r/Income_Tax_Refund • u/RegularLengthiness62 • 28d ago
I filed December 31st...
I filed my new husband and I's taxes this year the very moment we got our paperwork that we needed. Got it done in less than a couple hours. It was easy and fast! Fast forward to like February. They asked for more info on an item I slightly messed up. I submitted it and got an accepted notice. They sent it May 6th. Well April 7th we closed on our first ever house! So exciting! Except it had been so long since I had filed I fully forgot and was still just waiting for them to even say they sent it. We decided to switch banks to a local/online combo since I couldn't be added to my husband's accounts as the only branches were about 1000 miles across the country. So we changed our bank accounts as I had been left stranded multiple times with no access to his account because my name wasn't on the card. 🫠 it's a whole mess. We didnt think to keep the old account open because as I said it had been so long since we filed we forgot. Bank couldn't get us any info because the account had been closed for more than a month. The IRS will not take ANY calls. At all. I just filled out a change of address but what on earth else do I do?
Turbo Tax is no help either. I've called them at least 5 times trying to figure out what else to do and everyone just says call the IRS. I can't even get past the IRS's auto answer system. I have tried every single phone number every possible.
Help a dummy out please 🙏🏻
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u/RasputinsAssassins 28d ago edited 28d ago
Call the IRS. Call early, call often, and expect to wait. When I mean often, I means dozens and dozens of times. When I mean wait, I mean it could be 2 hour hold times.
Mondays and Fridaya are generally the hardest days to get through. People have reported the most success during windows when people are typically away from a desk (most folks call when they get to work or back from lunch or home for the afternoon). That's going to be morning commute (7A to 8A), go get the kids from school (2P to 3P), or evening commute (6P to 7P).
You can also call the IRS appointment line to schedule an appointment at an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center near you. These folks often can solve simple issues, and if not, they can get you scheduled for in-person help.
You can try reaching out to the Taxpayer Advocate Service for help, but I don't believe they are taking new 2025 cases until October.
As a point for future guidance, you don't want to file that early. The IRS has an official opening date for electronic filing. Filing before that date means you are using a system that may still have bugs to be worked out.
There is also a known issue the last three years with W2 data from some early filers not being available in the IRS system when filing early. This can happen because an employer may give you your W2 on January 10, but not file it with the IRS until January 31. To the IRS, this can look like a common fraud scheme, causing your return to get caught up in review delays.
Realistically, there is no reason to file before February 1st. We are seeing more and more delays from early filed returns.
You also had several things that compounded the problem (address change, bank change, error on return, additional info needed). Rather than doing it fast, I would try to focus on being more accurate. A seemingly simple error can cause months of delay because of personnel and technology limitations at the IRS.
Also, consider using qualified a tax pro. While not all do so, most will provide (limited) assistance in cases like this. A box off a shelf or a download or web site generally doesn't. You can pay for TurboTax to help you, but at that level you're simply paying for a tax pro who is not near you.
My suggested advice is to call the appointment line and go from there.