Quick tip on the expense tracking part - don't overthink it when you're starting out. I wasted so much time trying different complex systems. Just get a dedicated business credit card that automatically categorizes expenses and syncs with accounting software. I use Chase Ink Business which integrates with QuickBooks. Makes expense tracking almost automatic. For an S Corp with your revenue level, you'll want a simple chart of accounts that tracks: - Office expenses - Travel & meals - Software subscriptions - Professional services - Equipment purchases - Home office (if applicable) Keep digital copies of all receipts (I use the QuickBooks app to snap photos). The IRS accepts digital receipts now.

The meal deduction rules have changed several times recently, but for 2025, business meals are generally 50% deductible if they're ordinary and necessary for your business. The key is proper documentation - you need to record the business purpose, who attended, and the business relationship. For S Corps specifically, if you're entertaining clients or having business meetings over meals, those qualify. Solo meals while traveling for business also count. Just make sure you're not trying to deduct personal meals or anything that could be seen as lavish. The temporary 100% deduction for restaurant meals that was in place during COVID has expired, so we're back to the standard 50% rule. Keep detailed records because the IRS scrutinizes meal deductions more than most other business expenses.

Literally just got my refund this morning with a similar situation. DDD was 3/14, and it finally hit my Varo account today (3/17). No explanation for the delay. Seems like the online banks are running behind this year for some reason.

Same exact situation here! Filed through TurboTax, DDD of 3/15 on my transcript, using Chime, and still nothing as of today. Called Chime twice and they keep saying no pending deposits. It's so frustrating because I really need this money too. Reading through these comments gives me some hope that maybe it'll just show up in the next day or two like what happened to Noah with Varo. Going to try to wait until Friday before I start panicking more, but the anxiety is real! 😰

Just want to add something important - make sure you're tracking ALL your legitimate business expenses, not just the obvious ones. Internet costs, portion of rent/utilities if you work from home, camera equipment, lighting, subscription services related to your work, advertising costs, website fees, etc. So many content creators leave money on the table by not claiming all eligible deductions. The adult toy is definitely a legitimate business expense if used for work, but don't miss the bigger deductions that could save you much more!

Great advice from everyone here! As someone who's been through this process, I'd recommend keeping a simple spreadsheet throughout the year to track all your business expenses. For items like what you mentioned, I use descriptions like "Content Production Equipment" or "Business Props" - keeps it professional and accurate without unnecessary detail. One thing I learned the hard way is to photograph your receipts immediately and store them digitally as backup. Some of the stores in this industry don't always provide the most durable paper receipts, and you definitely want that documentation if needed later. Also consider setting up a separate business bank account if you haven't already - makes tracking expenses so much easier come tax time. The key is consistency in how you categorize similar expenses. Whatever description you choose, use it for similar items throughout the year. The IRS cares more about legitimate business purpose than specific item details.

Had the EXACT same issue. Filed 2/8, transcript showed zilch until 4/1. Then boom - everything updated at once. Got my DD 3 days later. IRS is just super behind this yr. Btw, I called the tax advocate hotline (877-777-4778) after wk 6 and they confirmed my return was "in the system" even tho transcript said otherwise. The systems don't talk to each other properly. Hang tight - prob nothing wrong w/ ur return.

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Filed on 2/13 and my transcript still shows "no tax return filed" - it's been driving me crazy. Reading through everyone's experiences here is actually really reassuring though. I did receive an acceptance confirmation from TurboTax, so I know it made it to the IRS, but like many of you mentioned, the transcript system seems to be completely out of sync with their processing system this year. I've been checking every Friday hoping for an update but nothing yet. @Admin_Masters - thank you for mentioning the identity verification possibility! I hadn't considered that the letter might have gotten lost. I'm going to call that number you provided just to rule it out. Better to be proactive than wait another month wondering. It sounds like most people who experienced this eventually got their transcripts updated all at once, followed by their refunds pretty quickly after that. Fingers crossed we're all in that same boat! 🤞

For future reference, your brokerage (E*TRADE) should provide a "Tax Center" or similar section that breaks down exactly how much was withheld for taxes on RSU vests. It'll show the split between federal, state, and FICA taxes. Also, when you get your W-2 next year, you'll see your RSU income and all withholding included in the regular income boxes - Box 1 for federal wages, Box 2 for federal tax withheld, etc. The split transactions don't create any special tax reporting - it all gets consolidated. One thing to watch for: sometimes the withholding on RSUs isn't quite enough if you're in a high tax bracket (above 22% federal), so you might want to check if you need to adjust your regular paycheck withholding to compensate.

I had a very similar experience with my RSUs at my company! The split transactions threw me off initially too, but after going through this last tax season, I can confirm what others have said - it's completely normal and doesn't complicate your taxes at all. In my case, I discovered the split was because my company processes different types of withholding through separate payroll runs. The first transaction covered federal income tax withholding (22% supplemental rate), and the second covered state taxes plus FICA (Social Security and Medicare). What helped me understand this better was looking at my pay stub from the RSU vest date - it showed the breakdown of all the different tax withholdings, which matched up exactly with the separate sell-to-cover transactions in my brokerage account. The key thing to remember is that all these withholdings will be reflected on your W-2 at year-end, and when you file your taxes, you'll get credit for all the taxes that were withheld regardless of how many separate transactions they used to collect them. The IRS doesn't care if it was one transaction or ten - they just care about the total amount withheld versus what you actually owe. One tip: save the transaction confirmations from E*TRADE along with your grant documents. While you probably won't need them for filing your regular tax return, they're helpful for tracking your cost basis on the shares you kept.