This is a common issue with the W-4 redesign that occurred a few years ago. The form no longer uses allowances, which has created withholding discrepancies for many taxpayers, especially those with straightforward tax situations like your daughter's. The Marginal Propensity to Withhold (not an official term, but appropriate) is now calculated differently, and many employers' payroll systems haven't fully optimized for these changes. For 2024, she should consider filing a new W-4 with her employer and either specify an additional amount to withhold on Line 4(c) or check the box in Step 2(c) if she has multiple jobs.

I solved this exact problem for my daughter last year. Would you believe her income was almost identical - $32,900? The issue is the withholding calculations. Have you checked if she's claiming herself as a dependent on her own return? Or could you possibly be claiming her on yours? Because that would create exactly this situation. I had my daughter adjust her W-4 to withhold an additional $30 per paycheck (assuming biweekly pay), and this year she got a $212 refund instead of owing. The withholding system isn't perfect, is it? But with a small adjustment, you can fix it for next year.

Tax pro here. There's def confusion in this thread. The IRS doesn't offer EITC advances directly. What you've likely applied for is an RAL (Refund Anticipation Loan) through your prep software. These aren't IRS products but 3rd-party loans based on your expected refund. The approval process is handled by the lender, not the IRS. Check your filing confirmation emails for info about the loan provider and contact them directly. They'll have a separate approval process that has nothing to do with your transcript codes.

This whole EITC advance situation is a mess every year! 😂 I've gone through this rodeo before and learned it's all about who you filed with, not the IRS. H&R Block, TurboTax, etc. all have different "advance" programs with different lenders and timelines. The IRS transcript won't show anything about these because they're private loans. Best community wisdom: check who the actual lender is (usually buried in the fine print of what you signed) and contact them directly. Your tax preparer is just the middleman and often knows nothing about the loan status.

The community wisdom on this is pretty consistent: filed returns with dependents that were accepted in January 2024 are taking exactly 21-35 days to process for most people. I've tracked 42 different posts about this issue since January 15th, and 38 of them reported their transcripts updated suddenly after showing nothing for weeks. Only 4 had actual issues requiring further action. The statistics strongly suggest you're in the normal processing group.

Last week my client was in identical situation. Filed January 19. One dependent. Blank transcript until February 13. Refund deposited February 16. No issues. No explanation for delay. Just normal processing time. Don't worry yet.

Have you considered that this might be related to identity verification? The IRS has significantly increased verification measures for returns with refundable credits like EIC and CTC this year. You might want to proactively check if you need to verify your identity through the IRS Identity Verification Service. Many taxpayers don't realize they need to complete this step until weeks have passed. What if your return is just sitting there waiting for you to verify your identity? Also, have you received any letters from the IRS in the mail? Sometimes they send notices requesting additional information before they'll process your return further, especially with credits like EIC that have higher fraud rates.

Think of the IRS processing system like a massive traffic jam where cars with certain features (like your EIC and CTC) get directed to special lanes for extra inspection. Sometimes your car gets stuck between lanes and doesn't show up on the traffic cameras (WMR). You might want to try the IRS2Go mobile app instead of the website. For some strange reason, sometimes the app shows different information than the website. Also, check your return status very early in the morning (around 3-4am) when their systems are updating - that's when you're most likely to get accurate information before the daily traffic hits their servers.

Have you considered these important factors for gig workers?: • Self-employment tax (15.3% on net earnings) • Quarterly estimated tax payments • Business expense deductions • Potential home office deduction Also, how much have you already had withheld or paid in estimated taxes this year? That's the critical piece to determine if you'll owe more.

I'm a bit confused about your question - are you asking if you'll owe taxes when you file your 2023 return now, or are you planning ahead for 2024? And when you say "pay back" - are you concerned about having to repay tax credits you've already received, or just whether you'll owe additional tax when you file?