I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation! Got a 1099-NEC from what I thought was a scholarship program, and my tax software is telling me I owe money I definitely don't have. Reading through these responses is actually really helpful - I had no idea that you could potentially reclassify portions of this income based on how it was actually used. Quick question for those who have been through this - if I used some of the money for tuition and required textbooks, but also used some for groceries and rent, do I need to calculate the exact percentages? And is it okay to estimate if I don't have every single receipt saved? I'm honestly panicking about getting this wrong and making my situation worse. Also, does anyone know if there's a deadline for contacting the program that issued the 1099-NEC? I want to reach out to them for clarification like some of you suggested, but I'm worried it might be too late since tax season is already underway.

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this - it's incredibly frustrating when programs aren't transparent about tax implications upfront! From working with students in similar situations, here's what I'd recommend: First, don't panic. The 1099-NEC doesn't automatically mean you owe the full tax amount on that $1,620. You have options to properly classify how those funds were actually used. Start by gathering documentation of your qualified educational expenses from when you received and used those funds. This includes tuition payments, required textbooks, lab fees, and other mandatory course materials. Even if you don't have every receipt, your student account statements and course syllabi showing required materials can help establish what you needed to purchase. Next, I'd suggest reaching out to the FutureScholars program directly. Ask them to provide written clarification about the educational purpose of the funds and why they chose to issue a 1099-NEC instead of treating it as scholarship income. Sometimes these organizations aren't fully aware of the tax implications of their classification choices. When you file, you can report the portion that went to qualified educational expenses as non-taxable scholarship income, with the remainder as taxable. Include a clear explanation with your return documenting how the funds were used and why the educational portion shouldn't be taxable. This situation is more common than you think, and there are definitely ways to reduce that unexpected tax burden. Don't give up!

I've been using H&R Block for the past 3 years and can confirm they consistently take their fees from federal refunds. In my experience, they're pretty upfront about this during the filing process - whether you're doing it online or in-person, they'll show you exactly how the fee deduction works before you finalize everything. One tip I'd add: if you're worried about timing or which refund they'll hit, you can always opt to pay their fee upfront with a credit card or bank transfer instead of using their Refund Transfer service. That way you get your full federal AND state refunds without any deductions. The choice is usually presented clearly during checkout, so you can decide what works better for your budget planning. The Refund Transfer option is convenient if you don't want to pay out of pocket, but paying upfront gives you more predictable refund amounts if that's important for your financial planning.

I can share some additional insight from working in tax preparation. H&R Block's fee deduction follows a pretty consistent pattern, but there are a few nuances worth mentioning: **Standard Process:** - Fees come from federal refunds in about 95% of cases - This is built into their Refund Transfer system by design - Federal refunds are larger and process more predictably **When they might take from state instead:** - Federal refund is under IRS review/hold (common with EITC, CTC, or ACTC claims) - Federal refund amount is less than their service fee - State refund processes significantly faster than federal in rare cases **Pro tip:** When you're at the final step of filing (online or in-person), ask them to confirm in writing or show you on screen exactly which refund will have the fee deducted. Most offices and the online system will provide this information clearly, but you have to look for it or ask. If you need absolute certainty for budgeting purposes, paying the fee upfront eliminates all guesswork - you'll receive your full federal and state refunds without any deductions.

I'm also in California and had to file a prior year return last month. I sent mine to the Ogden, Utah address that others mentioned, and got my refund about 6 weeks later, so can confirm that's correct. One thing to note - prior year paper returns take FOREVER to process compared to current year e-filed returns. The IRS is still catching up on their backlog, so be prepared to wait 3-4 months minimum. If you're expecting a refund, don't count on seeing that money anytime soon!

@Keisha Johnson - I completely understand your frustration with the multiple addresses! This is such a common confusion point. Just to add some clarity to what others have shared: The correct address for your California prior year 1040 without payment is indeed: Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service Ogden, UT 84201-0008 The confusion with the three different addresses you found is totally understandable - the Fresno center closed in 2021, Portland handles different types of returns, and some outdated websites still show old information. A few additional tips from my own experience filing prior year returns: - Write "PRIOR YEAR RETURN - [TAX YEAR]" clearly at the top of your Form 1040 - Use certified mail with return receipt requested - Keep complete copies of everything you send - Be patient - processing can take 12-20 weeks for prior year paper returns Sorry to hear about your dad's surgery situation - that's exactly the kind of life event that makes tax deadlines so stressful. You're doing the right thing by filing now, even if it's late. The IRS is generally understanding about late filing when there's no balance due. Hope this helps put your mind at ease about the mailing address!

One important thing to watch for with multiple W2s - Social Security tax. Each employer withholds 6.2% of your wages for Social Security up to the annual wage limit ($147,000 for 2022). If your combined income from both jobs exceeded that limit, you may have overpaid Social Security tax that you can get back when filing.

Just wantd to mention, when I had 2 w2s I just added the box 1 income from both, added the fed witholding together, and the state witholding together. Enter those on your 1040 and ur good to go! No need to complicate it imo.

Welcome to the frustrating world of tax filing discrepancies! I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation right now. Filed through TaxSlayer on February 18th, received my federal refund via direct deposit within two weeks, but Missouri just sent me a paper check last Friday despite clearly selecting electronic deposit during filing. My IRS transcript has also been showing "no record of return filed" for over a month now, which had me seriously worried I'd somehow messed up the entire process. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly enlightening and reassuring! It sounds like Missouri's "enhanced verification" system is much more aggressive than most people realize. The fact that even using a different device or browser can trigger their paper check protocol explains so much. I actually did file from my work laptop this year instead of my home computer like last year - never would have thought that could be a factor. For anyone else going through this: based on what I'm reading here, it seems like the key things to remember are: 1) the paper check from Missouri is likely just their security protocol, not an error, 2) IRS transcript delays of 4-6 weeks are unfortunately normal right now, and 3) you can verify your filing was accepted through your tax software's website even before the transcript updates. Has anyone had luck reaching Missouri DOR recently to get more specific information about what triggers their verification flags? I'm curious if there's anything we can do proactively for next year's filing season.

I'm a newcomer to this community and currently experiencing the exact same frustrating situation! Filed with TaxAct on February 22nd, got my federal refund via direct deposit two weeks ago, but just received a Missouri paper check yesterday despite definitely selecting electronic deposit. My IRS transcript has been showing "no record" for over 5 weeks now, which was making me panic that something went wrong with my filing. Reading through all these responses has been such a huge relief - I had no idea this was such a common issue this tax season! The explanations about Missouri's "enhanced verification" system and the various triggers (different devices, browsers, IP addresses, filing times) are incredibly helpful. I actually did file from my phone this year using the TaxAct mobile app instead of my laptop like previous years, which based on what everyone's sharing here probably triggered their fraud prevention protocol. A few questions for the group: Has anyone who received a Missouri paper check this year tried calling them to ask about getting flagged for direct deposit next year? And for those whose IRS transcripts eventually updated after 6+ weeks, did you get any kind of notification when it happened, or did you just have to keep checking manually? Thank you all for sharing your experiences - this community has been invaluable for understanding that this isn't an error on my part but rather an overly cautious system response!