Same boat rn. Been checking WMR like a crazy person everyday 👀

call the tax advocate service! They helped speed up my verification process

bruh ur gonna get paid 🤑 4 dependents is the sweet spot

With your income level and 4 dependents, you're looking at some solid refund potential! The Child Tax Credit alone could be $8,000 ($2,000 per child), plus you'll likely qualify for a substantial Earned Income Tax Credit. Given that you had $2,592 withheld and got $10k back last year on similar income, I'd estimate you're looking at $10,000-$12,000 this year. The extra withholding this year should boost your refund even more. Just make sure you have all your documentation ready when you file!

The real question is why cant the IRS learn from the states smh

Same situation here! Filed both federal and state on Jan 2nd, got my state refund last week but IRS is still showing "processing" with no updates. It's honestly wild how much faster state systems are - makes you wonder what the holdup is on the federal side. At least we know the states have their act together!

I've been filing for free with H&R Block Free Online for the past 3 years. But be careful - you need to go directly through the IRS Free File portal (not their main website) to get the actually free version that includes state filing. If you google H&R Block and go to their site directly, you'll end up with their "free" version that charges for state.

For South Dakota specifically, since you mentioned DirectFile isn't available there, I'd recommend checking out the VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program if your income is under $64,000. They offer completely free tax preparation by IRS-certified volunteers, including both federal and state returns. You can find locations on the IRS website. Also, just a heads up about waiting for your Wage & Income transcript - while it's smart to double-check, most employers are required to send you corrected forms if there are discrepancies. The March 15th transcript might not show everything if you have late-filing employers or financial institutions. One more truly free option: if you're comfortable doing it yourself, you can always file directly with the IRS using their fillable forms (Free File Fillable Forms) and then file your South Dakota return directly with the state. SD actually has a pretty simple state return since they don't tax wages - just need to report federal AGI in most cases.

Has anyone considered that maybe the father didn't do this maliciously? Maybe he thought he was helping his kid establish credit or a business history? I'm not saying what he did was right - it definitely wasn't - but before going straight to identity theft claims and potentially sending your dad to jail, maybe have an honest conversation with him first?

I understand this is an incredibly difficult situation, and I want to echo what others have said about getting professional help immediately. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that you should document EVERYTHING right now while the trail is still relatively fresh. Start gathering any documents you can find - business registration papers, any correspondence about the business, bank statements if you have access, etc. Even if your father cooperates later, having this documentation will be crucial whether you go the identity theft route or try to work out some other arrangement with the IRS. Also, consider that there might be a middle ground here. Some tax attorneys specialize in "innocent spouse" relief and similar situations where one person gets stuck with tax liability they shouldn't be responsible for. This might be a way to resolve the debt without necessarily triggering criminal charges against your father, but you'd need to speak with a qualified tax attorney to understand if this applies to your situation. The most important thing is to stop letting your tax refunds get seized while you figure this out. Every year this continues, you're essentially paying someone else's debt. Time is not on your side here.