I completely feel your pain on this! Just went through the exact same situation in February and it was such a stressful process. Here's what I wish someone had told me from the start: DEFINITELY call the number on your letter before you schedule any appointment! Even though your letter says to schedule an appointment, you might still qualify for ID.me online verification. I wasted two weeks stressing about coordinating an in-person visit before I found out I could do it online. Call right at 7 AM when they open - that's your best shot at getting through. Have your SSN, the letter, and a copy of your return ready. Ask specifically: "Am I eligible for online identity verification through ID.me?" If you do qualify for online verification: - Both you and your husband will need to complete it separately since you filed jointly - You can do it on your own devices from home - Takes about 15-20 minutes each - SO much better than taking time off work! If you must go in person, unfortunately yes - both spouses are required for joint returns. The IRS is super strict about this and won't make exceptions. The good news is once you complete verification (online or in-person), your refund usually processes within 2-3 weeks. I know it's incredibly frustrating, but you're almost through the worst part! The online option saved my sanity - hopefully it's available for you too! 🤞

I went through this EXACT situation just last month and I totally understand your frustration! Here's what ended up working for me: First - before you resign yourself to that dreaded in-person appointment, definitely call the number on your letter and ask specifically about ID.me online verification eligibility. I made the mistake of assuming I had to go in person just because that's what the letter emphasized, but it turns out I qualified for online verification! The key is calling RIGHT when they open at 7 AM - I had to redial about 20 times but finally got through. Have your SSN, the verification letter, and your tax return handy when you call. If you do qualify for ID.me (fingers crossed!): - Both you and your husband will need to complete it since you filed jointly - You can do it separately on your own devices from home - Takes about 15-20 minutes each - Uses facial recognition and document scanning - pretty straightforward If online isn't an option, then unfortunately yes - both spouses absolutely must attend the in-person appointment for joint returns. The IRS is very strict about this requirement and won't make exceptions. For what it's worth, once you complete the verification (whether online or in-person), your refund typically processes within 2-3 weeks. I know this whole process is incredibly frustrating, but you're so close to being done with it! The ID.me option saved me hours of hassle - really hoping it's available for you too! 🤞

Has anyone used QuickBooks for their property management accounting? I'm trying to decide if it's worth the monthly cost or if I should just stick with Excel spreadsheets.

Great question! I've been managing properties for about 3 years now and can confirm what others have said - you only report your management fees ($750/month) as business income, not the full rent amounts that pass through to owners. One thing I'd add is to make sure you're consistent about when you recognize income. Since you mentioned cash basis, you'll report the management fees when you actually receive them, not when they're earned. Also, don't forget you can deduct business expenses related to your management activities - things like mileage for property visits, supplies for maintenance coordination, phone/internet costs for the business portion, etc. I'd highly recommend opening a separate business bank account for your LLC right away, even before you officially start managing properties. It makes everything so much cleaner when tax time comes around. Good luck with your new venture!

I've been dealing with this same error 428 issue for about a week now! It's so frustrating because I filed my return almost 3 weeks ago and just want to see if there's any progress. I've tried accessing the Where's My Refund tool at different times - early morning, late evening, even middle of the night - but I keep getting that same "We are sorry Where's My Refund is currently unavailable. Please try Where's My Refund again later. 428" message on sa.www4.irs.gov. What's really annoying is that the form is right there asking for SSN, tax year, filing status, and refund amount, but you can't even get past the error to enter anything. I've tried on my laptop, phone, and even my tablet thinking maybe it was a device issue, but nope - same error across everything. At least I know from reading these comments that it's not just me or something I'm doing wrong. This seems like a major system issue on the IRS side that's affecting tons of people during peak tax season. Really hoping they get their servers fixed soon because I'm starting to worry about whether my return was even processed properly! 😤

Hey everyone! New member here but unfortunately joining for the same frustrating reason as many of you - I've been battling error 428 on the IRS Where's My Refund tool for about 6 days now. Filed my return 3 weeks ago and this is my first attempt to check status, so naturally I'm getting worried! I've tried everything mentioned here - different devices, browsers, times of day (including that 3-5am window someone suggested), clearing cache, even tried my neighbor's wifi thinking it might be my internet connection. Same exact error message every single time on sa.www4.irs.gov: "We are sorry Where's My Refund is currently unavailable. Please try Where's My Refund again later. 428" What's really frustrating is seeing that form with all the required fields (SSN, tax year, filing status, refund amount) but not being able to get past the error to actually input anything. It's clearly a widespread server issue during peak tax season when we all need this service most. At least finding this community and seeing all your similar experiences confirms I'm not going crazy and didn't mess up my filing somehow! Hoping the IRS gets their act together soon because this is ridiculous timing for such a critical system to be down. Fingers crossed we all get through soon! 🤞

Idk if this matters but make sure you keep track of exactly when you move out of the old house. My friend got audited and the IRS was super picky about the exact dates he lived in each property. Had to provide utility bills, mail, etc to prove when he actually moved. Just something to be aware of in case you ever get questioned.

Another thing to consider - if you do decide to rent out your old house for a few months before selling, make sure you understand the tax implications of that rental period. You'll need to report any rental income, and you can deduct expenses like repairs, maintenance, and depreciation. But as mentioned earlier, any depreciation you claim will need to be "recaptured" when you sell, meaning you'll pay taxes on that portion even if the rest of your gain is excluded. For a short rental period of just a few months, the accounting might not be worth the hassle unless the rental income is substantial. Something to factor into your decision between selling immediately vs. renting temporarily.

Same thing happened to my sister last month. Liberty Tax set up a temporary account, but they never told her when the money came in! She had to physically go to the office and demand her refund. They had received it 2 weeks earlier and 'forgot' to call her. Make sure you stay on top of them!!!

This is totally normal! I work at a tax prep office and can confirm that when you don't have a bank account, we set up what's called a Refund Transfer through a third-party bank (usually MetaBank or Republic Bank). Here's exactly what happens: 1. Your refund gets deposited into their temporary account 2. They deduct the tax prep fees AND the refund transfer fee (usually $35-50) 3. Within 1-2 business days, you'll get either a prepaid debit card or paper check for the remaining amount The IRS showing "sent to bank" is correct - it's just going to Liberty's partner bank first, not directly to you. You should have signed a Form 8888 (Direct Deposit) that shows the temporary account info, not your personal account. Pro tip: Call your Liberty office and ask for the tracking number or reference number for your refund transfer. Most companies can tell you exactly when they received it and when your payment will be ready. Don't stress - this process happens millions of times each tax season!