Great question! I've been through this exact situation with my son's college expenses. From my experience, most 401k administrators do require the tuition documentation upfront but don't typically follow up to verify exactly how you used the funds afterward. However, you're still legally obligated to use it for the stated hardship purpose. The key thing is keeping good records - save your tuition bill, withdrawal paperwork, and any payment confirmations. While IRS audits are relatively rare, if you're selected, you'll need to prove the hardship was legitimate and the withdrawal amount was reasonable for your situation. One important point: hardship withdrawals can only be for the amount of your immediate financial need, so if you're requesting $16,000 for a $14,500 tuition bill, make sure you can justify those additional fees/expenses with documentation. Also worth considering - have you looked into a 401k loan instead? You'd pay yourself back with interest rather than facing taxes and the 10% early withdrawal penalty. The loan option is much more flexible in terms of how you can use the funds and might be better for your situation.

Great question about what qualifies as "immediate financial need"! For education hardship withdrawals, you can typically include tuition, fees, room and board, and other qualified education expenses - not just direct tuition. The key is having documentation for whatever you're claiming as the expense. For 401k loans, most plans don't have high minimum amounts - I've seen minimums as low as $1,000, though $500-$1,000 is pretty typical. You generally can't take multiple small loans throughout a semester though - most plans limit you to one outstanding loan at a time. So you'd want to calculate your total needs for the semester/year and borrow that amount upfront. The loan approach really does offer much more flexibility. You can use those funds however you need as your daughter's financial situation evolves, and you're paying the interest back to yourself rather than losing that money to taxes and penalties. Just make sure you understand your plan's specific loan terms - repayment period, interest rate, and what happens if you change jobs.

Thanks to everyone who's shared their experiences here! After reading through all these detailed comparisons, I'm convinced that TurboTax Desktop is the way to go for 2025. The cost savings alone make it worthwhile, but the privacy benefits and ability to work offline are huge bonuses. I appreciate the practical tips about backing up files, shopping around for better prices at retailers like Costco, and the reassurance that customer support and e-filing capabilities are the same. The point about being able to work on taxes across multiple sessions without worrying about timeouts or connection issues really resonates with me since I always end up doing my taxes in chunks over several weekends. For anyone else still on the fence, it sounds like the main trade-offs are giving up the convenience of accessing your taxes from anywhere (which honestly isn't that important since most people do taxes at home anyway) in exchange for significant cost savings, better privacy, and more control over your data. Based on everything shared here, that seems like an easy choice for most tax situations. Going to start shopping around for the best deal on TurboTax Desktop Deluxe and make the switch this year. Thanks again for all the helpful insights!

I've been using TurboTax Desktop on Mac for the past two years and can confirm it works just as well as the PC version! The interface is identical and I haven't encountered any compatibility issues or missing features. Installation was straightforward and it integrates well with macOS - you can even use the built-in document scanner if you have a newer MacBook to import tax documents. One Mac-specific advantage I've noticed is that the software feels more responsive on my MacBook compared to when I tried it on an older Windows laptop. The file management is also cleaner since macOS handles application data organization well. The multi-computer license definitely works across different operating systems too - I have it installed on both my MacBook and my partner's Windows desktop, and we can share tax files between them without any conversion issues. The .tax files open seamlessly on both platforms. For anyone concerned about Mac compatibility, don't let that hold you back from making the switch to desktop. The experience is essentially identical regardless of your operating system, and you'll still get all the same cost savings and privacy benefits that everyone else has mentioned in this thread!

Wow, this thread has been absolutely eye-opening! As someone who's always been paranoid about IRS scams but never really knew what to look for, reading through everyone's analysis has been incredibly educational. What really strikes me is how the scammers are getting sophisticated enough to use legitimate elements like real IRS addresses and correct notice codes, but they're still making procedural mistakes that trained eyes can catch. The fact that multiple people here independently identified the CP05A + identity verification combination as a red flag shows the power of community knowledge. @Hailey's real-world experience with an almost identical fake notice really sealed it for me - this is clearly a known scam pattern that's targeting people right now. The tip about CP05A notices being purely informational and never requiring immediate action is exactly the kind of detail that could save someone from falling for these sophisticated fakes. I'm definitely bookmarking this thread as a reference guide. The step-by-step verification methods everyone has shared (checking online IRS accounts, calling official numbers, examining procedural details) create such a comprehensive approach to authentication. @Paolo, you should feel really good about trusting your instincts and seeking verification - this discussion could end up protecting countless people from similar scams!

As a tax professional who's dealt with thousands of IRS notices over the years, I have to echo what everyone else has identified here - your CP05A notice requesting identity verification is almost certainly a scam. Legitimate CP05A notices are passive communications that essentially say "we're reviewing your return, expect to hear from us in 30-60 days if we need anything." They never include verification requests or ask you to take immediate action. The sophistication of this scam is really concerning. Using the legitimate Kansas City address with a real notice code shows these fraudsters are doing their homework. What gives them away is mixing procedural elements that don't belong together - it's like getting a parking ticket that asks you to verify your driver's license online. The procedures just don't match. When you call the IRS tomorrow (definitely use 800-829-1040, not any number from the letter), ask them to confirm what notices are actually on your account and whether any require action from you. Also ask them to put a fraud alert note on your file since you received a suspicious correspondence. This has been an excellent example of community knowledge helping someone avoid a sophisticated scam!

I'm dealing with this exact situation right now - dissolved my S-corp about 9 months ago and just discovered I never filed Form 966! Reading through all these experiences has been such a huge relief. What really stands out is how consistent everyone's outcomes have been - whether 6 months late or over a year late, people who properly handled their final 1120-S and asset distributions had zero penalties. It's clear the IRS treats this as a paperwork formality rather than actual tax non-compliance when you've done everything else right. I filed my final 1120-S on time and distributed all assets properly, so based on everyone's shared experiences, I should be fine. I'm planning to file the Form 966 next week with a simple explanation letter acknowledging the oversight and confirming all final obligations were met, plus I'll double-check that asset values match exactly between the forms. This thread has been incredibly valuable - it's so much better getting real experiences from people who actually went through this rather than just generic warnings. Thanks to everyone for sharing and proving that sometimes we stress about these things way more than necessary!

I'm in almost exactly the same situation! Dissolved my S-corp about 6 months ago, filed the final 1120-S properly, but completely forgot about Form 966 until I was cleaning out my business files last week. This thread has been incredibly reassuring to read through - it's amazing how many of us made the same oversight! The consistent pattern from everyone's experiences is really clear: as long as you've handled the substantive tax requirements properly (final 1120-S, asset distributions, taxes paid), the IRS seems to treat late Form 966 as a minor paperwork oversight rather than a serious compliance violation. What gives me the most confidence is seeing multiple people who were 6+ months late with zero penalties. It really shows that the IRS focuses on actual tax compliance rather than late informational returns from small businesses that clearly made good faith efforts. I'm definitely going to follow the proven approach that worked for everyone else - file the Form 966 this week with a brief explanation letter acknowledging the oversight was inadvertent and confirming all final tax obligations were properly met. I'll also double-check that my asset values match exactly between the 966 and final 1120-S like others recommended. Thanks to everyone who shared their real-world experiences instead of just theoretical warnings - this community has been a lifesaver for reducing my stress about what turned out to be a much more common and manageable situation than I initially thought!

I've been with Wells Fargo for about 3 years now and can confirm they're pretty strict about waiting until the exact date. Unlike some of the smaller banks and credit unions that release early, Wells Fargo processes these right on schedule. Your June 12th date should be solid - I'd expect it to hit your account sometime during business hours that day. The one thing I've noticed is that if June 12th falls on a weekend, they usually process it on the Friday before, but since you're looking at a weekday you should be good. Just don't refresh your app at midnight expecting it to be there immediately - these usually post during normal banking hours.

Based on my experience with Wells Fargo, they're pretty conservative with deposit timing - they'll release your refund exactly on June 12th as shown on your transcript, not earlier. I switched to Wells Fargo two years ago from a local credit union that always gave me deposits 1-2 days early, so I totally understand the adjustment! The good news is that Wells Fargo is very reliable - if your transcript says June 12th, you can count on getting it that day (usually sometime during business hours). Just manage your expectations and don't expect the early release you were used to with your credit union. For future refunds, you might want to consider keeping a secondary account with an online bank like Chime or SoFi if early access to funds is important to you - many people do this specifically for the early deposit feature while keeping their primary banking with traditional banks.