Have you tried using the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system? Call 410-260-7701 from the phone number you listed on your tax return. The automated system can give you status updates that sometimes aren't reflected on the website yet. Another option is to verify your mailing address is correct - I've seen cases where refunds were delayed because the system flagged address mismatches between current and previous year returns. The Maryland Taxpayer Service Division can also manually check your refund status if you've waited more than 30 days.

I filed my Maryland return on February 8th and just got my refund deposited yesterday (March 20th), so they are definitely processing them! The timeline seems to be around 5-6 weeks for most people this year. One thing that helped me was setting up direct deposit - I noticed friends who opted for paper checks are waiting even longer. Also, if you claimed any credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit, those seem to be taking extra time for verification. The good news is once they start processing your return, the actual deposit happens pretty quickly. Hang in there - Baltimore folks I know are all getting theirs within this timeframe!

Is nobody going to mention that the AOTC can only be claimed for 4 tax years per student? I made this mistake with my older kid and tried to claim it for a 5th year when he took longer to graduate. Got a nasty letter from the IRS and had to pay it back plus interest.

Great question about the AOTC! You're absolutely right that as the parent claiming your daughter as a dependent, you get to claim the AOTC on your return - not her. The fact that the federal loans are in her name doesn't change this at all. Regarding the income limitations you mentioned - they actually ARE factored into the AOTC, but you're right that it's not super obvious on Form 8863. The form assumes you've already determined you're eligible based on income before you even start filling it out. For 2025, the AOTC phases out between $90,000-$100,000 for single filers and $180,000-$200,000 for married filing jointly. If your MAGI is above these thresholds, you can't claim the AOTC at all. One thing to double-check: when calculating your qualified expenses, make sure you reduce the total by any scholarships your daughter received. The IRS requires you to subtract tax-free educational assistance (like scholarships and grants) from the total qualified expenses before calculating the credit. So if her tuition was $10,000, but she got $3,000 in scholarships, you can only use $7,000 of expenses for the AOTC calculation. The good news is that you're in the perfect position to maximize this credit since you have higher income and can use both the refundable and non-refundable portions!

From my experience with SBTPG last week: • Filed through TurboTax on February 1st • IRS approved with DDD of February 21st • SBTPG received funds on February 20th • Money appeared in my bank account February 20th evening • SBTPG website STILL shows "awaiting funds" even though I already have my money Their system is definitely processing refunds, but their tracking portal is completely out of sync with actual status. I'd trust your bank account more than their website.

I can confirm what others are saying about SBTPG's processing timeline. As someone who's been through this process multiple years, here's what I've observed: SBTPG typically receives your refund from the IRS 1-2 days before your official DDD, then processes it within 12-24 hours. The "early deposit" you're seeing isn't actually SBTPG releasing early - it's your receiving bank making funds available as soon as they detect the incoming transfer. Regarding the portal issues, this is unfortunately normal during peak season. SBTPG's website becomes virtually unusable from mid-February through March due to traffic overload. I've had better luck checking very early morning (around 5-6 AM EST) when fewer people are online. My advice: Don't stress about the portal status. If your transcript shows a DDD and TurboTax confirms SBTPG is processing, your refund is likely moving through the system normally. The disconnect between their website status and actual processing is a known issue that happens every tax season. For peace of mind, you might want to contact your bank directly - they can often see pending deposits before they're officially released to your account.

Has anyone actually had the IRS reject their return because of a missing W-2? My sister had this happen last year and the IRS just processed her return normally without ever asking for the W-2. They already had the info from her employer.

Don't stress too much about this! I had almost the exact same thing happen to me two years ago - mailed my return and then found my W-2 sitting on my desk a week later. I was convinced I was going to get audited or something. What ended up happening was the IRS processed my return normally and I got my refund about 6 weeks later without them ever asking for the W-2. Turns out they already had all the wage information from my employer electronically, so when they cross-referenced everything, it all matched up. The key thing is that the information you put on your tax return needs to match what your employer reported to the IRS. As long as those numbers are consistent, you'll probably be fine. If there's a discrepancy, that's when they'll send you a notice asking for documentation. I'd recommend just waiting it out rather than proactively sending anything. The IRS gets millions of returns and they have pretty efficient systems for handling these situations. If they need the physical W-2 from you, they'll let you know!

Here's what happens step by step: 1. IRS approves your refund (WMR shows approved) 2. IRS initiates ACH transfer to SBTPG (WMR shows sent) 3. SBTPG receives funds (can take 1-2 business days) 4. SBTPG deducts any fees you owe 5. SBTPG initiates transfer to your bank 6. Your bank processes the deposit (another 1-2 days) The whole process typically takes 2-4 business days from WMR update to money in your account. Banking cutoff times matter too - transfers initiated after 2pm often count as next-day transactions.

I went through this exact same situation just two weeks ago! My WMR updated on a Wednesday showing "sent" but SBTPG portal showed nothing for almost 48 hours. I was getting really worried since I'm still learning how the US tax system works. Turns out it's completely normal - the systems just don't sync in real time. The money actually hit my bank account on Friday morning, even though SBTPG portal didn't update until Friday afternoon. My advice is to check your actual bank account too, not just the SBTPG portal, since sometimes the money arrives before their system updates. The waiting is nerve-wracking but seems to be part of the process here.