Posted: 6/9/2020 3:43:25 PM EDT
|
Filed late February with a $2K return and the IRS page still says "processing". Tried to call the IRS tax advocate number for Florida and they are "not accepting calls at this time." No Earned income credit, no oddball deductions, etc. Anybody else having this same problem? I mean, damnation, it's been almost four months. |
I'm over 2 months and no updates. I don't even show processing but my tracking number showed they received it April 2nd. Frustrating. I've tried to call and even went through a known maze of prompts to get to a live person but was hung up on due to high call volume. No way to speak to a person... 
|
|
I signed everything back in January. HR Block made a huge delay and lied to me about it with some special case stuff I had them do, which ended up meaning that I didn’t even actually file till mid March. I almost don’t think I will see it this calendar year. It’s buy a Barrett and put a thermal on it scale money. Never had this big of a refund before, and I’m pissed. |
|
I think the stimulus checks really clogged up their system. Add into that, they had a colossal programming failure, and anyone married to a spouse who owed back child support, or taxes, got their stimulus check taken and sent to the ex-wife, too. With the IRS saying they can't fix it unless the innocent spouse fill out the same paperwork to keep their return. So all those forms are getting mailed in and clogging things up, too. The IRS simply wasn't ready or prepared to handle the stimulus money. |
|
See this thread for additional info. I'm waiting on a big refund, too. https://www.ar15.com/forums/general/Arfcom-Tax-Experts-Some-Advice-Please/5-2333659/ |
|
I have a lot of clients in your same place, OP. Folks for whom we e-filed as far back as early February who haven't yet received their refunds and for whom we can get zero assistance or even information from the IRS. Normally, I would be on the Practioner Priority line by now, as well as blowing up the Taxpayer Advocate. As others have said, it's all because of Covid-19. The majority of IRS employees are teleworking and they are not processing any paper returns or anything faxed to them, either. They have so much mail that they have run out of room to store it and have resorted to leasing tractor trailers just to hold mail. I met with a client yesterday afternoon who got a letter from the IRS yesterday morning requesting info about her Marketplace Insurance (an IRS Form 8962). The letter was dated back in April. We had already faxed the Form 8962 the day after the return was filed (late February), once the omission was realized. Normally, that faxed 8962 would have been processed by now and she'd have had her refund months ago. But, because of Covid-19, they haven't done crap. If you look on USAJobs, the IRS has listings for about 3,500 seasonal Contact Representatives-IRS phone operators, basically. They know they're in for a world of hurt once they reopen and start staffing phone lines. Unfortunately, the job listings show an expected start date of October 26, 2020. That doesn't inspire confidence. It means they KNOW they're going to be so far behind that they can go ahead and start the hiring process for 3,500 seasonal phone operators, but that they either won't be needed until late October or that there will still be that many extra phone calls at that time that it's worth the time, effort, and money to hire that many people. In addition, the IRS recently had openings listed for nearly a hundred Individual Taxpayer Advisory Specialists within the Wage & Investment Division at IRS Tax Centers across the country. They are staffing up for a record breaking bad year. As I've told some of my clients, I expect it will take the IRS six months or more to catch up when they do finally start working again and the longer it takes them to reopen, the further behind they'll be. |
|
Quoted: They have not been processing paper returns until recently because of covid. Story I read said there were tractor trailer loads of returns to be processed. Next time dont be a tight ass and spring for the e-file option. I know I will.  I did e-file through TurboTax? |
|
Mine was received april 2. called and spoke to irs agent at exactly 8 weeks and was told there are tons of them to be gone through. They let people work from home. When offices open back up and they get back to processing the paper forms. my 3K is just sitting there. How do i go about getting interest. They would fuck me if i am late they owe me extra. Probably never see it. Irs guy told me to give it another 4-6 weeks like he had a clue. oh well |
|
Quoted: Mine was received april 2. called and spoke to irs agent at exactly 8 weeks and was told there are tons of them to be gone through. They let people work from home. When offices open back up and they get back to processing the paper forms. my 3K is just sitting there. How do i go about getting interest. They would fuck me if i am late they owe me extra. Probably never see it. Irs guy told me to give it another 4-6 weeks like he had a clue. oh well Actually, the IRS does sometimes pay interest if there is an abnormally long delay in getting a refund issued to a taxpayer. That's not to say they will do it for refunds delayed by Covid-19, mind you. Ready for some bad news now? If the IRS does pay interest to a taxpayer, they will issue an IRS Form 1099-INT for that interest. That means the taxpayer has to report that interest as income, no different than if it were interest from a saving's account, and they will potentially have to pay taxes on that interest. |
|
Quoted: I mailed it about April 2nd. Got 2 state returns back, the slowest one 2 or 3 weeks ago. Wheres my refund app shows "information doesnt match" I want my 2200 bucks  Paper returns generally take 6-8 weeks to process in a GOOD year. You mailed yours AFTER the IRS had already shut down most of their operations. You won't likely see your Federal refund until sometime this Fall. The app says what it does because the info from the return isn't even entered into the system yet. |
|
Quoted: My CPA told me paper returns are running 90 days now, minimum. Quoted: My CPA told me paper returns are running 90 days now, minimum. If your CPA is telling you that, when that's not what the IRS is saying, you might want to consider finding someone who does a better job of staying up-to-date with tax-related matters. Paper Tax Returns: All taxpayers should file electronically through their tax preparer, tax software provider or IRS Free File if possible. The IRS is not currently able to process individual paper tax returns. If you already have filed via paper but it has not yet been processed, do not file a second tax return or write to the IRS to inquire about the status of your return or your Economic Impact Payment. Paper returns will be processed once processing centers are able to reopen. This year, more than 90% of taxpayers have filed electronically. |
|
Quoted: Paper returns generally take 6-8 weeks to process in a GOOD year. You mailed yours AFTER the IRS had already shut down most of their operations. You won't likely see your Federal refund until sometime this Fall. The app says what it does because the info from the return isn't even entered into the system yet. I am OP and I appreciate your knowledge on this, but an e-file from me in late February on a simple 1040-EZ through TurboTax? WTH? |
|
Quoted: I am OP and I appreciate your knowledge on this, but an e-file from me in late February on a simple 1040-EZ through TurboTax? WTH? Quoted: Quoted: Paper returns generally take 6-8 weeks to process in a GOOD year. You mailed yours AFTER the IRS had already shut down most of their operations. You won't likely see your Federal refund until sometime this Fall. The app says what it does because the info from the return isn't even entered into the system yet. I am OP and I appreciate your knowledge on this, but an e-file from me in late February on a simple 1040-EZ through TurboTax? WTH? Honestly, there could be a number of reasons. Did you have a large change in reported income between 2018 and 2019? Have you filed every year for awhile, or did you miss a few years for whatever reason? Did you move from one state to another? The IRS may have concerns about your return being possibly fraudulent and they need you to verify your identity, but you won't know that until they send you a letter and that letter won't go out while they aren't working. All of the reasons I stated could be seen as the IRS as indicators of fraud. Or, it could be that someone else has been using your SSN to work and since you didn't report that income, they're concerned about either identity theft or tax fraud. Without the IRS staffing phone lines, we can't even begin to get to the bottom of it and fix the issues. (While I was typing this reply, a client of mine came into the office asking about the status of his refund. The answer I gave him was pretty much the same answer I've given in this thread.) |
|
Quoted: If your CPA is telling you that, when that's not what the IRS is saying, you might want to consider finding someone who does a better job of staying up-to-date with tax-related matters. (Emphasis added.) So when I was there, and he called them on speakerphone and they told us that, he was a dumbass? Thanks for the tip, GD. Spot on expert, as always. |
|
Quoted: So when I was there, and he called them on speakerphone and they told us that, he was a dumbass? Thanks for the tip, GD. Spot on expert, as always. Quoted: Quoted: If your CPA is telling you that, when that's not what the IRS is saying, you might want to consider finding someone who does a better job of staying up-to-date with tax-related matters. (Emphasis added.) So when I was there, and he called them on speakerphone and they told us that, he was a dumbass? Thanks for the tip, GD. Spot on expert, as always. Well, see,that's a different story, isn't it? It wasn't your CPA who said it, it was some random IRS employee and you heard it with your own ears. You left some important details out of your story. |
|
Quoted: I did e-file through TurboTax? Quoted: Quoted: They have not been processing paper returns until recently because of covid. Story I read said there were tractor trailer loads of returns to be processed. Next time dont be a tight ass and spring for the e-file option. I know I will. I did e-file through TurboTax? Guess I'm screwed then. Maybe I get it before it is time to file again next year.
|
|
Quoted: Honestly, there could be a number of reasons. Did you have a large change in reported income between 2018 and 2019? Have you filed every year for awhile, or did you miss a few years for whatever reason? Did you move from one state to another? The IRS may have concerns about your return being possibly fraudulent and they need you to verify your identity, but you won't know that until they send you a letter and that letter won't go out while they aren't working. All of the reasons I stated could be seen as the IRS as indicators of fraud. Or, it could be that someone else has been using your SSN to work and since you didn't report that income, they're concerned about either identity theft or tax fraud. Without the IRS staffing phone lines, we can't even begin to get to the bottom of it and fix the issues. (While I was typing this reply, a client of mine came into the office asking about the status of his refund. The answer I gave him was pretty much the same answer I've given in this thread.) I did move from one state to another during this, so my address changed, but the W2's matched the new address because we had them changed...I don't know exactly about income without looking, but I would say that it would have been quite a bit lower from 2019 to 2018, because we were in the process of downsizing and selling our house....We have never missed a year of filing since I started working in the 1980's. |
|
Always put staples in the right-hand corner. Go ahead and put them down the whole right side. The extractors who remove the mail from the envelopes have to take out any staples on the right side. 2. Never arrange paperwork in the right order, or even facing the right way. Put a few upside down and backwards. That way they have to remove all your staples, rearrange your paperwork, and re-staple it (on the left side). 3. Line the bottom of your envelope with Elmer's glue and let it dry before you put in your forms so that the automated opener doesn't open it and the extractor has to open it by hand. 4. If you're very unfortunate and have to pay taxes, use a two- or three-party check. On top of paying with a three-party check, pay one of the dollars you owe in cash. When an extractor receives cash, no matter how small an amount, he has to take it to a special desk and fill out a few nasty forms. 5. Write a little letter of appreciation. Any letter received has to be read and stamped, regardless of what it is or what it's on. 6. Write your letter on something misshapen and unconventional, such as the back of a burlap sack. 7. When you mail it, use a big envelope (even if its just a single EZ form). Big envelopes have to be torn and sorted differently than regular business-size ones. An added bonus to the big envelope is that they take priority over other mail, so the workers can hurry up and deal with your mess. 8. If you send two checks, they'll have to staple your unsightly envelope to your half-destroyed form. 9. Always put extra paper clips on your forms. Any foreign fasteners or the like have to be removed and put away. 10. Sign your name in ink on every page. Any signature has to be verified and then date stamped. |
|
Quoted: Always put staples in the right-hand corner. Go ahead and put them down the whole right side. The extractors who remove the mail from the envelopes have to take out any staples on the right side. 2. Never arrange paperwork in the right order, or even facing the right way. Put a few upside down and backwards. That way they have to remove all your staples, rearrange your paperwork, and re-staple it (on the left side). 3. Line the bottom of your envelope with Elmer's glue and let it dry before you put in your forms so that the automated opener doesn't open it and the extractor has to open it by hand. 4. If you're very unfortunate and have to pay taxes, use a two- or three-party check. On top of paying with a three-party check, pay one of the dollars you owe in cash. When an extractor receives cash, no matter how small an amount, he has to take it to a special desk and fill out a few nasty forms. 5. Write a little letter of appreciation. Any letter received has to be read and stamped, regardless of what it is or what it's on. 6. Write your letter on something misshapen and unconventional, such as the back of a burlap sack. 7. When you mail it, use a big envelope (even if its just a single EZ form). Big envelopes have to be torn and sorted differently than regular business-size ones. An added bonus to the big envelope is that they take priority over other mail, so the workers can hurry up and deal with your mess. 8. If you send two checks, they'll have to staple your unsightly envelope to your half-destroyed form. 9. Always put extra paper clips on your forms. Any foreign fasteners or the like have to be removed and put away. 10. Sign your name in ink on every page. Any signature has to be verified and then date stamped. Damn, that's straight from tax protester 101. I don't believe I'd ask for special attention from IRS though. |
|
@SiVisPacem is dropping some truth bombs. @strat81 must be covered up in PPP forgiveness applications. I was already thinking things were slower in the very early weeks, pre-covid. But the system is all but shut down now. We are literally telling clients that we will take care of whatever problems/notices they have, but its going to be weeks if not months before we start seeing resolutions. Yeah they still want the money you owe, but they're in no hurry to give back what they owe you. Expect it to be this way probably till this time next year. They don't handle small changes well, and this is HUGE. We have several clients with ongoing legal struggles that are being hampered by the lack of paper file processing. I have also see where my state (Arkansas) may have seen the writing on the walls and stopped processing some paper forms long before the official shutdowns. Some of yall may need to watch for that too. |
|
Quoted: Always put staples in the right-hand corner. Go ahead and put them down the whole right side. The extractors who remove the mail from the envelopes have to take out any staples on the right side. 2. Never arrange paperwork in the right order, or even facing the right way. Put a few upside down and backwards. That way they have to remove all your staples, rearrange your paperwork, and re-staple it (on the left side). 3. Line the bottom of your envelope with Elmer's glue and let it dry before you put in your forms so that the automated opener doesn't open it and the extractor has to open it by hand. 4. If you're very unfortunate and have to pay taxes, use a two- or three-party check. On top of paying with a three-party check, pay one of the dollars you owe in cash. When an extractor receives cash, no matter how small an amount, he has to take it to a special desk and fill out a few nasty forms. 5. Write a little letter of appreciation. Any letter received has to be read and stamped, regardless of what it is or what it's on. 6. Write your letter on something misshapen and unconventional, such as the back of a burlap sack. 7. When you mail it, use a big envelope (even if its just a single EZ form). Big envelopes have to be torn and sorted differently than regular business-size ones. An added bonus to the big envelope is that they take priority over other mail, so the workers can hurry up and deal with your mess. 8. If you send two checks, they'll have to staple your unsightly envelope to your half-destroyed form. 9. Always put extra paper clips on your forms. Any foreign fasteners or the like have to be removed and put away. 10. Sign your name in ink on every page. Any signature has to be verified and then date stamped. I in no way, shape, or form endorse doing this. But I like you. No homo. Ok. Maybe mild homo. |
|
Still waiting on mine (paper filed). Does the IRS have to pay us interest for holding our money? If not, they should. This IRS web site is useless: https://sa.www4.irs.gov/irfof/lang/en/irfofgetstatus.jsp |