Pro tip: get your congressman involved. Worked for me after my 3rd letter

Ugh, I feel your pain! I'm on my third 60-day letter for 2022 too. What's really annoying is they keep asking for the same documents I already sent. I started keeping copies of everything with delivery confirmations just to prove I sent stuff. The whole system feels broken honestly. Have you tried getting your account transcript online? Sometimes that shows what specific issue they're actually reviewing.

One thing no one mentioned - when you're married filing jointly, you get a wider tax bracket than filing single. For example, the 22% bracket starts at a higher amount for MFJ than for single filers. So if you were single making $50k, more of your income might be in the 22% bracket than when you're married filing jointly with $100k combined income. It's one of the benefits of filing jointly!

This is such a great question and the responses here really clarify things! I was making the same mistake of thinking about our individual incomes separately when we file jointly. One thing that helped me understand this better was realizing that when you're married filing jointly, the IRS essentially treats you as one economic unit. So it doesn't matter if one spouse makes $80k and the other makes $20k, or if you both make $50k each - either way, you're working with $100k total household income and using the married filing jointly tax brackets. The progressive system means that even though your marginal rate might be 22% on that $100k combined income, your effective tax rate (the percentage of your total income that actually goes to taxes) will be much lower since the first portions of your income are taxed at 10% and 12%. Thanks for asking this - it's definitely not a dumb question and I'm sure many people have the same confusion!

Back in 2022, I had an 810 freeze that lasted for 143 days after I filed an amendment. What finally resolved it was discovering that the freeze was related to a mismatch between my reported 1099-R distribution and what the IRS had on file. The distribution code on my 1099-R was coded as a rollover (G), but the issuing financial institution had incorrectly reported it as a regular distribution (1) to the IRS. I contacted the financial institution, had them issue a corrected 1099-R with the proper code, and then faxed that corrected form along with a cover letter to the specific IRS department handling my case. The freeze was released 16 days later. The key was identifying the specific discrepancy rather than just waiting for the IRS to figure it out.

I've been dealing with IRS processing issues for years as a tax professional, and the 810 freeze is particularly frustrating because it's essentially a "black box" - even experienced practitioners struggle to get clear information about resolution timelines. One approach I've seen work (though it's not guaranteed) is requesting your complete account transcript rather than just the return transcript. The account transcript sometimes shows additional transaction codes that can provide clues about what specifically triggered the freeze. Look for any 424, 436, or 922 codes that might indicate the nature of the verification they're seeking. Also, since you mentioned updating your address information, make sure the IRS has your current address in their system independently of your return. Sometimes an 810 freeze won't clear even after other issues are resolved if there's still an address mismatch in their records. You can update this through Form 8822 if needed. The waiting game is unfortunately real with these codes, but having complete information about your account status can at least help you understand what you're waiting for.

Has anyone here dealt with platforms that require your SSN even if you have an EIN? I'm dealing with one right now that claims they need both and it's making me really uncomfortable.

You're absolutely right to be concerned about that platform requirement! I had a similar issue with a platform that claimed they needed both my SSN and EIN. After some back and forth with their support team, it turned out their system was just poorly designed and they only actually needed the EIN for tax reporting purposes. Here's what I'd suggest: First, double-check their actual tax documentation requirements - sometimes the onboarding flow asks for more info than they legally need for 1099 reporting. Second, if they truly require both, that's a red flag and you might want to consider if that platform is worth the privacy risk. Most legitimate platforms should accept just your EIN on a properly filled W-9 form. The whole point of getting an EIN is to avoid using your SSN for business purposes. If they're insisting on both, I'd escalate to a supervisor or compliance team member who actually understands tax requirements.

This exact same thing happened to me last month! I got a random $687 deposit labeled "IRS TREAS 310" and was completely panicked thinking it was a mistake. After checking my IRS transcript online, I found out they had automatically corrected an error with my Premium Tax Credit calculation from my health insurance marketplace. Apparently the IRS cross-references your tax return with information they receive from insurance companies, and sometimes they catch discrepancies that result in additional refunds. In my case, I had underestimated the credit I was eligible for. The key thing is that IRS TREAS 310 specifically indicates a legitimate tax refund - not a stimulus payment, not an error, but an actual refund from your filed return. If it was a mistake, they would use different processing codes. You should definitely keep the money and just wait for the explanation letter that will arrive in a few weeks. Don't stress about it - this is actually pretty common this year!

I work as a tax preparer and see this situation a lot! The IRS TREAS 310 code is specifically for legitimate tax refunds, so you can definitely keep that $843 without worry. What's likely happening is the IRS made an automatic adjustment to your return after processing it. This is super common this year - they're catching things like: - Miscalculated credits (EIC, Child Tax Credit, etc.) - Overlooked deductions you qualified for - Math errors that worked in your favor - Interest on delayed processing The fact that it doesn't match any amount you recognize is actually normal - these adjustments often involve complex calculations with credits and phaseouts that result in seemingly random amounts. You'll get a CP11 or CP12 notice in the mail explaining exactly what they changed, but it can take 2-4 weeks to arrive. If you want answers now, definitely check your IRS online account transcript - it'll show the specific adjustment codes and which lines on your return were modified. Bottom line: IRS TREAS 310 = legitimate money that belongs to you. No need to stress about paying it back!