Got mine in 3 weeks but I filed super early (late January

Filed mine on Feb 8th and still waiting too. The processing delays are brutal this year. At least knowing it's not just me makes me feel a bit better. Has anyone tried calling IDOR directly or is that pretty much useless?

One thing nobody's mentioned yet - if you're attending this conference primarily for your W-2 job, ask your employer about reimbursement instead of trying to deduct it! Many companies have professional development budgets that employees don't even know about. My company reimburses up to $2500/year for industry conferences and related expenses. Worth asking your manager or HR before paying out of pocket.

Great advice everyone! Just to add one more perspective - make sure you understand the "ordinary and necessary" test for business deductions. The IRS requires that expenses be both ordinary (common in your industry) and necessary (helpful for your business). For a conference in your field, this is usually pretty straightforward to meet. But document HOW the conference relates to your 1099 work specifically. Write down which sessions you attended, what you learned, and how it applies to your consulting work. This creates a clear business purpose trail. Also, if you're networking at the conference, keep notes on business contacts you made. The IRS likes to see that you're actively using the conference for legitimate business purposes, not just treating it as a vacation with some business mixed in. The fact that you're planning ahead shows you're taking this seriously - that's exactly the right approach! 👍

Make sure you understand the difference between employees and independent contractors too. If these people are legitimate independent contractors (responsible for their own work methods, use their own equipment, work for multiple clients, etc.), then the tax reporting requirements are different. The company would still need to issue 1099s for payments over $600, but wouldn't be responsible for payroll taxes. That said, from what you described - regular weekly payments that sound like wages - this sounds like employee misclassification, which is definitely something the IRS cares about.

Just want to add something about documentation that might help - even without access to official payroll records, there are ways to strengthen your case. Keep a detailed log of what you observe: dates, approximate amounts you see being handed out, which employees receive cash payments, any overheard conversations about the arrangement, etc. Also, if you have any text messages, emails, or written communications that reference the cash payment system, those could be valuable. Even seemingly innocent messages like "pick up your pay from John's office" or references to "cash bonuses" can help establish a pattern. The IRS investigators are experienced with these situations and know how to build cases from circumstantial evidence. Your firsthand observations as an employee carry significant weight, especially if you can provide specific details about the scope and duration of the scheme. One more thing - document everything you can about the working conditions of these cash-paid workers. If they're clearly employees (set schedules, using company equipment, following company procedures) rather than independent contractors, that strengthens the misclassification aspect of the case.

I went through this exact same situation! It's so frustrating when you're expecting one amount and only get part of it. Based on what you're describing, you almost certainly received one refund (either federal or state) and the second one is what's showing the new deposit date. The easiest way to figure out which is which is to pull up your actual tax returns - your Form 1040 will show your federal refund amount on line 35a, and your state return will have the state refund amount clearly marked. Compare those individual amounts to the $2300 you already received. Most likely what happened is you were looking at the combined total of both refunds ($4800) when you did your initial calculation, but they process and deposit separately. The banks just label both as "TAX REFUND" which makes it super confusing. Check both the IRS Where's My Refund tool AND your state's refund tracker to see the status of each one separately.

Had this exact same confusion earlier this year! You're definitely not alone in this. The way you're describing it - expecting around $4800 but only getting $2300, then seeing a new deposit date - sounds like classic federal/state separation. Here's what probably happened: when you calculated $4800, you were looking at your total refund (federal + state combined), but they arrive as separate deposits. The $2300 you got was likely your federal refund, and the upcoming deposit is probably your state refund (or vice versa). Quick way to verify: log into whatever tax software you used (TurboTax, H&R Block, etc.) and look at your return summary. It should break down exactly how much you were supposed to get from federal vs state. Then you can match that to what you've already received. Also worth checking if you had any fees deducted from your refund (like tax prep fees) - that could account for some of the "missing" money too. The whole system could definitely be clearer about labeling these deposits!

Another thing to consider is that different countries have different inheritance tax treaties with the US. This can affect what assets are subject to US estate tax and how the transfer certificate process works. For example, if your father was a resident of a country that has an estate tax treaty with the US (like UK, Germany, France, etc.), you might be entitled to more favorable treatment or simplified procedures. Worth checking if your country has such a treaty!

One thing nobody mentioned yet - be careful about the timing! There's a 9-month deadline from the date of death to file Form 706-NA. If you miss this deadline, you might face penalties or complications. Also watch out for currency conversion - all values have to be in USD based on the exchange rate on the date of death, not the current rate. The IRS is very specific about this.