My IRS Woes

 Everyone who loves tax season, raise your hands...

I'm waiting...

Yeah, me neither.

Let me tell you about my tax woes and why the IRS is not on my Christmas list.

Back in March - early March - March 6, to be exact - I filed my taxes online. I used to file my taxes in February, right after I got my W-2, but last year I had an issue. My employer had not filed her taxes, and had not sent in my W-2, so my return was put on hold. I worked with the IRS Tax Advocates but my refund was held until June. So I figured this year I would give my employer's accountant a little extra time and I'd file in March. Of course, no one knew at that time that our entire nation would be on lockdown for the next three months...

Within a couple of weeks of checking to see if my return was processed, I knew something was wrong. Everyone who had filed after me had already received their refund. On March 27 the dreaded message "Your tax return is still being processed" came up on my IRS2Go status. It was my oldest son's birthday so I decided I'd call the tax advocate office on Monday. There was no answer, but I left a message. Keep in mind, at this time we were looking at being on lockdown for a couple of weeks, then maybe a month, then we'd see what would happen. No one knew how long this quarantine was gonna last. I figured they'd come into the office, at least to listen to messages. I left another message the following Monday, April 6. I decided at this time to also mail in my request for assistance, again thinking someone would be coming into the office to check messages and/or mail. I tried calling the IRS as well, but no answer and no way to leave a message. Surprisingly though, I did receive the stimulus money in April because I'd received a refund for the 2018 tax year. At least they didn't hold that back too.

Finally, on July 10 I was able to talk to an IRS agent. They told me they still had not received a W-2 from my employer. What upset me the most was that I knew they had the numbers, because after the problem with my 2018 taxes I personally made sure that tax payments and paperwork were being sent in. My employer was upset as well, and she called her accountant who assured her all paperwork had been submitted to the IRS, but to be on the safe side he'd resend. Of course there was nothing I could do at this point, since the IRS will inform you NOT to call them again for 60 days after they've checked status. So I had to wait.

I finally received a letter from the IRS on July 25. It was a generic letter stating that they were still verifying any number of problems, including verifying employment. I realized they'd only generated the letter because I'd called in. This letter said I was to wait 60 days from the day the letter was generated, which was July 22, before I could call them. But since I'd talked to an agent on the 10th I decided I'd wait 60 days from that date and if I hadn't received my refund I'd call then.

September 10 I tried calling the IRS several times, only to get cut off. I called the Tax Advocates instead, and explained my situation. I was asked if I was in danger of being evicted from my home (I'm not) or of having my utilities cut off (again, I'm not). Since I was not in dire straits, they told me they couldn't help me but would transfer me to an IRS agent. I spent two hours on the phone with a very sweet lady out in Texas who was extremely helpful. She was able to tell me that yes, my employment and income had been verified (hurray!) but my return was still on hold (boo). At first she blamed the pandemic and being shut down for three months, but as she reviewed my account she said there might be another error, this time with one of my credits (what?!?!). The system kept going down so she wasn't able to verify, but instead she gave me another number to call so I could find out from this other department if that was a problem as well. Trouble was, their system was down too. It took a couple more calls to their office to find out that everything on my return looked good, but now it was pending manual release by yet another IRS agent and I would now have to wait 60 days from August 13 before I could call them again, though it did appear I would be getting my refund in OCTOBER!! My frustration was mounting but once again, there was nothing I could do.

On Saturday September 19 I received a call from none other that the Tax Advocates office. The lady there told me they'd received the forms I had mailed asking for help in resolving my issue with the IRS. Remember, I mailed out the forms April 6. Here it is over 5 months later and they finally are getting to the mail. She asked if I still needed help, so I explained everything that had gone on since March, including the fact that the Tax Advocate office had refused to help me because my case was not considered urgent enough. She was surprised at that, and said based on my application I did qualify. They gave me a case number and said I would receive a call from their attorney sometime this week. 

As of today, I'm still waiting. My biggest complaint in all this is not the fact that my return was held up again (though that's pretty annoying). It's not that a pandemic hit and the hold was extended - everyone has been affected by the quarantine. It isn't even that they are behind after being shut down for three months - I'm not an unreasonable person. My issue is the fact that it took two separate departments to verify and approve my return, but it is now pending a "manual release" by yet another agent who has to review the entire return and give it an okay. Good grief! How many IRS agents do you need to (screw in a lightbulb?) approve one return?! I thank God everyday that I'm not in a position of losing my home or unable to feed myself and my son. I'm thankful that He has provided for all our needs. I can only imagine how desperate it must be to really need this money and to have it held up. I will continue to wait, call if I need to, and pray for those who are also struggling with the IRS. I feel your pain.