Hey Jackie! I'm relatively new to this community but wanted to chime in since I just went through this exact situation a few months ago. The "Enclosed" notation on your transcript means the IRS is definitely mailing you something - in my case, it was a CP2000 notice questioning some of my 1099 income from my freelance work. I totally get your anxiety about this, especially given your 2021 audit experience! What I learned is that "Enclosed" doesn't automatically mean bad news - it could be anything from a simple math correction to requesting additional documentation for your Uber/delivery expenses. The notice took about 10 business days to arrive after I first saw it on my transcript. Since you mentioned tracking your mileage and expenses carefully, you're probably in good shape if they do ask for verification. My advice: check your mail religiously for the next two weeks, and when the notice arrives, read it thoroughly before panicking. Most of these issues can be resolved pretty quickly if you have your documentation ready. Fingers crossed it's something simple and your refund gets processed soon!

Hi Jackie! I'm new to this community but wanted to share what I learned when I had "Enclosed" show up on my transcript last year. As someone who also does gig work (I drive for Lyft part-time), I completely understand your concern, especially after going through an audit before. The "Enclosed" notation essentially means the IRS is sending you a physical letter or notice in the mail. In my case, it was a CP05 notice requesting additional verification of my identity before they could process my refund - pretty common for returns with self-employment income. The letter took about 7-10 business days to arrive after I first noticed it on my transcript. Since you mentioned being careful about tracking your mileage and expenses (which is smart!), you're likely in a good position if they're asking for documentation. The key thing is to respond quickly once you receive whatever they're sending. I was able to complete my identity verification online and my refund was released about 2 weeks later. Try not to stress too much - "Enclosed" doesn't mean your refund is denied, just that they need to send you information or request something from you. Keep checking your mail daily and you should have answers soon!

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to say thank you all for this incredibly informative discussion! I've been in the exact same situation - filed 2/27, accepted 3/9, and have been obsessing over my transcript showing "as of March 22" with no updates for weeks. I honestly thought I was doing something wrong or that my return was lost in the system. The explanations here about the 'as of' date being just an internal IRS account marker rather than any kind of processing deadline or refund timeline have been a huge relief. I had no idea that's what it actually meant! It's also reassuring to learn about the weekly vs daily cycles and that checking on Fridays is the way to go for most of us. I've been checking multiple times a day like many others mentioned - definitely going to stop that now! This community has been so helpful in understanding what's actually normal processing versus what feels like delays or problems. Thanks for sharing all your experiences and knowledge!

As another newcomer who's been lurking and learning from this amazing community, I wanted to share my experience and thank everyone for the incredibly helpful explanations! I filed 3/3, accepted 3/11, and like so many others here, I've been stressing about my transcript showing "as of March 22" with no movement for weeks. I was convinced something was wrong with my return or that I'd made an error somewhere. The detailed breakdowns about what the 'as of' date actually means have been eye-opening - I had no clue it was just an internal IRS account marker! I was treating it like some kind of countdown timer or deadline, checking obsessively multiple times per day thinking I'd miss some important update. Learning about weekly vs daily cycles and that Friday morning is when most updates happen has already changed my approach. No more daily panic-checking for me! What really strikes me is how many of us are in identical situations with the same timeline and concerns. It's both comforting to know this is normal processing and frustrating that the IRS systems are so opaque that we all end up here trying to decode what should be straightforward information. Thanks to everyone who's shared their knowledge and experiences - this community is invaluable for understanding the reality versus the anxiety of tax season!

Quick heads up about electronic filing with ITIN employees - some payroll software struggles with ITINs even though they're formatted just like SSNs. When I tried to e-file with my first ITIN employee, our payroll system kept rejecting the number because it started with a 9. Had to call tech support and they had to make a special adjustment to accept the ITIN format. Might want to test your system with a dummy run before actual payday!

Just wanted to add something that might help - when you're setting up payroll for ITIN employees, double-check that you're not automatically enrolling them in Social Security benefits withholding if they're not eligible. Some payroll systems default to withholding Social Security and Medicare taxes for all employees, but the rules can be different depending on the employee's immigration status and work authorization. Also, keep really good records of the I-9 documentation process. I learned the hard way that you need to be extra careful about document verification when hiring anyone, but especially when dealing with different tax ID numbers. The Department of Homeland Security can audit these records, and you want to make sure everything is properly documented. One last tip - if your employee's ITIN expires (which can happen), they'll need to renew it to continue filing taxes. This doesn't affect their ability to work if they have proper work authorization, but it's something to be aware of for your tax reporting.

Wait - I thought Head of Household was only for single parents with kids? Can you really claim HOH with a parent as your dependent?

Based on everything discussed here, it sounds like you have a strong case for claiming your mother as a dependent and filing Head of Household. Here are the key points that work in your favor: 1. **Dependency Test**: Your mom's Social Security likely doesn't count as taxable income since she has no other income sources, so she should pass the gross income test (<$4,700 for 2023). 2. **Support Test**: You're clearly providing more than half of their support with mortgage, utilities, groceries, and major repairs like that $3,800 roof. 3. **Marriage Issue**: Since neither your mom nor stepdad file tax returns, the usual restriction about married people filing jointly doesn't apply. 4. **Head of Household**: Since they live with you and you maintain the household, you qualify for HOH status. One thing to consider - could you potentially claim both your mother AND stepdad as dependents? If his Social Security is also non-taxable and you're supporting both of them, you might qualify for two dependency exemptions. That could increase your tax benefits significantly. I'd recommend documenting everything carefully - keep those receipts and create a detailed record of all support you provided throughout the year. This will be crucial if the IRS ever questions your filing status.

Has anyone had experience with what happens if you file with the incorrect W-2? My HR department is saying it could take 3-4 weeks to issue a corrected W-2, but I'm supposed to receive a large refund this year that I really need soon.

I just went through this exact situation last month! My employer made the same mistake - they put my Limited Purpose FSA contributions in Box 10 when they should have just been excluded from my taxable wages in Box 1. Here's what worked for me: I contacted both HR and our FSA administrator (in my case it was HealthEquity) at the same time. The FSA administrator actually reached out to HR on my behalf and helped expedite the correction since they deal with this type of reporting error frequently. While waiting for the corrected W-2, I also gathered all my benefit enrollment documents showing I specifically elected the Limited Purpose FSA, not the Dependent Care FSA. This documentation was super helpful when explaining the error to both HR and later to my tax preparer. One thing to note - make sure when you do get the corrected W-2 that they completely remove those contributions from Box 10. They shouldn't move them to another box, they should just disappear from the W-2 entirely since Limited Purpose FSA contributions are handled the same way as regular healthcare FSA contributions (just excluded from taxable wages). The whole process took about 10 days for me, which was much faster than the 3-4 weeks HR initially estimated. Good luck!