Has anyone used any of these online tax programs like TurboTax or H&R Block online? I've been thinking about just doing my taxes myself to avoid these kinds of issues with preparers, but I'm worried I'll miss deductions or make mistakes.

This is definitely not normal and I'd strongly advise against it. I'm a CPA and percentage-based fees tied to refund amounts are considered highly unethical in our profession. The National Association of Tax Professionals explicitly states that fees should be based on the complexity and time required for the work, not on the tax results. When a preparer's pay depends on maximizing your refund, they have a financial incentive to take aggressive positions that might not hold up under IRS scrutiny. I've seen clients get burned by this - they pay higher fees and then face audits because their preparer claimed questionable deductions to inflate the refund. A legitimate tax professional should charge a flat rate or hourly fee regardless of whether you owe money or get a refund. The fact that she's framing this as "aligning interests" is a red flag - a good preparer's interest should be preparing an accurate, compliant return, not maximizing your refund for their own benefit. I'd recommend shopping around for a new preparer who charges transparent, flat fees. Your $150 flat rate was actually quite reasonable for most returns.

Has anyone considered setting up a trust instead? When my parents transferred investments to me, we used a trust structure that allowed them to maintain some control while legally establishing my ownership. Might be worth talking to an estate attorney about this option.

One thing to consider is the timing of when your son plans to sell these investments. Since he'll inherit your cost basis (what you originally paid ~14 years ago), he'll owe capital gains tax on the full appreciation when he sells. Given that the investments have grown from $9,000 to $105,000, that's potentially significant capital gains tax. If he's planning to hold these investments long-term anyway, the gift approach works well. But if he wants to liquidate soon after receiving them, you might want to factor in the tax impact on his side. Sometimes it makes sense to sell some positions while they're still in your names (especially if you're in a lower tax bracket) and gift the cash proceeds instead, depending on your respective tax situations. Also, make sure your brokerage can handle the transfer properly with correct basis reporting. Some brokers are better than others at tracking gifted securities and providing the right tax documents.

This is a great question and you're smart to be proactive about it! Based on my experience, filing your 2023 return with your new address should indeed update the IRS system for all correspondence, including anything related to your 2022 taxes. However, there can sometimes be delays in how quickly this update propagates through all their systems. Since you moved in March and filed your 2023 return after that, you're probably fine, but if you want complete peace of mind, filing Form 8822 wouldn't hurt. It's a simple one-page form that takes just a few minutes to complete, and it ensures there's no gap in coverage while the systems update. One thing to keep in mind is that if you're expecting any refunds or have any pending issues with your 2022 return, it's especially important to make sure your address is current. The IRS typically processes address changes from tax returns within 4-6 weeks, so you should be all set by now, but Form 8822 can serve as a backup to make sure nothing falls through the cracks.

One additional tip that might be helpful - you can actually verify that the IRS has your correct address on file by checking your online IRS account at irs.gov. If you create an account (or log into your existing one), you can view your tax records and see what address they currently have listed for you. This can give you peace of mind that your address update from your 2023 return was processed correctly. Also, since you mentioned being worried about correspondence related to your 2022 taxes, keep in mind that the IRS typically has three years from the filing date to audit or send notices about a return (with some exceptions). So if you filed your 2022 return on time in early 2023, you'd generally be looking at potential correspondence through early 2026. Having your address properly updated now should cover you for that entire period. If you do end up receiving any IRS mail at your old address (forwarded by USPS), that could be a sign that their system hasn't fully updated yet, and that would be a good time to file the Form 8822 just to be safe.

my sister used direct express last year took exactly 19 days hope this helps

I'm also waiting on my Direct Express refund! Filed on 1/6 and still showing "received" on WMR. The waiting game is brutal but from what I've read here and other forums, Direct Express follows the same timeline as regular DD. Just hang tight - you filed super early so you should be in one of the first waves. Keep checking your transcript too, sometimes it updates before WMR does.

Does anyone know if you can split the expenses? Like could I put $3000 in the FSA and claim $3000 for the tax credit (with my $12000 total daycare cost)? Would that be better than maxing out the FSA first?

@Andre Moreau - I was in almost the exact same situation last year! With one child and $12k in daycare costs, here's what I learned: Since you have one child, the dependent care tax credit is limited to $3,000 in expenses. If you put the full $5,000 in your FSA, you've already exceeded that $3,000 limit, so you won't be able to claim any tax credit. Here's what might work better for you: Put $3,000 in the FSA and keep $3,000 available for the tax credit. Whether this is optimal depends on your income level. The FSA saves you money at your marginal tax rate plus FICA (about 29.65% if you're in the 22% bracket), while the dependent care credit ranges from 20-35% based on income. If you're at higher income levels, the FSA might give you better savings. If you're at lower income levels, the credit percentage could be higher than your tax savings from the FSA. Given that you mentioned your husband makes more than you and you've had IRS issues before, I'd definitely recommend running the numbers both ways or consulting with a tax professional to make sure you're maximizing your benefit without any complications!