Plot twist: the IRS is using our refunds to fund a secret space program 👽🛸

I'm dealing with the exact same issue! Filed in March and still waiting. One thing that helped me was setting up an online account on the IRS website - sometimes it shows more detailed status info than the "Where's My Refund" tool. Also, if you have a local IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center nearby, you might be able to walk in for help (though call first to check if appointments are needed). The wait times are brutal, but don't give up! Your refund is out there somewhere in the system.

I'm in a similar situation - filed electronically on April 8th and still waiting! It's so frustrating seeing the "still processing" message every time I check. From reading everyone's experiences here, it sounds like the delays are really common this year, especially if you claimed credits like the Child Tax Credit (which I did too). I'm going to try checking my transcript online like others suggested - seems like that gives more detailed info than the Where's My Refund tool. The 21-day processing time they advertise is clearly not realistic right now. Hang in there, hopefully we'll both see some movement soon! 🤞

I'm going through the exact same thing! Filed on April 12th and it's been radio silence from the IRS ever since. The "Where's My Refund" tool has been stuck on "still processing" for months now. It's really frustrating not knowing what's going on or if there's even an issue with my return. Reading through everyone's responses here has been super helpful though - sounds like the transcript is definitely the way to go for actual information. I had no idea that claiming the Child Tax Credit could cause such long delays, but that explains a lot since I claimed it for my daughter. Thanks for posting this question - at least now I know I'm not alone in this waiting game! Going to try accessing my transcript tonight and see if that gives me any clues about what's happening behind the scenes.

Anyone know if you can e-file when claiming a Section 1341 credit? Last year I had a similar situation and TurboTax kept giving me an error when I tried to e-file with the claim of right credit.

I went through something very similar with duplicate EE bonds last year! One thing to watch out for - make sure you have all the documentation from Treasury showing the erroneous issuance before you file. The IRS may want to see proof that the second bond was issued in error and that you're required to repay the interest. Also, since you're dealing with $4,100, you'll definitely want to calculate both the deduction and credit methods when you file your 2025 return. In my case, the credit ended up saving me about $200 more than the deduction would have, but it depends on your tax brackets in both years. Keep all your correspondence with Treasury - you'll need it to support your Section 1341 claim. The IRS is pretty strict about having proper documentation for claim of right situations.

Heads up from someone who did this wrong! My wife and I started an S-Corp for our graphic design biz in 2018 and only paid ourselves tiny salaries ($15k each) while taking hefty distributions the first two years. Got audited in 2021 and the IRS reclassified most of our distributions as salary. Had to pay back employment taxes plus penalties. Ouch! Now we use the 60/40 rule - roughly 60% salary to 40% distributions, and document everything like crazy. Our accountant says there's no magic formula but reasonable should mean reasonable for your industry and workload.

As a newer S-Corp owner myself, I've found that documentation is absolutely key. We started conservative with salaries too, but what helped us was creating a simple spreadsheet tracking our monthly revenue, expenses, and profit margins. Every time we adjust our salaries, we document the business justification. One thing that's been helpful is looking at job postings for similar roles in our area to establish benchmarks. For tattoo shops specifically, you might look at what experienced tattoo artists or shop managers earn locally. Since you're doing both artistic work AND business management, your reasonable compensation should reflect both roles. The 30-40% of profits rule mentioned earlier is solid, but don't stress too much about hitting exact ratios every month when you're still growing. The IRS understands that new businesses have variable income. Just make sure whatever you're paying yourselves is defensible based on what you'd pay someone else to do your jobs, and keep good records of how you determined those amounts.

yall need to stop checking WMR every day its not good for your mental health trust

I went through the exact same thing last month! Topic 152 disappeared after being there for weeks, then about 5 days later I got my refund date. It's actually a good sign - means they're actively processing your return. The waiting is brutal but you're probably close to getting an update. Keep checking but try not to stress too much about it disappearing! 🤞