Has anyone used H&R Block's software instead of TurboTax for home office deductions? I'm having similar issues with TurboTax and wondering if switching to different software might be easier than troubleshooting all these glitches.

I've dealt with this exact same issue! It's definitely a TurboTax bug that seems to happen when the software gets confused about which business entity your home office deduction should be applied to. Here's what finally worked for me: Go to the "Federal Taxes" section, then "Deductions & Credits", and look for "Home Office Deduction" as a standalone item (not within your Schedule C). Sometimes TurboTax creates duplicate entries - one within your business section and one as a separate deduction, and they conflict with each other. Delete any standalone home office entries you find there, then go back to your Schedule C and re-enter the home office information. This forces TurboTax to properly link the deduction to your profitable business instead of treating it as a separate calculation. Also, make sure you're not accidentally answering "No" to the question about using part of your home regularly and exclusively for business. That one question can override everything else even if you have profit. The wording is tricky and I missed it the first time through.

I had almost exactly this situation with my husband last year! My return had some stock sales and his was just W-2 income. His refund came in 9 days, mine took 23 days. I called the IRS after 2 weeks of waiting and they told me returns with capital gains transactions go through a different processing pipeline. The agent said it's completely normal and nothing to worry about. By the time I got off the phone, my transcript had actually updated with a direct deposit date! Yours should update soon too.

I went through something very similar last year! Filed the same day as my roommate - her simple W-2 return was approved in 8 days while my return with some cryptocurrency trades took 26 days. The IRS processing centers have different workflows for different types of income, and investment transactions definitely get routed through additional verification steps. Your status code 570 just means they're doing their due diligence on the capital gains reporting - it's actually a good sign that the system is working as intended. I know the waiting is stressful when you see others getting their refunds faster, but 14 days is still well within normal processing time for investment income. Hang in there!

Did you check if you had any tax credits last year that you don't qualify for this year? Even small credits can make a big difference in your effective tax rate. Or maybe you had more deductible expenses last year? Things like student loan interest, medical expenses, or charitable contributions can vary year to year.

Another thing to consider is whether your employer changed how they handle pre-tax benefits. I had a similar situation where my health insurance premiums were being deducted differently between years - one year they were pre-tax (reducing my taxable income) and the next year they weren't set up properly in payroll so they came out post-tax. Also, did you have any side income in 2024 that you didn't have in 2023? Even small amounts from freelance work, gig economy jobs, or investment gains can push you into higher brackets faster than you'd expect. The tax software might be calculating your blended rate on all income sources combined. I'd recommend pulling out both years' tax returns (or tax software summaries) and comparing line by line - gross income, adjusted gross income, taxable income, and total tax. That should help you pinpoint exactly where the difference is coming from rather than just looking at the blended rate number.

does anyone know if there's a minimum amount of state refund interest that we need to report? like if its only $12 of interest do I really need to bother with it? seems like the IRS wouldn't care about such a small amount

I went through this exact same situation last year with my NY state refund! The $28 interest is definitely taxable federally and needs to be reported on Schedule B, line 1 of your 1040, even without a 1099-INT. What helped me was looking at my state refund statement - it should break down the original refund amount vs. the interest portion separately. NY doesn't issue 1099-INTs for interest under $10, but yours is over that threshold so you might want to contact them if you haven't received one yet. The good news is that $28 of interest income probably won't add much to your tax bill - maybe $3-7 depending on your tax bracket. But it's definitely worth reporting correctly to avoid any potential issues later. I just added it as "NY State Tax Refund Interest" on Schedule B and had no problems.

Has anyone tried just calling the SSA instead of the IRS? They have all the W-2 info too and sometimes their phone lines aren't as busy. Worked for me last year when I couldn't get my W-2 from a company that went out of business.

Don't panic - you're definitely not out of luck! Missing W-2s are more common than you think, especially from older jobs. Here's what I'd recommend doing in order of priority: 1. **Start with the IRS wage transcript** - This is your best bet. You can get it instantly online at irs.gov if you can verify your identity, or request it by mail with Form 4506-T. It'll show all the federal tax info that was reported on your W-2. 2. **Try contacting the restaurant** - Even with new ownership, they might have access to old payroll records or can direct you to whoever handled payroll back then. Sometimes the payroll company keeps records even after businesses change hands. 3. **Check your state tax agency** - They often have wage information too and sometimes their systems are easier to navigate than the IRS. 4. **Last resort: Form 4852** - If you absolutely can't get the actual numbers, you can file this substitute form with your best estimates based on your bank statements. Since you're dealing with a 2-year-old return, there's no rush penalty for filing late if you're owed a refund (which you likely are given your income level). But if you owe money, there could be penalties and interest, so it's good you're getting this sorted out now. The fact that you have your bank statements showing the net deposits is actually really helpful - it gives you a starting point for estimating your gross wages and withholding.