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I think there might be some misunderstanding about how SantaBarbara works. It's primarily a professional tax software that preparers use, not necessarily the company pushing the advances. The advances are usually offered through partner banks or financial institutions. In my experience working with tax clients, SantaBarbara is actually fairly reliable, but the financial institutions handling the advances can sometimes cause delays, especially if there's any kind of verification issue with your return.
Have you tried checking your e-file status directly? Sometimes the WMR tool doesn't update properly but your return is actually processing normally. There's also the IRS2Go app which sometimes shows different status info than the website. Another option is to create an account on IRS.gov and check your transcript - that usually shows processing steps before they appear on WMR.
I'm curious about how you might prove the support requirement for your grandchild. In most cases, you would potentially need to show that you provided more than 50% of the child's support for the year, which might be somewhat complicated to calculate for a newborn who's only been with you for a month. Do you perhaps have documentation from the child's parent(s) releasing their claim to the child as a dependent? This could be relevant if they're planning to file their own tax returns.
But what about the residency test? Doesn't a qualifying child need to live with you for more than half the year? How does that work for a baby born in December? Do they get some kind of exception since they literally couldn't have lived anywhere for half a year?
According to the IRS website (specifically Publication 501), there's actually an exception for children born during the tax year! It says: "A child who was born or died during the year is treated as having lived with you for more than half of the year if your home was the child's home for more than half the time he or she was alive during the year." So for a December baby, as long as they lived with you from birth until the end of the year, you meet the residency test. I was surprised by this complexity when I had to figure it out for my situation!
I went through almost this exact situation on April 12th last year. Here's what I learned: the $2,000 Child Tax Credit isn't limited to just three children - that's a common misconception. Each qualifying child under 17 can get you the full $2,000 credit (with up to $1,600 being refundable). Your 17-year-old aged out of the full CTC and only qualifies for the $500 Credit for Other Dependents. Your 1-month-old grandchild, assuming you have legal custody as of December 31, 2023, should qualify for the full $2,000 CTC. Make sure you have documentation showing when you obtained custody. When I filed on February 3rd this year, I included a note explaining my custody situation and had zero issues with my refund.
I just went through this exact situation last year! Here's what you need to do step-by-step: 1. First, determine your residency status for each state. For Michigan, you'll file as a part-year resident. 2. Gather all income documents and sort them by state. 3. Download Michigan's MI-1040 form and Schedule NR (Non-Resident/Part-Year Resident). 4. For Texas income, you won't need to file a state return since they don't have income tax. 5. On the Michigan return, you'll report ALL income for the year on the main form. 6. Then use Schedule NR to calculate what portion is actually taxable in Michigan. 7. Include documentation showing your moving dates (lease agreements, utility bills). 8. Most tax software can handle this, but double-check their multi-state capabilities. The key is properly allocating income based on when it was earned in each state!
So if husband's W-2 shows income from both states, do we need to calculate exactly how much was earned in each state? What if the employer didn't break it down that way? And for your business income, does that get allocated based on where you were physically located when providing services? I'm dealing with something similar and trying to make sure I understand the process correctly.
I understand the concern, but there's a big difference between sketchy "tax help" services and legitimate tools. Think of it like comparing a back-alley mechanic to a certified service center. š Claimyr doesn't actually access your tax info - it's just a phone connection service that navigates the IRS phone tree and holds your place in line. They don't see your tax details at all. As for document analysis tools like taxr.ai, they're using the same level of security as major tax preparation software. The alternative is either waiting weeks for IRS help or trying to decipher complex tax changes yourself, which is like performing surgery after watching a YouTube tutorial.
Thanks for explaining this. I was worried about the same thing. Do you know if these services keep your information after they analyze it? I might try Claimyr since it sounds like they don't even see my tax details.
According to the IRS website (https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-changes-for-2023-tax-year), several temporary COVID-related tax benefits expired. I checked my own transcripts using the IRS online account portal and confirmed this. My refund dropped by $4,800 between 2022 and 2023 tax years. The National Taxpayer Advocate's annual report actually predicted this "refund shock" would affect millions of Americans this filing season.
Malik Thomas
I'm skeptical about any "no-fee" advance loan. According to IRS Publication 1345 guidelines, these products must disclose all charges, and typically the cost is embedded in preparation fees. Jackson Hewitt's Assisted Refund product with self-employment income triggers their Premium preparation tier, which increased from $249 to $319 for Tax Year 2024 filings. The "no-fee" advance is technically true, but you're paying significantly higher preparation fees to offset the underwriting risk.
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NeonNebula
According to the official Jackson Hewitt website (https://www.jacksonhewitt.com/offers/no-fee-refund-advance/), self-employment income doesn't automatically disqualify you, but it does impact approval odds. Their FAQ section specifically mentions that "mixed income sources may require additional verification." If you need a definitive answer, I'd recommend calling their customer service line at the number listed on their site. Based on community feedback here, many members with less than 30% self-employment income have successfully received advances, though sometimes at lower amounts than requested.
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