All Posts

Once your return is filed, TurboTax has no control over the processing or the timing when the IRS releases your refund.    The IRS states that most federal tax refunds are issued within 21 days of acceptance, however, some may take longer if they require additional review. Also, by law, the IRS cannot issue EITC or ACTC refunds before mid-February. This applies to your entire refund, not just the portion related to those specific credits.   Your refund could be offset. The IRS and State Governments have the ability to offset a refund to pay for certain past due debts.  You generally will receive a letter stating what the offset was for.    The IRS provides a toll-free number, (800) 304-3107, to call for information about tax offsets.   Here are a few FAQs to help you track your refund: When will I get my federal tax refund? How do I track my state refund? Why does Where's My Refund say "approved" but TurboTax still says "accepted"? Why do some refunds take longer than others? What if my IRS refund is taking longer than 21 days?

Did you buy the Desktop program or buy a code to use for the Online version.  If you bought the Desktop porgram did you install it and activate it with the 16 digit License Code?  How much is it charging you?  In the Desktop program there is a $25 fee to efile a state return or you can print and mail state for free.   Or you accidentally got into the Online version instead of the Desktop program you bought.  That is common.    We can tell you how to switch to your program and file without paying for Online.  

Once your return is filed, TurboTax has no control over the processing or the timing when the IRS releases your refund.    The IRS states that most federal tax refunds are issued within 21 days of acceptance, however, some may take longer if they require additional review. Also, by law, the IRS cannot issue EITC or ACTC refunds before mid-February. This applies to your entire refund, not just the portion related to those specific credits.   Here are a few FAQs to help you track your refund: When will I get my federal tax refund? How do I track my state refund? Why does Where's My Refund say "approved" but TurboTax still says "accepted"? Why do some refunds take longer than others? What if my IRS refund is taking longer than 21 days?

You should track your refund, Federal and state, directly from the IRS Website:  where is my refund.  How do I track my state's refund?   These websites have the most accurate and up to date information.     

Yes, this is perfectly acceptable and necessary in your case. TurboTax’s automated interview process relies on an amount in Box 6 (Foreign Tax Paid). If you enter “0,” the software generally ignores that 1099-INT for Form 1116. By manually overriding this in the worksheet, you make sure the income is still treated as Foreign Source Income, which is important for calculating your Foreign Tax Credit accurately.

This error will occur when the two-letter abbreviation doesn't match with the 5-digit ZIP code.   Double-check that the two-letter state code is what is on the original form. Re-enter the (5) digit zip code. If you're updating a form, go back to the input screen to make a change. Use the USPS official Zip Code Listing  to confirm the city/state/zip combination is recognized. Check to be sure there are no extra letters or numbers in the city or street fields.

Are you sure it was your Federal refund and not your State refund? In some states your fees can be taken out of your state refund.   Your refund could be offset. The IRS and State Governments have the ability to offset a refund to pay for certain past due debts.  You generally will receive a letter stating what the offset was for.    The IRS provides a toll-free number, (800) 304-3107, to call for information about tax offsets.

To find your acquired date, log into your ESPP stock plan portal and look for your purchase history, or transaction confirmation statement.   You will need this in order to determine if your sales are long-term (held for more than one year), or short-term (held for less than one year).   If Box 1b is blank, you will need to find your actual "cost basis" so that you are not paying tax on money that you already paid tax on via your paycheck.   To find your cost basis, you will need a copy of your W-2. Look for an amount in Box 14 to find your "total discount" for the year. Note: If you don't find it there, check your final paystub or Form 3922.   Then, to calculate your cost basis, add the total price you paid for the shares to the total discounted amount, then divide that total cost by the number of shares sold.   The most efficient way to input this information is to sort it by summarizing the sales section totals from your Form 1099-B, instead of entering each trade.   You only need to make one entry for each category that has totals. For example, if you only have Long-Term and Short-Term "Covered," you only make 2 entries.   Click on Income Select Add more income Scroll down to Investments and Savings and click down arrow Select Stock, Crypto...(1099-B...) Select Add investments, Add a different way Select Stock, Bonds, Mutual Funds (1099-B) Enter brokerage information, then Continue In the "Tell us about the sales..." section, answer those questions, then Continue In the "Now choose how to enter your sales", select Sales section totals, Continue Crucial: To adjust the basis, click on the box below the sales section, I need to adjust my total cost basis   If you choose to summarize, you may need to mail in a copy of Form 8453 to the IRS after you e-file so that they have documentation of your summary.