I'm dealing with the same frustrating wait! Filed my CA return in mid-January and still nothing. What's been driving me crazy is that my federal refund came through in like 10 days, but the state is taking forever. I called that automated line someone mentioned (1-800-338-0505) and my return just shows "received" - no processing date or anything. At this point I'm just trying to remind myself that no news is probably good news, and it sounds like 4-6 weeks is pretty normal this year based on what others have shared. Still doesn't make the waiting any easier though! 😤 Thanks for starting this thread - it's nice to know we're all suffering together lol

I'm in the exact same situation! Filed my CA state return in late January and it's been radio silence ever since. The waiting is absolutely killing me because I really need that refund for some unexpected expenses that came up. What's really frustrating is that I got my federal refund in less than two weeks, but here we are still waiting on the state. I've been checking the FTB website obsessively (probably not good for my mental health lol) and it just keeps saying "received" with no updates. Thanks for posting this - it's actually really comforting to see I'm not the only one going through this torture! 😅 Hopefully we'll all get some good news soon. The automated phone line tip someone shared is gold - definitely going to use that instead of trying to get through to a human agent!

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now with my own grandchildren after my son passed away last year. One thing I learned that might help - make sure to ask Vanguard specifically about their "stretch IRA" provisions for minor beneficiaries. Some custodians are still applying the old 10-year rule incorrectly to these situations, even when the minor should qualify for life expectancy distributions. Also, I'd strongly recommend getting a tax professional who specializes in estate and trust taxation, at least for the first year. The intersection of inherited IRAs, minor beneficiaries, and guardianship creates some complex filing requirements that are easy to mess up. My CPA caught several issues that could have resulted in penalties, including the proper way to report the income on the children's returns versus treating it as estate income. The peace of mind of knowing it's done right the first time is worth the cost, especially when you're already dealing with the emotional weight of losing family members. Once you understand the process, you can potentially handle future years yourself with the framework they set up.

This thread has been incredibly helpful - thank you all for sharing your experiences! I'm in a similar situation as a financial advisor, and I've seen too many families get tripped up by the inherited IRA rules for minors. One additional point that might be relevant: if your father had already started taking his required minimum distributions before he passed away (which would be the case if he was over 73), that can affect the calculation method for the children's RMDs. The IRS uses different life expectancy tables depending on whether the original account holder had begun distributions. Also, since you mentioned this was originally your sister's portion that went to your father, make sure Vanguard understands the full chain of inheritance. Sometimes when there are multiple transfers like this, custodians can get confused about which rules apply. You might want to create a simple timeline document showing: Sister (original beneficiary) → Father (inherited when sister died) → Grandchildren (inherited when father died). This helps ensure they apply the correct "successor beneficiary" rules. The good news is that even with all these complexities, you're asking the right questions early. Many people don't realize there are different rules for minors until it's too late to optimize the tax strategy.

I'm going through this right now too and this thread has been so reassuring! I got the Code 810 freeze about a week ago and have been checking my transcript obsessively every day. It's good to know that the waiting period seems pretty consistent across everyone's experiences - around 6-10 weeks total. One thing I wanted to add that I learned from calling the Taxpayer Advocate Service: if your refund is over $5,000 or if you're experiencing financial hardship because of the delay, they might be able to expedite the process. The number is 1-877-777-4778. They can't remove the freeze directly, but they can sometimes put pressure on the right departments to move things along faster. Also, for anyone else dealing with this - I found it helpful to sign up for informed delivery with USPS so I get notifications when mail is coming. That way I'm not anxiously checking my mailbox every day waiting for the IRS letter! Thanks to everyone who shared their timelines and experiences. It really helps to know we're not alone in this! 🙏

I'm currently dealing with a Code 810 freeze myself (going on week 3 now) and this thread has been absolutely invaluable! Reading everyone's experiences has really helped calm my nerves. A couple of additional resources I've found helpful: - The IRS has a specific page about identity verification (search "verify your identity" on their site) that explains the whole process step by step - If you're really anxious like I was, you can also check if there are any IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers near you where you can go in person once you get your letter - sometimes face-to-face is faster than phone calls One question for those who've been through this: did any of you notice other codes appearing on your transcript while the 810 was active? I see a few other transaction codes and I'm not sure if that's normal or something to be concerned about. Thanks again to everyone sharing their timelines and tips - it's made this whole stressful situation so much more manageable knowing what to expect! 🙏

This has been such a valuable discussion! As someone who just opened an HSA this year, I'm learning so much from everyone's experiences. I've been keeping paper receipts in a shoebox (literally) and realizing how unsustainable that approach is. The "HSA as retirement account" strategy is completely new to me but makes total sense - essentially building up a tax-free withdrawal option for decades from now. I'm definitely going to start implementing the scanning approach immediately. One thing I'm curious about: for those tracking medical mileage, how do you handle situations where you combine a medical appointment with other errands? Like if I stop at the pharmacy after a doctor visit, or run to the grocery store on the way home? Do you only count the direct round-trip miles to the medical appointment, or can you include the additional medical-related stops like the pharmacy? Also, I noticed someone mentioned OTC medicines being HSA-eligible in certain cases - could someone clarify when over-the-counter items qualify? I thought most OTC stuff wasn't eligible without a prescription, but I might be wrong. Thanks again to everyone for sharing their systems and experiences. This thread is going straight into my bookmarks for reference!

This thread has been incredibly helpful for someone just starting to get serious about HSA management! I've been keeping receipts in a manila folder system, but after reading about the fading thermal paper issue and everyone's digital organization strategies, I'm convinced it's time to go fully digital. One question I haven't seen addressed yet: what about receipts for things like contact lenses or reading glasses purchased online? I buy my contacts in bulk from an online retailer to save money, and their receipts are pretty basic - just show the product name, price, and date. Is this sufficient documentation, or should I be keeping additional records like my prescription or doctor's recommendation for contacts? Also, for those using the retirement strategy, do you keep a running total somewhere of your accumulated reimbursable expenses? I'm thinking it would be motivating to see that number grow over time, plus helpful for retirement planning to know exactly how much "tax-free money" I have available. Thanks to everyone who's shared their systems - I'm definitely implementing the scan-immediately approach and setting up a proper cloud storage system this weekend!

Something to consider - you don't HAVE to cash them all out at once! You could spread the redemption over multiple tax years to potentially reduce the tax impact. Maybe cash half this year and half next year?

Just wanted to add another perspective based on my experience with my son's bonds last year. The key thing that helped me was getting copies of all the original paperwork from when the bonds were first purchased or exchanged. If your parents originally bought Series E or EE bonds and then exchanged them for the HH bonds, there should be documentation showing the deferred interest amount from the original bonds. This is crucial because that deferred interest becomes taxable when you redeem the HH bonds, even though you never received it as cash. I found old records in my parents' files that showed exactly how much deferred interest was involved. Without those records, I would have had no idea there was additional taxable income beyond just the regular HH bond interest payments we'd been receiving. Treasury Direct might have some of this information on file if you can't locate the original paperwork, but having the physical documentation made the whole process much clearer when filing taxes.