4800C Letter Timeline - When to Expect Refund After Verification?

The 4800C verification process is notoriously inconsistent with timeframes. Have you checked your account transcript for specific transaction codes? TC 570 without a corresponding 571 indicates the hold is still active. Did your letter specify which items needed verification? Sometimes it's W-2 data, other times it's dependent information. The processing time varies dramatically based on which department is handling your case.

OMG I just went through this exact nightmare!!! I got my 4800C in January for my 2022 return that I filed last April! It took FOREVER but I finally got my refund. Has anyone told you about the 9 week processing time yet? Because that's what they kept telling me but it actually took 11 weeks from when they received my documents. Did they make you submit ID verification too or just income docs??

Ugh been there done that w/ the 4800C bs. Took me 12+ wks to get my $$ after sending everything in. IRS phone lines are a joke - spent hrs trying to get updates. Finally used Claimyr (https://www.claimyr.com) and got thru to an actual human in like 20 mins who confirmed they received my docs but hadn't started processing yet. At least I knew what was happening instead of being in the dark. Def worth it vs wasting days trying to call them yourself.

Just to make sure we're all on the same page - the 4800C is specifically for income verification, not identity verification like the 5071C. It's like the difference between proving you own the car (identity) versus proving how many miles you drove (income). The IRS is essentially double-checking your reported income against what employers and financial institutions reported.

I'm skeptical of anyone claiming to know exact timeframes. I submitted my verification docs on February 3rd, 2024 and still don't have my refund. My tax advocate said on April 15th that they're still processing returns from December 2023. The 4800C backlog is apparently much worse than they're admitting publicly.

I've been through this verification process three times in the past decade. Back in 2018, it took 4 weeks. In 2021, during COVID, it stretched to 16 weeks. My most recent experience in late 2023 was 10 weeks exactly. The current processing time depends heavily on the specific service center handling your return. The Kansas City center is processing much faster than Austin right now, based on reports from multiple clients I've assisted.

Just got through this last month! My 4800C was WAY worse than when I had an audit in 2020. At least with the audit I had a specific person assigned to my case. With this verification nonsense, my documents sat in a pile for 9 weeks before anyone even looked at them. I called every week and got a different answer each time. My sister went through the same thing and got her refund in 5 weeks. There's absolutely no consistency with these timelines.

According to the National Taxpayer Advocate's report from January 2024 (https://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/reports/), the average processing time for 4800C verification cases is currently 9.2 weeks after document receipt. However, I'm slightly worried because they also mentioned that cases requiring additional review can take up to 16 weeks. You might want to check your transcript weekly for the 971 code which indicates they're actively working on your case.