which specific department had his return sounds way better than sitting here wondering if mine got lost somewhere in the system. @Amara Torres - since we filed around the same time, maybe we should both try one of these third-party services and compare what we find out? At least then we'd know if our returns are stuck in the same place or if there are different issues. The waiting is honestly the worst part when you have no idea what's actually happening behind the scenes. Also planning to use that Claimyr service if I need to call the IRS after the 16-week mark. No way I'm spending hours on hold like some people have described!

5 Is this your first year receiving a K-1 from this partnership? Sometimes they report zero balances in the first year to establish tracking for future years, especially for items like depletion, amortization, or basis tracking.

I've dealt with this exact situation! Code AE with zero balance is actually quite common on partnership K-1s. The asterisk usually indicates there's a footnote or supplemental information somewhere in your K-1 package that explains why it's being reported with zero. Even though FreeTaxUSA is flagging it, you should definitely report it exactly as shown on your K-1. Tax software often throws warnings for unusual entries, but the IRS expects your return to match what the partnership reported. You can typically override the warning and continue with your filing. Code AE relates to qualified production activities income deductions. Since this deduction was largely repealed, many partnerships now report zero but still include the code for tracking purposes or because their tax software automatically generates it. The key is to be consistent with what's on your official form. If you're still concerned, check with the partnership that issued the K-1 to confirm what the asterisk means, but in the meantime, proceed with entering the zero balance exactly as shown.

Just to add a quick data point - I did this exact withdrawal last year. My daughter had about $32,000 in scholarships during college, and we had about $47,000 left in her 529. I withdrew $32,000 and only paid tax on the earnings portion (no penalty). Make sure you get form 1099-Q from your 529 administrator in January after you make the withdrawal. That form will show how much of your withdrawal was earnings vs. principal. Only the earnings are taxable.

This is such great information! I'm in a very similar situation with my son who graduated in 2021 with significant merit aid. I've been hesitant to touch the leftover 529 funds because I wasn't sure about the tax implications. One thing I want to add for anyone considering this - make sure you have really good documentation of ALL scholarship amounts. I learned this the hard way when I was gathering paperwork. Some of my son's scholarships were applied directly to his account by the school, and I had to go back and request detailed statements showing exactly how much was awarded each semester. Also, if your child had any grants (Pell grants, state grants, etc.) in addition to merit scholarships, those count toward the penalty-free withdrawal amount too. I almost missed including a $3,000 state grant that would have reduced my penalty-free withdrawal calculation. The peace of mind of getting that money out penalty-free is definitely worth the paperwork effort!

I've seen dozens of cases like this at the VITA site where I volunteer. The verification letter system has a serious flaw - the IRS computer system marks letters as "sent" when they're queued for printing, not when they actually go out. During busy periods (especially February-April), there can be a 2-3 week gap between when the system says a letter was sent and when it actually gets printed and mailed. To make matters worse, these verification letters are often generated by automated systems that don't check if previous letters were delivered. So when you call, the representative sees the letter marked as "sent" in their system, assumes you should have received it, and triggers a new one - which enters the same backlogged printing queue. We've had taxpayers receive 4-5 identical verification letters all at once in May for returns filed in February. The system is fundamentally broken.

This is incredibly frustrating but unfortunately very common right now. I went through the exact same cycle - called three times, each time told to wait 14 more days, never received a single letter despite them claiming multiple were "sent." What finally worked for me was booking an appointment at my local Taxpayer Assistance Center through the IRS website. I was able to get an appointment within 10 days, brought two forms of ID, and they verified my identity on the spot. My refund was processed and deposited within a week after that. The phone verification system seems completely broken this year. Don't waste more time calling - go straight to the in-person appointment option. It's the only reliable way I've seen people actually resolve this verification nightmare.

WARNING: One thing nobody has mentioned yet is that even if Form 8300 doesn't apply, banks are still required to file Suspicious Activity Reports if they think you're depositing cash in a way that seems designed to avoid reporting requirements. If you deposit $9,999 in cash, that looks very suspicious. Even making regular cash deposits that seem timed specifically to stay under $10k could potentially raise flags. I'd recommend being very transparent with your bank about the source of your cash income. Maybe even talk to a bank manager to explain your business so they understand why you're making regular cash deposits.

I've been dealing with a very similar situation as a freelance graphic designer who receives cash payments from multiple small business clients. After going through this exact confusion last year, I can confirm what others have said - Form 8300 definitely doesn't apply to your situation. The key thing that helped me understand this was realizing that Form 8300 is really about tracking single large cash transactions that could indicate money laundering or other suspicious activity. When you're receiving legitimate business income in smaller amounts from many different clients, that's exactly the opposite of what they're looking for. What I found most helpful was setting up a simple business checking account specifically for my freelance income. This made my monthly cash deposits look much more legitimate to the bank, and it also simplified my record-keeping for taxes. I bring a deposit slip with me that lists each client payment separately, so there's a clear paper trail. Your spreadsheet system sounds perfect - that's exactly the kind of documentation the IRS wants to see. Keep tracking those client payments individually, continue with your quarterly estimated taxes, and you should be all set. The fact that you're being so organized about this shows you're handling everything correctly!