Is nobody gonna mention that if you claim yourself as independent when your mom could legally claim you, you're both potentially getting audited? Don't mess around with dependency status - the IRS has automated systems that flag returns when two people try to claim the same person.

Miguel, you're definitely not alone in this confusion! It's actually pretty common for first-time filers to worry about this exact situation. The good news is that filing your own tax return doesn't automatically disqualify you from being claimed as a dependent - these are totally separate things. Since you're 19, made less than $7,000, and your mom clearly provides more than half your support (housing, food, bills, etc.), she can absolutely still claim you. The key is making sure you check the right box on your return indicating that someone else CAN claim you as a dependent. This tells the IRS you're not trying to claim your own personal exemption. One thing to double-check though - if you've already filed and accidentally indicated that no one else can claim you, you'll want to file an amended return (Form 1040-X) to fix that. It's not the end of the world, just an extra step. Talk to your mom first to make sure she's planning to claim you, then coordinate to avoid any conflicts. Your instinct to get that $112 refund makes total sense, but your mom's dependency deduction will likely save your family way more in taxes overall. You're being super responsible by thinking about the bigger picture!

Has anyone actually had the IRS come back and question these kinds of errors? I had something similar on my W-2 last year (wrong code in box 12) and just filed anyway because I was in a hurry to get my refund. Nothing bad happened...

This is definitely a payroll error that needs to be corrected. As someone who's dealt with similar W-2 discrepancies before, I'd strongly recommend not filing with these incorrect codes even if everything else looks right. The IRS matching system can flag returns where reported tip income doesn't align with typical patterns for your industry. Manufacturing workers aren't expected to have uncollected tip taxes, so this could trigger automated review processes down the line. Here's what I'd do: Contact your HR department immediately and request a corrected W-2c. If they're slow to respond, mention that incorrect tax codes can create compliance issues for both you and the company. Most payroll departments will prioritize fixing these errors once they understand the potential implications. While waiting for the correction, don't let the filing deadline stress you out. You can request an extension if needed. It's much better to file correctly with a slight delay than to deal with IRS correspondence later asking you to explain tip income you never received.

Did your transcript show the 570/971 combo codes before it updated? And did those codes disappear with the update? I'm asking because I've been waiting since January with those codes and wondering if mine might resolve itself too.

I'm in a very similar boat! Got my verification letter yesterday (also dated over a month ago - seems like there's a serious mail delay this year) but my transcript updated two days ago. I called the verification line this morning and actually got through after about 45 minutes on hold. The agent told me that since my transcript is already showing processing codes, I don't need to complete verification unless I see those 570/971 codes come back. She said the automated systems caught up and cleared my return without manual verification needed. Might be worth trying the phone line again - I called right at 7am EST and got through relatively quickly compared to other times I've tried.

Adding to what everyone else has said - this is actually a really common source of confusion! I work in tax compliance and we see this question constantly during filing season. The key thing to remember is that Schedule A being included in your tax package is basically like getting a receipt that shows "we checked both options for you." What's really helpful is that most tax software will actually show you a side-by-side comparison somewhere in your account or final documents. In your case, it probably showed something like "Itemized deductions: $9,400" vs "Standard deduction: $13,850" and then highlighted that the standard deduction was selected because it was $4,450 better for you. You definitely didn't mess up your refund - in fact, you maximized it by going with the standard deduction! No amended return needed. The software did exactly what it should have done, even if the presence of Schedule A made it confusing after the fact.

I just want to echo what everyone has said here - this is such a common concern and you're definitely not alone in feeling confused about it! I had the exact same panic moment last year when I saw Schedule A in my documents after thinking I took the standard deduction. What really helped me understand it was realizing that tax software companies actually want to show you they did their due diligence in checking both options. It's like they're saying "here's proof we looked at itemizing for you, but we chose the better option." The Schedule A serves as documentation that the comparison was made, even though it wasn't ultimately used for your tax calculation. The fact that your itemized deductions would have only been around $9,400 versus the $13,850 standard deduction means you definitely came out ahead! Your software saved you money by automatically making the right choice, which is exactly what you want it to do. You can rest easy knowing your return is correct and you didn't miss out on any savings.

This is such a common issue and it's so frustrating that the IRS doesn't give us better communication about what's happening! I went through something similar last year - filed in February and transcript showed "return not filed" for over 6 weeks. Turned out there was a small error that triggered a manual review and they never sent me any notification about it. A few things to check: 1) Log into your tax software account and look for any rejection notices you might have missed 2) Double-check that all your personal info (SSN, name, address) matches exactly what the IRS has on file 3) If you used direct deposit, make sure those bank details were entered correctly. If everything looks good on your end and it's been more than 21 days since filing, I'd definitely recommend calling the IRS (prepare for long hold times 😩) or trying one of those transcript analysis tools people are mentioning. Don't just wait it out - the sooner you find out what's actually happening, the sooner you can get it resolved. Good luck!

This is such a stressful situation! I'm going through something similar - filed my return electronically in late January and my transcript has been showing "return not filed" for almost 3 weeks now. Reading through everyone's experiences here is actually really reassuring that I'm not alone in this mess! From what I'm gathering, there are so many potential reasons this could happen - processing delays, verification holds, small errors that trigger manual reviews, etc. And it sounds like the IRS is terrible at actually notifying us when these issues occur 😤 I'm definitely going to try some of the suggestions mentioned here: checking my tax software account thoroughly for any rejection notices, double-checking all my personal info, and probably giving that taxr.ai tool a shot since multiple people said it actually identified their specific issues quickly. Way better than trying to get through to the IRS phone lines! Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences and advice - it's really helpful to know what to look for and that these delays can eventually get resolved. Fingers crossed we all get this sorted out soon! 🤞