I went through this exact same thing about 6 months ago! The notice looks super scary at first, but it's actually pretty straightforward once you get through to them. My biggest tip is to call right when they open at 7 AM - I got through in like 10 minutes vs the 2+ hours I waited when I called in the afternoon. Also, have your Social Security card handy because they asked for the exact issue date on mine, which I totally wasn't expecting. The agent was really nice and explained that they just flag returns that seem unusual (mine was because I moved states and had a big change in income). Whole process took maybe 25 minutes and my refund was processed within 5 days. You got this! 💪

Just wanted to chime in with my experience! I got the 4883C notice about 3 months ago and was totally panicking at first. But honestly, once I actually called (took me like 4 tries to get through lol), the whole thing was way less scary than I expected. The IRS rep was super professional and walked me through everything step by step. They asked for basic stuff like my SSN, filing status, and some questions about my previous year's return. The call took about 15 minutes and my refund was released 3 days later! My advice: don't put it off like I did - just rip the bandaid off and call. And definitely try that early morning calling tip someone mentioned above. Good luck! 🍀

Be careful about state taxes too! Even though you're working abroad, some states might still consider you a resident for tax purposes if you maintain ties there (driver's license, voter registration, bank accounts, etc). If you haven't formally changed your domicile, you might need to report those dividends on a state return too.

Great question! I dealt with something very similar last year with my Schwab account. Even without a 1099-DIV, you absolutely need to report those dividends. In TurboTax, when you get to the investment income section, look for "I'll enter investment income that doesn't appear on any tax forms" or similar wording. You'll enter your $7.85 as dividend income - make sure to check your Fidelity account statements to see if any portion was classified as "qualified dividends" vs "ordinary dividends" since they're taxed differently. Since you're already dealing with international tax complexities with Form 2555, you might want to consider upgrading to TurboTax Premier or consulting with a tax professional who handles expat situations. The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion doesn't apply to investment income, so those dividends will be subject to regular US tax rates regardless of where you're living. One more tip: keep detailed records of your account statements showing the dividend amounts and dates, especially since you don't have an official 1099. The IRS may ask for documentation if they have questions later.

I've been dealing with Tax Topic 151 reviews for the past few years and wanted to share some practical tips that might help speed things up (even if just slightly). First, don't wait to call - the sooner you contact them, the sooner you can potentially identify what specific documentation they need. When you do call 1-800-829-0582 ext. 362, try calling right at 7am when they open - your wait times will be much shorter. For reference code 1242 specifically, this usually means they're cross-checking your reported income against third-party documents. Before calling, double-check that: - All W-2 amounts match exactly what you reported - Any 1099s are accounted for - Your AGI calculation is correct - Head of Household qualifying criteria are properly documented One thing that helped me last year was requesting my wage and income transcript online at irs.gov before calling. This shows exactly what income documents the IRS has received from your employers/payers. If there's a mismatch, you can address it proactively. The 60-120 day timeframe is accurate, but I've seen some resolve in 30-45 days when people had all their documentation ready and called early in the process. Stay organized and don't let the anxiety get to you - these reviews are way more common than people think!

I'm going through the exact same thing right now - got Tax Topic 151 with reference 1242 about two weeks ago and the stress is unreal! Reading through everyone's experiences here has been so reassuring though. What really stood out to me from @Sophia Nguyen's advice is getting the wage transcript first. I just ordered mine online and it should arrive in 5-10 business days. That way I can compare everything before calling and potentially save myself multiple phone calls if there are discrepancies. @Isabella Santos - I know you're worried about the timeline, but honestly after reading all these responses, it seems like 60-90 days is pretty standard and most people do get their refunds eventually. The Head of Household verification seems to be super common right now. One thing I'm planning to do is create a simple checklist of all the documents they might ask for: - 2023 tax return (obviously) - All W-2s and 1099s - Proof of HOH status (lease, utility bills showing who lived with me) - Dependent documentation if applicable - The WMR status page printout That way when I finally get through to someone, I won't be scrambling around looking for paperwork. The waiting sucks but at least we're all in this together! Keep us posted on what happens when you call - I'm sure others going through this would appreciate the update too.

I experienced this exact same issue with Green Dot about two weeks ago! My refund was supposed to be direct deposited but got switched to paper check at the last minute. After doing some research, I found out that Green Dot has had some compliance issues with the IRS in recent years, which is why they're flagging more deposits from that bank. The good news is that my paper check arrived exactly 12 days after the status changed in the "Where's My Refund" tool. I was stressed about it initially, but the timeline was actually pretty predictable once I knew what to expect. One thing I learned is that you can actually deposit the Treasury check through your Green Dot mobile app once you receive it, so you don't have to find a physical location to cash it. That saved me a trip and got the funds available faster than I expected. For future reference, I'm planning to use a traditional bank account for next year's refund to avoid this hassle altogether.

I'm dealing with this exact situation right now! Green Dot switched my refund to paper check yesterday and I'm honestly panicking a bit since I have some time-sensitive financial obligations coming up. Reading through everyone's experiences here is actually really reassuring though - sounds like this is more common than I realized. @Grace Lee - thanks for the technical breakdown about the DDR codes. That helps explain what's actually happening behind the scenes. I'm wondering if there's any way to prevent this from happening again next year, or if using Green Dot just means accepting this risk? @Nia Harris - 12 days is definitely better than the 2-3 weeks some people mentioned! Did you get any notification from Green Dot themselves about the rejection, or did you only find out through the IRS portal? I'm definitely considering switching to a credit union for next year based on what everyone's saying here. Has anyone had better luck with specific institutions for tax refunds? I'd rather deal with slightly lower interest rates than go through this stress again. The USPS Informed Delivery tip is clutch - just signed up for that too. At least now I'll have some visibility into when the check is actually coming instead of just waiting and wondering.

I never received an email but I did use taxr.ai to interpret my transcript and it correctly predicted my deposit would arrive on Wednesday - which it did! Saved me so much anxiety. The site gave me a detailed breakdown of exactly what was happening with my return.

I'm in the exact same situation! Got my email Tuesday saying 5 days, and I've been refreshing my banking app every few hours like a crazy person 😅 Based on what everyone's saying here, it sounds like 3-5 business days is pretty normal. The transcript checking tip sounds really helpful - I had no idea you could see those codes online. Fingers crossed we both see our deposits by Friday!