Hey @Alana Willis! I totally feel your stress about this - going through a divorce and needing that refund ASAP is rough. 😔 I've been using Chime for my refunds for about 3 years now, and here's what I've learned: it's honestly pretty unpredictable compared to regular paychecks. Last year mine came 2 days early, but the year before it was exactly on the IRS date. The key thing is checking your transcript like others mentioned - once you see that 846 code with a date, you'll know Chime will likely get it to you 1-3 days before that. Also, if you filed last week, your 21-day countdown starts from when the IRS accepted it (not when you submitted), so make sure you're counting from the right date. Hang in there - the money will come! 💪

I completely understand the frustration! I went through something similar last year during my own financial struggles. From my experience with Chime and tax refunds, here's what I've learned: the timing really depends on when the IRS actually processes and releases your refund, not just when you filed. Chime typically gets it to you 1-3 days before the official IRS date, but that "up to 6 days early" marketing is mainly for regular paychecks with predictable schedules. The most important thing is to check your IRS transcript online - look for the 846 code which shows your actual refund date. That's when the IRS will send the money to Chime, and then Chime usually deposits it 1-3 days before that date. Also remember that if you claimed EITC or Child Tax Credit, there's an additional hold period that can delay things. I know it's stressful waiting, especially when you're dealing with divorce expenses and catching up on bills. Try to resist checking WMR every hour (easier said than done, I know!) and focus on that transcript date instead. The money will come! 💙

I've been following this thread closely since I'm in the same boat - filed my 941X in October 2023 for about $78k and still waiting. Just wanted to share a few things I've learned that might help others: First, I called my local IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service office after waiting 10 months with no word. They can't speed up processing but they were able to confirm my forms were received and in the queue. The number is different for each area but you can find yours on the IRS website. Second, I've been tracking every piece of correspondence in a simple spreadsheet - dates, amounts, who I spoke with, reference numbers, etc. This has been super helpful when following up. The most important thing I learned is that even though it's taking forever, the vast majority of legitimate claims are eventually getting paid. My accountant said out of 50+ ERC clients he's filed for, only 2 have been denied and those were borderline cases anyway. The waiting absolutely sucks when you're counting on that money, but try to stay patient. From what I'm seeing in this thread, most people are getting their refunds around the 8-10 month mark, which gives me hope I should see mine soon. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it really helps to know we're not alone in this process!

I'm in almost the exact same situation as you! Filed my Form 941X about 6 weeks ago for around $85k in ERC claims for my retail business that had to shut down during the worst of the pandemic in 2020. Reading through all these experiences is both reassuring and nerve-wracking at the same time. The 8-12 month timeline seems pretty consistent across everyone's stories, which is honestly longer than I was hoping for but at least gives me a realistic expectation to work with. One thing that's really standing out to me from this thread is how important it is to have all your documentation perfectly organized upfront. It sounds like people who had their paperwork in order from the start are having smoother experiences, while those who get requests for additional info are seeing even longer delays. I'm definitely going to try that Taxpayer Advocate Service suggestion to at least confirm my forms were received. The uncertainty of not knowing if anything is even happening is probably the worst part of this whole process. Thanks for starting this discussion - it's incredibly helpful to see real experiences from actual business owners rather than just generic advice articles. The waiting is brutal but knowing others have successfully gotten through this process gives me hope!

As someone who went through this exact same struggle last year, I completely feel your pain! The Social Security taxation rules are genuinely confusing, even for people who are generally comfortable with taxes. Here's what finally clicked for me: Think of line 6a as "what Social Security paid you" and line 6b as "what gets added to your taxable income." They're often different numbers. With your husband's $24,500 in benefits and your combined income around $52,000, you're likely in the 85% taxable range. But here's the key calculation you need: Your "combined income" = Your AGI (excluding Social Security) + tax-exempt interest + 50% of Social Security benefits So if your non-Social Security income is around $27,500 ($52,000 - $24,500), your combined income would be approximately $27,500 + $12,250 (half of $24,500) = $39,750. For married filing jointly, this puts you in the range where up to 85% of benefits could be taxable, but the exact amount depends on the specific formula. At your income level, you'll probably have around 70-80% of the $24,500 being taxable (so roughly $17,000-$20,000 on line 6b). The good news is that most tax software handles this calculation automatically once you enter the 1099-SSA information correctly. Just make sure you're using the gross amount from Box 3, not the net amount after Medicare deductions. You've got this! It's one of those things that seems impossible until it suddenly makes sense.

I've been helping my elderly neighbors with their taxes for the past few years, and Social Security taxation is definitely one of the trickiest areas. What really helped me understand it was thinking of it this way: the government wants to tax Social Security benefits for people who have "enough" other income, but they don't want to tax people who are living solely on Social Security. The calculation is complex because it's trying to gradually phase in the taxation rather than creating a cliff effect. For someone with your income level around $52,000, you're likely looking at about 70-85% of the benefits being taxable. One thing I always tell people is to double-check that they're including ALL income sources in their calculation - pension income, investment dividends, even tax-exempt municipal bond interest counts toward the "combined income" threshold. I've seen people miss these and end up with incorrect calculations. Also, don't forget that even if a large portion of your Social Security becomes "taxable," you still get your standard deduction applied to your total income. So depending on your other deductions, you might not actually owe much additional tax even with Social Security included. The most important thing is getting the gross amount right on line 6a (use Box 3 from the 1099-SSA, not Box 5), and then either using good tax software or working through the IRS worksheet carefully for line 6b. You're being smart by trying to understand this rather than just guessing!

If you end up having to pay, ask about an installment plan! Most states offer them for relatively small amounts like yours. I had to pay $2,300 in back taxes last year and got approved for a 12-month payment plan with minimal additional interest. The application was super simple - just a one-page form. It made a huge difference for my monthly budget.

Going to the local tax office in person is actually a great idea if you have one nearby! I did this when I got a confusing notice about estimated tax payments, and it was so much more efficient than trying to resolve it over the phone. The staff can pull up your account immediately, look at all the documents side by side with you, and explain exactly what happened. In my case, they were able to spot the issue within minutes - I had made a data entry error when e-filing that caused a mismatch. They helped me understand what forms I needed to file to correct it and even gave me printed copies of the relevant tax code sections. Plus, you get a receipt showing you addressed the notice within the 30-day window, which is important for your records. Just bring a copy of the notice, your original tax return, and all your 1099 forms. Most state tax offices accept walk-ins, but you might want to call ahead to check their hours and whether appointments are recommended. The only downside is that some locations can get busy during tax season, so you might have a bit of a wait. But honestly, even an hour wait in person beats days of trying to get through on the phone!

Yes, exactly! When you have escrow, you need to look at the actual property tax payments your mortgage company made to the taxing authorities, not your monthly escrow payments to the mortgage company. Your mortgage servicer should send you a year-end statement (usually Form 1098) that shows the actual property taxes they paid on your behalf during the tax year. This can sometimes be tricky because the timing doesn't always match up perfectly. For example, if you closed on your house in November, your mortgage company might not have paid any property taxes in that tax year even though you've been making escrow payments. Or sometimes they pay multiple years' worth of taxes in one year due to timing issues. The key is to only deduct what was actually paid to the tax authority during the calendar year, regardless of when you made your escrow contributions. Your 1098 form will be your best friend here - it should clearly show the amount of property taxes actually paid on your behalf that you can include in your SALT deduction (subject to that $10K cap). Also keep any supplemental tax bills or special assessments you might have paid directly outside of escrow - those count too!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! As someone who just bought their first home in December, I'm still wrapping my head around all these tax implications. One thing I'm curious about - if I prepaid some of my 2025 property taxes in December 2024 (my mortgage company suggested it to help with the SALT cap), do those payments count toward my 2024 deduction even though they're technically for next year's taxes? I've heard mixed things about prepayment strategies and whether the IRS allows this. My property taxes alone are going to be around $8K this year, so with state income tax I'm definitely hitting that $10K cap. Just want to make sure I'm not doing anything that could cause problems down the road. Also, does anyone know if there are any proposed changes to the SALT cap coming up? I know someone mentioned it expires in 2025, but I'm not sure what that means practically for homeowners like us.