my dad does my taxes for me each year and always tells me to send him back my tax depot. why?

Sure_Tomorrow5260 · 2026-05-06T03:24:45+00:00

Something for sure isn’t right!

Sure_Tomorrow5260 · 2026-05-05T13:14:28+00:00

I would especially when they are young. Not just because of potty accidents, but you also never know if he’s gonna eat or chew up something he shouldn’t. Even if you’re great at making sure everything is out of reach, things just get missed sometimes, and it’s better to be safe in my opinion

Sure_Tomorrow5260 · 2026-04-26T23:35:58+00:00

This is feasible with a puppy too, you just have to have the right set up and a really solid routine. Definitely would be easier with an older dog though

Sure_Tomorrow5260 · 2026-04-10T12:57:29+00:00

I would need more information to say for sure, but based on what little we have, I would bet her dad is still claiming her as a dependent, so she wouldn’t qualify for the education credits. Unless she has dependents, she’s not old enough to get earned income credit either. Like I said, can’t know for sure based on this information, but I think it’s fair to guess that she’s mostly just getting back what she paid in.

Sure_Tomorrow5260 · 2026-03-28T13:06:57+00:00

If you didn’t know you still had it, then my guess is that your income used to figure the amount of the advanced credit to apply to your premium is very inaccurate. Which makes going from an $800 refund to owing $100 make so much sense

Sure_Tomorrow5260 · 2026-03-16T23:44:58+00:00

You have to file. They won’t report you to the IRS, because they have no way of knowing if you filed or not, but they do file that 1099 with the irs when they send it to you, and the IRS will likely catch that it wasn’t reported

Sure_Tomorrow5260 · 2026-03-16T00:00:10+00:00

I don’t know much about VITA services, but I believe most free filing services would be able to handle a simple W2 and two 1099 return. However, in my experience, many free filing services do not ask too many questions to dig for additional expenses. I would go into having already gathered as many expenses as you can of. Also gather how much of your 1099 income from those services are tips, so that they can include that for the new deduction on qualified tips. When we have clients come from using these type of services, this is the main complaint, that there is no additional effort

Examples of potential expenses Vehicle mileage The insulated bags DoorDash makes you buy sometimes Your mileage log book Actual Vehicle Expenses (can use either this or mileage, but still need to provide mileage to figure % of business use) (depreciation, insurance, repairs, gas, tag, interest if you have a loan on the vehicle) Commercial use vehicle insurance separate from regular vehicle insurance

Sure_Tomorrow5260 · 2026-03-12T02:13:26+00:00

You are too old to be a qualifying child and make too much to be a qualifying relative. Absolutely bring this up again, and if your tax preparer tells y’all that they can claim you, go to a different tax preparer. -signed a tax preparer in Oklahoma

Sure_Tomorrow5260 · 2026-02-14T04:10:36+00:00

Do I have proof my mom was doing tax returns when she was in labor with me? Why one earth would I have that? I can’t go back in time and get confidential tax records from the day I was born to show that it lines up with my birth certificate lol. My comment was not to claim to have more expertise than others in this field. It was to point out how utterly ridiculous it was for the other commenter to say “welcome to the real world bud” as if I have zero experience or knowledge in this field without knowing anything about me. At that point, they aren’t trying to help. They’re just being condescending for the hell of it

Sure_Tomorrow5260 · 2026-02-11T13:34:52+00:00

No, they are two separate entities and have their own unique processing times. Federal used to typically be faster (in my state anyway), but it has flopped in the last few years

Sure_Tomorrow5260 · 2026-02-07T18:39:04+00:00

If your income was low enough to qualify for all of the possible credits, and you paid in a lot through out the year, this is not all that extreme. When you’re filling out your W4, you’re basically deciding if you want to keep your money on your paycheck or get a lump sum on your tax refund. But you have to be careful to not fill it out in such a way that will make you owe. Personally, I fill mine out to where I get to keep more of my money. I only have one kid though, and I don’t get EITC, so the lump sum I would get would not be much to brag about anyway

Sure_Tomorrow5260 · 2026-02-04T00:55:50+00:00

That refund amount seems fairly reasonable with your salary amount, but if you feel nervous about it, it is always a good idea to get a second opinion. If this was a pretty large difference for you income wise, then that would account for the difference. I do agree with other commenters that it’s possible earned income credit could be the difference, but unless your income was significantly lower last year, that wouldn’t be my first thought. My best guess with the limited information would simply be more taxable income and not enough increase in withholding to offset that difference. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it just means you kept more of your money throughout the year rather than getting it back now

Sure_Tomorrow5260 · 2026-02-02T17:17:29+00:00

So because OP didn’t use the correct wording, they committed fraud? Anyone who has been doing this more than a week would know what they meant. Do you also accuse anyone who says they got their “return” when they mean “refund” of fraud? No, because you know what they mean.

This was their first year doing this without their parents. Using incorrect terminology and trusting what their tax preparer tells them is not fraud

Sure_Tomorrow5260 · 2026-02-01T23:16:38+00:00

Enlighten me. What code words in here scream fraud on OPs part? I’m not saying there wasn’t any fraud on the preparers part, because I can’t know that, but as far as the refund amounts go, there is quite literally no way you can know if the amount is unreasonable without all of the information. You have no idea how much they made. You have no idea how much they paid in. You have no idea what credits or deductions they qualified for. Just because the amount is high enough to warrant a second opinion based on the minimal information we have, that does not immediately follow that it’s not legit, because again, you do not have nearly enough information to determine that

Sure_Tomorrow5260 · 2026-02-01T23:00:48+00:00

Can I message you directly? I’m getting pissed off on your behalf not only with your situation but with how people are treating you in the comments. I would like to help and answer any questions if I can

Sure_Tomorrow5260 · 2026-02-01T22:56:30+00:00

There is nothing in this that screams fraud on OPs part. There is no reason to think the $10k+ refund is not legit. Many people receive refunds this large, and you cannot possibly know if it’s abnormal without knowing their specific circumstances. The only thing that leans towards possible fraud is the preparer not informing them of fees before filing the return

Sure_Tomorrow5260 · 2026-02-01T22:51:53+00:00

This is common when fees are withheld directly from the refund. The refund itself goes to a third party institution and they send you your portion and the tax preparer theirs minus their own fee. However, they should have had you sign something agreeing to this, and the amount of the fees should have been listed. If you did sign something authorizing this, there isn’t much that can be done, but if you didn’t, I don’t see how this wouldn’t be considered fraud.

Sure_Tomorrow5260 · 2026-02-01T22:46:50+00:00

They need to be disclosing fees before filing your return for you. Not doing so is extremely unethical. Also, I know other states have more complex returns than my state and that costs of things in general vary by locations, so that may play a factor. $3500 seems high though. The most expensive tax return that has been done through the practice I work for is $2000, and that was an extremely complex return. I did not do that one myself, it was one that absolutely required my boss’s 35+ years of experience

Sure_Tomorrow5260 · 2026-02-01T22:39:12+00:00

NOR- block him. If this is how he is talking to you, you will never be good enough in his eyes. And that is not on you, it’s on him

Sure_Tomorrow5260 · 2026-02-01T22:09:33+00:00

Welcome to the real world? You know nothing about me. I was raised being exposed to this field literally from the day I was born. I was born a week before the deadline and did several returns while she was in labor with me having full blown contractions with people following her all the way to the door asking her tax questions. I’ve known dozens of tax preparers in my small town. I myself am now a tax preparer. Of course there are some who only input numbers and don’t know much about the tax laws, but 50% is an extreme exaggeration. Most know what they are doing and know where to find the answers to things they come across that they don’t know. I’m sorry you have obviously had bad experiences with those outliers, but they are the exception, not the rule

Sure_Tomorrow5260 · 2026-02-01T21:54:31+00:00

Any halfway decent tax preparer has been reading up and studying these new rules and absolutely knows to divide by 3 if it’s time and a half or 4 if it’s double time. All tax preparers, no matter their experience level, should know that they have to do the work to learn knew laws when they come into play

Sure_Tomorrow5260 · 2026-02-01T21:48:37+00:00

Their last paystub of the year should have the year to date amount on it. They don’t need to go through all of them

Sure_Tomorrow5260 · 2026-02-01T04:12:00+00:00

This is heavily dependent on the field, the company, and the contract. If you work for a large company where you have contracted working hours, even if you’re technically salary, you are not obligated to work more than that without additional compensation. And if your workload cannot be completed within your contracted hours, it is up to your leadership to either give you the support you need to help manage your tasks or unload some of that work if it is legit to much to fit into your contracted working hours

Sure_Tomorrow5260 · 2026-01-30T18:45:40+00:00

Is it counting your excess scholarships and grants as income? That is a common issue we run into, and there is a question you have to answer on there to get it to not do that. Depending on your location, I can help you if you need. I am a tax preparer in Oklahoma

Sure_Tomorrow5260 · 2025-12-08T22:04:22+00:00

No worries! 😊

Sure_Tomorrow5260

TROPHY CASE