waited 3 weeks and nothing showed up... had to call irs turns out my address was wrong by one number smh

Also in TN here! Got mine last year and it took exactly 5 days from mail date. The IRS actually uses priority mail for refund checks so they're pretty reliable. Just keep checking your informed delivery - you'll see it coming the morning it arrives. Good luck! 🤞

Another thing to consider - if you're getting a refund from the amendment, the IRS pays interest on that money (and the interest is taxable next year, fun). But if amending means you OWE money, you'll probably have to pay interest and possibly penalties too. The current interest rate the IRS charges is like 7-8% I think? So that's another factor in deciding if it's "worth it" - the longer you wait, the more interest accumulates either way.

The $4600 in mortgage interest could definitely be worth amending, but it really depends on whether you itemized or took the standard deduction. If you took the standard deduction and this wouldn't push your total itemized deductions above that threshold, then amending won't help. However, if you were already itemizing or this would tip you over into itemizing territory, you're looking at potential tax savings in the hundreds to over $1000 range depending on your tax bracket. One thing to keep in mind - you have 3 years from the original filing date to amend, so there's no immediate rush. But the sooner you do it, the sooner you'll get any refund (plus the IRS pays interest on amended return refunds). The processing time is definitely slow right now - expect 4-6 months minimum. I'd suggest pulling out your original return and checking Schedule A to see if you itemized. If you did, or if adding this $4600 to your other potential deductions (state taxes, charitable donations, etc.) would exceed your standard deduction amount, then it's probably worth the hassle and fee to amend.

One thing to consider - if you're in a high-tax state, the state tax savings could be substantial too! Everyone always focuses on federal, but don't forget to factor in state tax savings when deciding if a dedicated home office is worth it. In my case (California), the state tax savings added another 30% on top of the federal savings from my home office deduction.

Just wanted to add something that might be helpful - make sure you understand the record-keeping requirements if you do set up that dedicated space. The IRS expects you to maintain detailed records showing the exclusive business use. I keep a simple log of my business activities in the space, take dated photos of the setup, and maintain receipts for any office-related purchases. It might seem like overkill, but if you're ever audited, having thorough documentation makes the process much smoother. Also, consider the timing - if you're setting up the space mid-year, you can only deduct expenses for the portion of the year it was actually used for business. So if you convert the space in July, you'd only get 6 months of deductions for 2025. With your numbers ($920 federal + $190 state), even a partial year could be worthwhile, and you'd get the full benefit starting in 2026.

Question for anybody who's filed Form 8828 before... Does turbtax handle this form correctly? I tried putting in my info and it's calculating a really high recapture amount that doesn't seem right based on what I've read.

Based on your situation, you're absolutely in the clear! Since you owned your home for 11+ years after getting your MCC in 2013, you're well past the 9-year recapture period. The recapture tax under Form 8828 only applies to homes sold within 9 years of receiving the mortgage credit certificate. You don't need to file Form 8828 at all, and you don't need to worry about any recapture tax liability. The 9-year timeline you mentioned is exactly right - it's designed to protect homeowners who stay in their homes long-term, which is exactly what you did. Just to put your mind at ease: even if you hypothetically needed to file the form (which you don't), married couples filing jointly would only need to submit one Form 8828, not separate forms for each spouse. But again, since you're past the 9-year mark, this is all academic for your situation. Congratulations on being a long-term homeowner - the MCC program worked exactly as intended in your case!

Another tip - make sure your lender knows about the gift upfront! My wife and I didn't tell our lender about our gift until late in the process and it caused a lot of unnecessary stress and delays. Different loan programs have different requirements for gift funds. Some conventional loans require that a certain percentage of the down payment comes from your own funds if you're putting down less than 20%. FHA loans are more flexible with gifts. Also, double-check that your parents document the gift correctly. Our lender required a gift letter signed by both my in-laws explicitly stating the amount, that it was a gift with no expectation of repayment, their relationship to us, and their contact information.

One more thing to consider - if your parents are married and filing jointly, they can actually combine their annual gift exclusions. So for 2025, they could give up to $36,000 to you and $36,000 to your partner (total of $72,000) without any gift tax reporting requirements at all! This is called "gift splitting" and it's automatic for married couples filing jointly. Since your gift is $62k total, if they structure it as $31k to each of you, it would fall completely within their combined annual exclusions and they wouldn't need to file Form 709 at all. Just make sure the gift letter clearly states the gift is from both parents to both recipients, and have your lender review the documentation before the wire transfer. This could save your parents the hassle of filing any gift tax forms while still getting you the full amount you need for your down payment!