call the taxpayer advocate service! they helped me when i was stuck in limbo for 6 months

Have you checked if there are any issues with your Social Security number matching exactly what's on file? Sometimes even a small discrepancy can cause processing delays. Also, if you claimed any new credits like the Child Tax Credit or Earned Income Tax Credit, those returns often get flagged for additional review which can add months to processing time. The IRS has been especially slow with anything that requires manual verification this year.

Has anyone used Form 3115 (Change in Accounting Method) instead of amending returns for missed depreciation? My accountant suggested this approach for a similar situation with my office equipment.

For your specific situation with the CNC machine, here's what I'd recommend based on my experience with similar depreciation issues: 1. **Yes, you should amend your 2022 return** to claim the missed depreciation. Since you took bonus depreciation of $2,430 in 2021, you had a remaining basis of $270 that should have been depreciated starting in 2022 using the MACRS 7-year schedule. 2. **The missed 2022 depreciation would be**: 24.49% of $270 = $66.12 (this is the second-year MACRS percentage for 7-year property) 3. **For 2023 and beyond**, you'll continue with the MACRS schedule on the remaining basis. Year 3 would be 17.49% of $270 = $47.22, and so on. 4. **Regarding your W-2 income question** - absolutely you can still claim the depreciation! As long as you own the business asset and it's available for business use, you can depreciate it on Schedule C even if you have minimal or no 1099 income that year. The key thing to remember is that depreciation is "use it or lose it" - you can't save it for later years. That's why amending 2022 is important. You won't face penalties since you'd likely get a refund from the amendment. Consider using tax software that can handle Form 4562 properly, or consult with a tax professional if you're unsure about the calculations.

You know what I've learned after years of tax seasons? The SBTPG system is always glitchy during peak refund weeks. Have you tried calling them directly instead of just using the website? Their phone system will often recognize your info before their website does. Also, did you check if your tax preparer entered your SSN correctly? I've seen cases where a single digit was off and that prevented access.

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! My transcript updated yesterday showing my refund was approved, but SBTPG keeps saying they can't find my account information. It's so stressful when you're counting on that money. Based on what everyone else is saying here, it sounds like there's typically a 24-48 hour delay between the IRS transcript updating and SBTPG receiving the funds. I'm going to try calling them directly like Leslie suggested - maybe their phone system is more up-to-date than the website. Thanks for posting this, at least now I know I'm not the only one dealing with this timing issue!

Who else thinks the whole charitable deduction thing is just a tax break for the wealthy? I mean, if you don't make enough to itemize, you get zero tax benefit from donations. Meanwhile, rich people can donate appreciated stock, avoid capital gains tax AND get a deduction for the full value.

You're absolutely right to be skeptical of that USA Today figure. As a tax professional, I see this confusion all the time. The $3,300 average is only from taxpayers who itemized deductions, which creates a massive selection bias. Think about it this way: in 2016, someone earning under $100K would only itemize if their total deductions exceeded the standard deduction (which was $6,300 for single filers). So you're looking at people who had unusually high mortgage interest, state taxes, medical expenses, OR charitable giving. This naturally inflates the charitable giving average within that subset. The real picture is much more modest. Based on comprehensive surveys that include all taxpayers, the typical household earning under $100K gives somewhere between $500-1,200 annually. Your own giving level is probably much more representative of actual American behavior than that misleading $3,300 figure. The charitable deduction system does create some perverse incentives where higher-income taxpayers get better tax benefits for giving, but that's a separate policy discussion from understanding what people actually donate.

also just fyi - the tax filing deadline for 2024 taxes is April 15, 2025. so if u do need to file, make sure u do it by then. and if ur ever not sure whether u need to file, the irs has a free interactive tax assistant tool on their website that can help u figure it out. just google "IRS do i need to file a tax return" and it should come up.

Just wanted to share my experience as someone who was in a very similar situation! I'm 27 and was taking classes part-time while living off savings and family support. I was super stressed about whether I needed to file taxes with no income. I ended up using the IRS Interactive Tax Assistant that someone mentioned - it's totally free and walks you through questions about your specific situation. In my case, it confirmed that with zero income, I didn't need to file federally. But it also helped me understand that if I had received any Form 1099s or had taxes withheld from any source (even small amounts), I might want to file anyway to get refunds. One thing I learned that might help you - even though you don't have income now, keep track of any educational expenses you're paying for. If your situation changes or if someone who could claim you as a dependent wants to use education credits, having those records will be super helpful. Since you're in Florida, at least you don't have to worry about state income tax! That's one less thing to stress about.