60 Day Review Extended Another 60 Days - Small Simple Refund Nowhere in Sight
Just got a new letter dated 4/28 saying they're extending my review another 60 days. The original 60 day review letter was dated 3/11. This is ridiculous compared to last year when I got my refund in 9 days! My return is cut and dry EASY... like way simpler than most of the gig work returns I've done before. And my refund is SMALL - we're not talking thousands here folks. I am now going to refer to my refund as John Cena. Because I won't see it š¤£ The weirdest part? The new extension letter doesn't even show on my transcript as being sent. š¤·āāļø Anyone else dealing with these random extensions?
16 comments
Diego Vargas
Did you check if there were any specific codes on your transcript that might indicate why they're doing this review? Sometimes a 570 code appears before these review letters go out. Also, have you checked if there's a specific department handling your review? Sometimes that can tell you what they're looking at. Did you claim any credits that might trigger extra scrutiny?
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Anastasia Fedorov
According to Internal Revenue Manual section 21.5.6.4.35, these extended reviews are often triggered by identity verification procedures or potential income discrepancies. The absence of the letter on your transcript could indicate it was generated outside the normal Correspondence Examination system.
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19d
StarStrider
Wait, so they can just keep extending reviews indefinitely? I thought there was some kind of limit! My brother had a simple return too and they did the same thing last year. He ended up waiting like 6 months for a $800 refund. Crazy system lol.
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18d
Sean Doyle
I've seen this happen quite a bit this year compared to previous filing seasons. Much like when you're waiting for a delivery that keeps getting delayed, it's frustrating but usually resolves within the second review period. In my experience, these extended reviews for small refunds typically get released within 30-45 days of the second letter, not the full 60 days they quote.
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17d
Zara Rashid
I believe I might have some insight on this, though I'm not entirely certain. I had something similar happen with my return last year. It was a relatively modest refund, around $1,200 if I recall correctly. The IRS extended my review twice, and I was quite concerned about budgeting without that expected amount. Eventually, it did arrive, but it took nearly 5 months from filing.
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Luca Romano
According to the IRS operations page (https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-operations), they're still dealing with a backlog from previous years. You might want to check the IRS2Go app which sometimes shows different status info than the website. I've seen several posts on r/IRS where people got their refunds during the second review period without any notification. The system is completely overwhelmed right now.
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Nia Jackson
I went through this exact same situation in March! ā¢ First 60-day review letter came January 30th ā¢ Second 60-day extension letter arrived March 15th ā¢ Refund suddenly appeared in my account April 22nd The most frustrating part was that my transcript never updated until AFTER the money was in my account. No explanation, no warning, just suddenly there. I understand how frustrating this waiting game is, especially when you know your return is straightforward. Hang in there - there's hope!
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Mateo Hernandez
I noticed your first letter was dated March 11th, and now they're extending on April 28th - that's barely 48 days later, not even the full 60 days they initially claimed! This is concerning because they're supposed to complete the review within the timeframe they provide. When I was in a similar situation last February, I wasted hours trying to reach an IRS representative to explain what was happening. After 9 failed attempts, I finally used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to get through. The agent confirmed my review was actually complete but hadn't been processed in their system. Without that call, I might have waited months longer. Might be worth checking if your review is actually still ongoing or just stuck in processing.
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CosmicCruiser
Seriously?! I've never heard of this Claimyr thing before. I'm always suspicious of services that claim they can get you through to the IRS when nobody else can. How does it even work? Does it actually get you to a real IRS person or just some third-party company? I've been on hold for HOURS with the IRS and I'm about to lose my mind!!
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15d
Aisha Khan
Does this service actually work? I mean, how can they get through when the IRS lines are always busy? And if they do get through, are you talking to the same IRS agents who can actually help with your specific issue? What if they can't help after you've paid for the service?
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13d
Ethan Taylor
I've used Claimyr twice, possibly three times now, and it generally works as advertised. The service essentially keeps dialing and navigating the IRS phone tree until it gets through, then it calls you to connect. You're speaking directly with actual IRS representatives, not third-party people. The quality of help you get depends somewhat on which department you reach and the specific agent's knowledge, but that's true of any IRS call.
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Yuki Ito
Last year when this happened to me, I filed a case with the Taxpayer Advocate Service. Unlike waiting on hold with the regular IRS line, TAS actually assigned someone to my case. It still took about 3 weeks, but they found that my return was stuck in a review queue with no actual issues flagged. Sometimes these systems just need someone to manually push them through. The small refunds often get the worst treatment because they prioritize the bigger cases.
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Carmen Lopez
I had the exact same thing happen last year! First letter in February, second letter in April, and I didn't see my refund until JUNE. The funny thing was, I called after getting the second letter (spent 3 hours on hold) and the agent told me there was literally nothing flagged on my account that needed review. It was just stuck in some automated queue. The way I eventually got it unstuck was contacting my congressional representative's office. They have liaisons who work directly with the IRS. Within 10 days of contacting them, my refund was processed. Might be worth trying if you don't see movement soon.
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Andre Dupont
This is like having a car stuck in a car wash - technically being processed but not actually moving forward. Contacting your representative is like having someone hit the reset button on the system. I've recommended this approach to several friends with similar issues, and it's worked about 70% of the time. The IRS is like any large bureaucracy - sometimes things just need a gentle nudge from someone with leverage.
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QuantumQuasar
OMG I'm in the EXACT same boat rn. First letter came in Feb, second one in April. My WMR still says "being processed" but nothing has changed in like 3 months. I tried checking my transcripts but they're still showing N/A for 2023. Tbh I think they're just using these reviews to buy time bc they're understaffed. My refund is only like $700 so prob not a priority for them. Have u tried calling? I gave up after waiting 2hrs and getting disconnected.
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Zoe Papanikolaou
I went through this exact review cycle last year with a similarly small refund. After the second 60-day letter, I filed Form 911 (Application for Taxpayer Advocate Service) citing financial hardship. Within 3 weeks, my return was processed and the refund was direct deposited. The advocate explained that my return had been flagged by an automated system but never actually assigned to a human reviewer. Once they manually reviewed it, everything was cleared immediately.
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