Has anyone tried contacting their Congressional representative's office about this? I had a similar issue last year (though with a different IRS notice), and after weeks of getting nowhere, I reached out to my Representative's constituent services. Their office has liaisons specifically for dealing with federal agencies like the IRS. They managed to get someone from the IRS to call me directly within 5 days.

I'm dealing with this exact same frustrating situation right now! Got my 5071C letter about 10 days ago and have been banging my head against the wall trying to get through on that phone number. The online verification portal also keeps rejecting my information even though I'm entering everything correctly. What's really concerning me is that the letter mentions a deadline for responding, but how can they expect us to meet it when their own verification systems don't work? I've tried calling at different times - early morning, late afternoon, even on weekends - and it's always the same "high call volume" message followed by an immediate hangup. Has anyone here had success with any specific calling strategies? Like certain days of the week or times that seem to work better? I'm also wondering if there are any other phone numbers that might connect to the same department but aren't as overwhelmed. This whole situation is making me incredibly anxious about my tax refund and whether my identity has been compromised in other ways too.

Just be careful about not paying while you dispute this. Even if you're 100% right, the penalties and interest can add up FAST if you ultimately lose the dispute. In my case, my original tax bill of $3,200 ballooned to over $5,000 with penalties and interest during the 7 months it took to resolve.

I went through something almost identical with California's FTD last year - employer double-reported my 1099 income and the state wouldn't budge despite having all the documentation. Here's what finally worked for me: 1. File Form 540X (Amended Return) even while disputing - this creates an official paper trail showing you're challenging the assessment through proper channels. 2. Request a "Collection Due Process" hearing if they're threatening collection action. This buys you time and gets you in front of an independent hearing officer. 3. Document everything with certified mail. I literally sent copies of my bank statements showing the actual deposits vs. what they claimed I received. The key breakthrough was when I escalated to the Taxpayers' Rights Advocate office. Every state has one - it's an independent ombudsman specifically for situations like this where normal channels aren't working. They have more authority to actually look at your case with fresh eyes. It took 11 months total, but I eventually got a full refund plus interest. The interest wasn't much (about $47 on a $2,800 refund), but it was something. The important thing is to keep fighting and use every official channel available to you.

22 Has anyone used the IRS Identity Protection PIN system to prevent this from happening again in future years? I'm thinking about requesting PINs for my kids after dealing with this same issue.

This is such a frustrating situation! I went through something very similar last year with my ex claiming our daughter when it was clearly my year according to our divorce decree. Here's what worked for me: I filed a paper return with a cover letter explaining the situation and included the relevant pages from my court order (highlighted the specific language about alternating years). The IRS processed it and sent my ex a notice that their return was being adjusted. One tip - make sure your court order language is very specific about tax years. Mine said "odd numbered years" vs "even numbered years" which made it crystal clear to the IRS. If your agreement just says "alternating years" without specifying which parent gets which years, you might need to provide additional documentation showing the pattern. Also consider getting an Identity Protection PIN for your son next year - it prevents anyone from using his SSN on a return without the PIN that only you would know. Saved me from dealing with this headache again this year! Good luck - the paper filing route is slow but it does work when you have proper documentation.

yall remember when refunds used to come in like 2 weeks? good times 👀

Been waiting on my 810 code for about 4 weeks now and seeing all these success stories gives me hope! Quick question for those who've been through this - when you finally got the 846 code, did you get any kind of notification or did you just have to keep checking your transcript daily? Also seeing a lot of mentions about taxr.ai in here... might have to check that out if this drags on much longer 😅

I've been following this thread and wanted to add my perspective as someone who recently went through a very similar situation. The advice here is absolutely correct - there's no legitimate reason for a W2 employee to fill out a W9, and you should definitely stand your ground on this. What's particularly concerning is that they initially wanted to hire you as 1099, then "agreed" to W2 status but are still pushing contractor paperwork. This pattern suggests they haven't actually changed their internal classification of your position - they're just telling you what you want to hear while planning to treat you as a contractor anyway. I'd recommend documenting everything in writing. Send them an email confirming your W2 employee status and explicitly requesting the W4 form. Something like: "To confirm our discussion, I'll be joining as a W2 employee. Please provide the W4 form for tax withholding. I understand the W9 you sent was sent in error, as that's only used for independent contractors." Their response will reveal their true intentions. A legitimate company would immediately apologize for the mix-up and send the correct form. If they keep insisting on the W9 or give you vague explanations, you'll know they're either incompetent or deliberately trying to misclassify you - and you can make an informed decision about whether to proceed with this employer. The tax implications are significant, so it's worth getting this sorted out properly before you start work.

Great question about industry patterns! From what I've observed, misclassification issues are particularly common in tech (especially startups), gig economy companies, construction, healthcare (traveling nurses, therapists), creative industries (marketing, design, writing), and consulting firms. Basically anywhere companies can argue workers have "independence" or specialized skills. As for red flags to watch for once you start as a W2 employee: 1) Check your first paystub carefully - make sure federal/state taxes, Social Security, and Medicare are being withheld, 2) Verify you're eligible for the same benefits as other employees, 3) Watch if they expect you to provide your own equipment/supplies that employees normally get, 4) Pay attention if they try to control your work like an employee but deny employee protections, and 5) Be wary if they issue you a 1099 at year-end despite W2 promises. The key is that legitimate employers with proper HR systems never "accidentally" confuse these classifications. When it happens, it's usually either incompetence (concerning) or deliberate cost-cutting (illegal). Trust your instincts - if something feels off about how they're handling your employment status, it probably is.