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Whatever you do, don't go to one of those "tax relief" places you see advertised on TV! My brother was in a similar situation (8 years unfiled) and paid one of those companies $4,000 upfront. They literally did NOTHING for months then said he "didn't qualify" for their program. You're better off getting your transcripts and working with a local CPA or EA (Enrolled Agent) who specializes in back taxes. They typically charge by the return rather than some huge upfront fee.
So true! I worked for one of those companies briefly (quit after 3 months) and it was basically a sales operation. They would charge $3-7k upfront and then do the bare minimum. Most clients could have resolved their issues themselves or with a reasonably priced CPA for a fraction of the cost.
Hey Nia, I was in a very similar situation about 3 years ago - hadn't filed for about 12 years and was completely paralyzed by anxiety about it. I understand that overwhelming feeling. Here's what worked for me: I started by getting my wage and income transcripts from the IRS website first (before trying to call them). This showed me exactly what income was reported under my SSN for each year, which was actually less scary than I thought it would be. Then I focused on just the last 6 years like others mentioned. For the years when I made under the filing threshold, I didn't need to file at all. For the others, I found that some years I was actually owed refunds! The key thing that helped my anxiety was breaking it down into small steps instead of trying to solve everything at once. Week 1: get transcripts. Week 2: figure out which years actually required filing. Week 3: tackle the most recent year first. Also, once I finally got compliant, the mental relief was incredible. I could apply for jobs without worrying about background checks, I could get a mortgage, I could sleep better. You're taking the right first step by addressing this now. The IRS really does want to work with people who voluntarily come forward. You've got this!
LPT: Record the call if you can (check your state laws first). It helped me when there was a mixup later and I could prove what the agent told me.
Be extra careful about scams too! The IRS will NEVER call you first - they always send letters first. Since you got the official letter, you're good, but just make sure you're calling the number on the actual IRS letter, not any number someone might give you online or over the phone. There are tons of scammers pretending to be the IRS trying to steal people's info during identity verification calls. Stay safe out there!
Hey everyone, I work at a bank (not saying which one). When TPG shows "funded" it means they have received your refund from the IRS, but they still need to process it on their end. They batch process payments, usually at the end of the day. If your refund hit TPG on a Friday afternoon, it might not be processed until Monday or Tuesday. Then it takes 1-2 business days for ACH transfers to complete. So realistically, you're looking at 3-5 business days AFTER the funded status appears.
Thanks for explaining this. Do you know if banks process these deposits on weekends or only business days?
I'm in almost the identical situation! Filed on March 3rd, got a 3/17 DDD, and TPG has been showing "funded" since 3/16. Still nothing in my Chase account as of today. This is my first time using a tax service that deducts fees from the refund and I had no idea it would add all these delays. The stress is real when you're counting on that money! Reading through all these comments makes me feel better knowing I'm not alone, but also frustrated that TPG seems to consistently take way longer than they advertise. Definitely going to pay fees upfront next year to avoid this middleman nightmare.
Has anyone used TurboTax to report gambling? I won about $2000 on a slot machine last year (got a W-2G) but probably lost $3000 overall for the year. Not sure how to handle this.
I've used TurboTax for this. You report the $2000 W-2G as income, then if you itemize deductions (Schedule A), you can deduct losses up to the amount of your winnings. BUT you need documentation of those losses like a gambling diary or player's card statements. The catch is that most people are better off taking the standard deduction unless they have a lot of other deductions like mortgage interest or huge medical expenses. So you might end up paying tax on the $2000 win even though you had a net loss overall. It's one of those unfair things about gambling taxes.
I went through something similar last year and can share what I learned. The key thing to understand is that the IRS threshold for slot machine reporting is $1,200 or more from a single spin - not cumulative winnings. Since you never hit that threshold and received no W-2G forms, you have no reporting obligation. Those 800+ transactions are just the casino's way of tracking every individual bet you made. Think of it like your credit card statement showing every small purchase - it's record-keeping, not something you need to report to the IRS. The fact that you had a net loss of $45 with no significant individual wins means this is a non-issue for your taxes. You can safely ignore this on your TurboTax return and focus on your actual tax obligations. The gambling statement is there for your records, but it doesn't create any tax liability when you had no reportable winnings.
Honorah King
Anyone else think its sus that they cant just email these things? Like its 2025 ffs š¤”
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Oliver Brown
ā¢fr fr the stone age vibes are real
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Mary Bates
ā¢security reasons bestie... imagine the scammers if they did email š
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Dmitry Smirnov
Had the same issue last year - definitely call that number Saanvi mentioned! Also check if you moved recently or if your address with the IRS matches what's on your last return. They're super picky about addresses and even small differences can cause delays. You can also try creating an account on IRS.gov to see if there are any messages in your online account about the verification.
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