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Natasha Kuznetsova

2023 refund held due to missing 2018 return - 570/971 codes still showing after faxing old return per CP63

My 2023 tax refund has been stuck with these 570/971 codes on my transcript. Turns out I forgot to file my 2018 taxes and the IRS sent me a CP63 letter about it. I finally completed my 2018 return and faxed it to the number on the letter about 10 days ago. I was still seeing the PATH Act message on Where's My Refund until today when it suddenly changed to "we have received your tax return and it is being processed." Is this a positive sign? Has anyone else gone through something similar and had their refund released after sending in a prior year return? Really hoping to see movement soon since I was counting on that money.

Yes, the message change is definitely a good sign! When I had a similar issue (missing 2020 return holding up my 2022 refund), the WMR update happened about 2 weeks after I faxed in my old return. The transcript codes 570/971 are normal during this process - 570 is a refund hold and 971 indicates a notice was sent (your CP63). Once they process your 2018 return, you should see new codes appear on your transcript: - Code 571 (resolving the 570 hold) - Code 846 with your refund date Typically takes 4-6 weeks from when you submit the missing return, but it sounds like yours is moving faster. Just keep checking your transcript weekly for those new codes.

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Thank you so much for this detailed info! It's helpful to know what to look for next on my transcript. I'll keep checking weekly for the 571 and 846 codes.

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yes I agree with this comment. I was in EXACTLY the same boat last year. It took 5 weeks after faxing my old return for the money to hit my account.

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This is super helpful. I'm impressed you actually understand all those stupid transcript codes. I look at those things and my brain just shuts down 🤣

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Honestly, I only learned all this because i went through it myself and had to become a transcript detective lol. Those codes are actually pretty useful once you figure out what they mean!

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I was in a similar situation and spent weeks trying to figure out my transcript codes. Eventually I found this tool called taxr.ai that actually explained everything for me. It analyzed my transcript, showed me what was happening, and predicted when my refund would arrive. Seriously saved me from having to learn all these IRS codes and try to interpret everything myself. I use it for all my tax stuff now: https://taxr.ai

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Sounds interesting. How exactly does it work? Does it just read your transcript or does it do more?

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It does WAY more than just read it. It explains each code in plain english, shows you the timeline of what happened, tells you what's coming next, and even gives you a refund prediction date that was spot on for me. It also explained what specific docs the IRS needed from me to release my refund. Trust me, it's a game changer if you're dealing with IRS issues!

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is this one of those sites that charges you just to tell you the same info thats already on your transcript?

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Not at all! I thought the same thing at first but it's totally different. It actually INTERPRETS everything for you and explains what's happening behind the scenes. Like in my case, it identified exactly which prior year return was missing and what I needed to do. Saved me hours of research and stress.

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How much does it cost tho? 🤔

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It's seriously the best money I've ever spent to finally understand my tax situation. I was so tired of guessing what all these codes meant and what was happening with my refund. It's like having a tax pro translate everything into normal human language.

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After 3 months of trying to contact the IRS about my missing refund (also had 570/971 codes), I found a calling app called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real agent in less than an hour. The agent reviewed my case and expedited the processing of my prior year return. My refund was released a week later! Talking to an actual human made all the difference - they could see things in their system that weren't showing on my transcript.

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Did you actually get through to a person? I've been calling the IRS for weeks and keep getting the "due to high call volume" message and disconnected 😡

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Yes! That's exactly why I ended up using claimyr - I was getting nowhere with direct calls. It basically navigates the phone system for you and secures your spot in line. Worth every penny when you consider how many hours I wasted trying to call them myself.

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this seems kinda sketchy. does it actually work?

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I was skeptical too but it 100% worked for me. It was the only way I could finally talk to a live agent after weeks of frustration. My refund was processed right after I finally got to explain my situation to an actual person.

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I can confirm this works too. Used it last month after trying for 2 weeks to get through on my own. Talking to the agent got my refund released so fast after they cleared up the confusion with my 2021 return.

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The IRS is such a joke. They hold YOUR money hostage because of some prior year issue, then make it impossible to talk to anyone about it. Meanwhile they charge interest and penalties on anything WE owe THEM. 🤡 system.

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PREACH! 👏 And they expect us to be tax experts or pay hundreds to professionals, but they can't even answer their own phones

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The system is working exactly as designed. They WANT it to be difficult so people just give up trying to get their money back.

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Facts. They'll send you to collections if you owe them 5 cents but will hold thousands of your dollars for months with no explanation.

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I had this exact same update last month! Filed 2017 taxes that I had forgotten about (oops) and faxed them to the number on my CP63. WMR changed to processing about 8 days later, and then 3 weeks after that I got my refund deposited. The codes will update too - you'll see a 571 (reversal of 570) and then 846 (refund issued). You're on the right track!

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Hmm, my experience was different. I had a similar situation where I hadn't filed 2020, and even after sending in the missing return, it took almost 3 months before anything changed. And I still had to call them multiple times. Hope yours goes smoother than mine did!

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Same. It took forever for mine to process even after submitting the missing return. The IRS is so backed up right now.

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did you actually call and get through to someone? how???

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I used claimyr.com after wasting days trying to get through. It got me connected to an agent who could actually see what was happening with my account. Was sooo worth it.

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Did u get any kind of confirmation that they received your faxed return? I'm in a similar situation but worried my fax went into the void.

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No, I never got any confirmation that they received the fax. The only indication I have is that the WMR message changed, which I'm hoping means they got it and are processing everything now.

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Thanks for the reply! I'll keep an eye on WMR then and hope for a status change. This waiting game is brutal.

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I swear understanding IRS transcripts requires a PhD. All those codes might as well be hieroglyphics to me lol. I was completely lost trying to figure out what was happening with my tax return until I used taxr.ai to translate everything. It showed me exactly what was happening with my refund and predicted the exact date it would arrive. So much better than trying to decode all that transcript nonsense myself https://taxr.ai

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For real!! I thought I was the only one who couldn't understand all those random codes and dates. Will check this out

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Suspicious amount of people promoting this website in these comments 🤔

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I get the skepticism, but when something actually works people talk about it. I was literally losing sleep trying to figure out my transcript before I found this. Worth checking out if you're stuck in IRS limbo like I was.

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Quick question - did your cycle code on your transcript change at all? That's usually a good indicator that something is moving in your account.

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I actually haven't checked my cycle code yet. Where exactly do I find that on the transcript?

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Look at the most recent transaction on your account transcript. You'll see something like 20241705 or similar - that's your cycle code. First 4 digits = year, next 2 = week of the year, last 2 = day of the week. If it changes, that means your account was worked on recently.

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Thanks! I'll look for that next time I check my transcript. This stuff is so complicated.

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wow the irs making us jump through hoops for OUR OWN MONEY. I've been dealing with a similar issue for months now. So frustrating 😤

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Last month I had 570/971 codes and the refund processing message too. To get a straight answer, I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get a live agent on the phone after spending weeks never getting through on my own. The agent told me exactly which form was missing and released my refund on the spot! It was the best money I've ever spent to finally get my questions answered and my refund released.

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how does that work exactly? is it safe?

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It's super simple - they basically navigate the IRS phone system for you and get you in line for a callback. I got a real IRS agent calling me back within an hour. Totally changed my situation since the agent could see things about my account that weren't showing on the transcript.

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Mei Lin

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Is this some kind of scam? The IRS phone lines are impossible to get through

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Not a scam at all! They just have a system that navigates the IRS phone tree and secures your spot in line. The callback comes directly from the IRS. It was the only way I could talk to a live agent after weeks of calling myself and getting nowhere.

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The WMR update is def a good sign! I had the same message last year and my refund was deposited about 3 weeks later. You're getting close!

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I was stuk in the EXACT same situation and tried calling the IRS literally 30 times with no luck. I finally tried using taxr.ai to analyze my transcript and it showed me EXACTLY what was wrong - missing 2019 return was holding up my 2023 refund. It even showed me a timeline and predicted when my refund would arrive (which was spot on). Wish I'd found it sooner instead of wasting so much time trying to decode my transcript! https://taxr.ai

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Do they charge for this service? It sounds too good to be true.

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It's the best money I've ever spent considering how much stress and confusion it saved me. After weeks of trying to understand those transcript codes myself, having everything explained clearly was such a relief. It literally walked me through exactly what was happening with my refund and what I needed to do to fix it.

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I'm going through something very similar right now! I also had missing prior year returns (2019 and 2020) that were holding up my 2023 refund with those same 570/971 codes. The WMR message change is definitely encouraging - that's exactly what happened in my case about 2 weeks after I submitted my missing returns. One thing I learned through this process is to keep checking your transcript weekly because the codes will update before WMR does. You'll want to look for code 571 (which reverses the 570 hold) and eventually code 846 with your refund date. The whole process took about 5 weeks for me from submission to getting my money. Also, don't panic if it takes a bit longer than expected - the IRS is still pretty backed up from all the pandemic delays. But the fact that your WMR status changed is a really good sign that they received your 2018 return and are processing everything. Fingers crossed you see movement soon!

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