IRS

Can't reach IRS? Claimyr connects you to a live IRS agent in minutes.

Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.



Fox KTVUABC 7CBSSan Francisco Chronicle

Using Claimyr will:

  • Connect you to a human agent at the IRS
  • Skip the long phone menu
  • Call the correct department
  • Redial until on hold
  • Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
  • Give you free callbacks if the IRS drops your call

If I could give 10 stars I would

If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!


Really made a difference

Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.


Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.

Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.


An incredibly helpful service

An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls – which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!


Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.

Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.


IT WORKS!! Not a scam!

I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!

Read all of our Trustpilot reviews


Ask the community...

  • DO post questions about your issues.
  • DO answer questions and support each other.
  • DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
  • DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)

4 Don't forget that for the 2025 tax year, you can only deduct charitable contributions up to 60% of your adjusted gross income for cash donations to public charities like churches. If your donation is larger than that, you can carry forward the excess for up to 5 years. Also, inheritance itself isn't taxable income at the federal level, but if the house appreciated in value between when you inherited it and when you sold it, you might owe capital gains tax on that growth. The charitable donation might help offset some of that tax liability.

0 coins

Amina Sy

•

Just wanted to add something important that I learned the hard way - if you inherited the house and then sold it, make sure you understand the "stepped-up basis" rules. When you inherit property, your cost basis is typically the fair market value on the date your grandmother passed away, not what she originally paid for it. This means if the house was worth $200k when you inherited it and you sold it for $205k, you'd only owe capital gains tax on that $5k difference, not on your grandmother's original purchase price. This can make a huge difference in your tax liability and might affect how much you want to donate. Also, since you're planning to donate 10% as a tithe, keep in mind that regular tithing throughout the year can be a good tax strategy if you're consistently over the standard deduction threshold. Many people bunch their charitable giving into alternating years to maximize the tax benefit.

0 coins

Based on what others have shared here, it sounds like you're likely in the clear for Form 926 with such a tiny ownership stake (0.00003%). The 5% threshold exemption should definitely apply to you. That said, I'd strongly recommend double-checking your K-1 supplemental materials for any mentions of foreign reporting requirements. Even though you don't need Form 926, there could be other foreign forms required depending on what types of investments the PTP holds overseas. I've learned the hard way that it's always better to be overly cautious with foreign reporting requirements - the penalties can be severe if you miss something. If you can't find clear guidance in your partnership documents, it might be worth getting a definitive answer from a tax professional or the IRS directly rather than guessing.

0 coins

Mateo Lopez

•

This is really helpful advice! I'm also in a similar situation with a small PTP stake and foreign complications. Your point about checking the K-1 supplemental materials is spot on - I almost missed some PFIC reporting requirements that were buried in the footnotes last year. One thing I've found useful is to create a checklist of all the potential foreign forms (926, 8621, 8938, FBAR, etc.) and systematically go through each one to see if it applies. Even though most won't be relevant for small investors, it helps ensure you don't overlook anything important. The penalty risk is definitely real - better to spend a little extra time upfront than deal with IRS issues later!

0 coins

Nathan Kim

•

Great question, and you're absolutely right to be cautious about this! With your 0.00003% ownership stake, you should be well under the 5% threshold that exempts you from filing Form 926 personally. The partnership itself would handle the reporting for their transfer to the foreign corporation. However, I'd echo what others have mentioned about checking for other potential foreign reporting requirements. Even though Form 926 doesn't apply to you, your K-1 might contain information that triggers other forms like 8621 for PFICs or 8938 for foreign financial assets. One practical tip: when you get your Schedule K-1, look specifically for any codes in boxes 11, 13, 16, or 17 that relate to foreign activities. PTPs are usually pretty good about including supplemental statements that explain any additional filing obligations that flow through to partners. The good news is that with such a minimal ownership percentage, you're unlikely to hit the thresholds for most foreign reporting requirements, but it's still worth a quick check to be absolutely certain. The penalties for missing required foreign forms can be harsh, so better safe than sorry!

0 coins

Private Student Loan Forgiveness from Discover - How to Handle 1099-C on Taxes

So I just got a bunch of 1099-C forms from Discover after they cancelled my private student loans (they're getting out of the student loan business apparently). I've got 5 different forms - four from my regular semesters plus a smaller one from when I needed money during my internship housing situation. I'm super confused about whether this counts as taxable income or not. I've seen people saying completely opposite things online. The most promising thing I found was on Discover's own website that says "Private student loans that have been forgiven between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2025, are exempt from federal income taxes." But then other sources seem to suggest I'll need to pay taxes on this. If that's the case, I might qualify for the Insolvency exclusion since the cancelled debt amount is way higher than my total assets. Another complication: my dad cosigned on three of these loans and HE got 1099-Cs too! Do we both report the same cancelled debt? Like if we had a $12,000 loan that was forgiven, and we both got 1099-Cs, do we each claim $12,000 of cancelled debt income or just $6,000 each? Or does only one of us report it? Really hoping someone here has dealt with this before! My main questions are: 1) Are private student loans from Discover that were forgiven in 2024 exempt from federal taxes? 2) How does the Insolvency exclusion work if I need it? 3) How do cosigners handle reporting 1099-C forms for the same debt? I'm definitely planning to talk to a tax professional but would love some insight before then!

ShadowHunter

•

This has been an incredibly informative thread! As someone who just received similar 1099-C forms from a different private lender, I wanted to add one more consideration that my tax attorney mentioned. Even though the American Rescue Plan Act provides the federal exemption through 2025, it's worth noting that this is temporary legislation. If you're planning any major financial decisions based on the tax-free nature of this forgiveness (like taking on new debt or making large purchases), just keep in mind that similar forgiveness after 2025 would likely be taxable again under current law. Also, for anyone who might be in this situation in future years, the exemption specifically requires that the loans were forgiven between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2025. So the timing of when Discover (or other lenders) actually processed the forgiveness matters, not just when you received the 1099-C forms. One practical tip: if you're using a tax preparer, bring all this documentation we've been discussing, but also ask them to put a note in your file about the American Rescue Plan Act exemption. If you get questioned by the IRS later, having that professional documentation trail showing the exemption was considered will be helpful. The original poster should definitely feel confident proceeding with the tax exemption approach based on all the evidence presented here. This community discussion has been more thorough than most professional consultations I've seen!

0 coins

Tony Brooks

•

This is such an excellent point about the temporary nature of the exemption! I hadn't really thought about the implications beyond just handling this year's taxes. It's definitely worth keeping in mind that if any additional forgiveness happens after 2025, we'd be back to the old rules where it would likely be taxable income. The timing clarification is really important too - I just double-checked my 1099-C forms and confirmed the actual forgiveness dates were all in 2024, so I'm definitely within the exemption window. But you're right that people need to look at the actual forgiveness date, not just when they received the forms. I love the suggestion about having the tax preparer document the exemption reasoning in their files. That kind of professional paper trail could be invaluable if questions come up later. I'm definitely going to ask my preparer to do this when I meet with them next week. This whole thread has been amazingly comprehensive - way more helpful than anything I found in my initial research online. It's given me the confidence to move forward with claiming the exemption and the knowledge to document everything properly. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and expertise!

0 coins

This has been such a comprehensive and helpful discussion! I'm in a similar situation with private student loan forgiveness and wanted to add one more resource that helped me understand the legal framework. The key section of the tax code is IRC Section 108(f)(5), which was temporarily modified by the American Rescue Plan Act. This section now excludes from gross income any amount of student loan forgiveness between 2021-2025, regardless of whether it's federal or private, as long as it meets the "qualified education loan" definition. What really sealed it for me was finding IRS Notice 2021-58, which specifically addresses the tax treatment of student loan forgiveness under the American Rescue Plan Act. While it doesn't explicitly mention private loans, it refers broadly to "student loan indebtedness" that meets the qualified education loan requirements. For anyone still on the fence about whether this exemption applies to private loans like Discover's, the fact that major lenders are explicitly stating the forgiveness is tax-exempt on their websites suggests their legal teams have thoroughly vetted this position. Companies like Discover wouldn't make such definitive statements about tax treatment without solid legal backing. One final tip: if you use tax software, look for a specific section about "cancelled debt" or "1099-C reporting" - most major programs now have built-in logic to handle the American Rescue Plan Act exemptions. Just make sure to indicate that it was student loan forgiveness, not other types of cancelled debt. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this thread should be bookmarked for anyone dealing with private student loan forgiveness!

0 coins

As someone who's been following IRS enforcement trends, I'd add that captive insurance arrangements have become a major audit target over the past few years. The IRS has specifically identified "micro-captives" (those electing under Section 831(b)) as abusive tax shelters in many cases. What's particularly important to understand is that the IRS doesn't just look at whether you meet the technical requirements - they're heavily focused on economic substance. Even if your captive meets all the letter-of-the-law requirements, if the primary purpose appears to be tax avoidance rather than legitimate risk management, you could face significant penalties and back taxes. The key factors they examine include: whether the risks being insured are actually risks your business faces, if premium amounts are reasonable based on actuarial analysis, whether there's meaningful risk distribution (not just circular transactions), and if the captive operates like a real insurance company with proper claims procedures. Before considering any captive arrangement, I'd strongly recommend getting opinions from both tax counsel AND insurance regulatory attorneys, plus having independent actuarial studies done. The documentation requirements are extensive and the penalties for getting it wrong can be severe.

0 coins

This is exactly the kind of warning that needed to be said. Giovanni's point about economic substance is crucial - the IRS has gotten much more aggressive about looking beyond just the technical compliance checklist. I've been reading about some recent Tax Court cases where businesses thought they had everything properly structured, but the court still ruled against them because the arrangement lacked genuine business purpose. In one case I saw, even though the captive met all the Section 831(b) requirements, the judge found that the primary motivation was tax avoidance because the "risks" being insured were either minimal or already adequately covered by commercial insurance. The documentation burden is no joke either. You need to maintain detailed records showing legitimate claims processes, independent board governance, actuarially sound premium calculations, and evidence that you're actually operating as an insurance company rather than just a tax shelter. From what I understand, the IRS can request years of documentation during an examination. For a newcomer to this topic like me, it's becoming clear that captive insurance might work for some very specific situations, but the compliance and audit risk makes it unsuitable for most small to medium businesses looking for straightforward tax planning strategies.

0 coins

Chloe Green

•

This has been an incredibly educational thread. As someone who was initially intrigued by the tax benefits of captive insurance after hearing about it at a networking event, I now have a much clearer understanding of both the mechanics and the risks involved. The key takeaways for me are: 1) The IRS treats these arrangements with extreme scrutiny and has them on their "Dirty Dozen" list, 2) The administrative and compliance costs often outweigh the tax benefits for businesses under $100M in revenue, 3) Economic substance matters more than just technical compliance, and 4) You need genuine business risks and legitimate insurance operations, not just tax avoidance motives. Giovanni's point about needing both tax counsel AND insurance regulatory attorneys really drives home how complex this area is. For my mid-sized manufacturing business, it's becoming clear that the audit risk and compliance burden would likely outweigh any potential benefits. I'm curious - for those who decided against captives after researching them, what alternative risk management or tax planning strategies did you end up pursuing instead? It seems like there might be simpler approaches that achieve similar risk management goals without the regulatory complexity.

0 coins

Ravi Gupta

•

Great question, Chloe! After ruling out captive insurance for our business (similar revenue range to yours), we ended up focusing on a few simpler strategies that gave us better risk management without the IRS headaches. First, we worked with our commercial insurance broker to find specialty coverage for our unique manufacturing risks rather than trying to self-insure through a captive. Turned out there were niche insurers willing to cover some risks we thought were uninsurable, just took more shopping around. For tax planning, we shifted focus to more straightforward approaches like optimizing our equipment depreciation schedules, exploring R&D tax credits for our product development work, and setting up a properly structured employee benefit plan that provided legitimate deductions while helping retain key staff. We also looked into establishing a more robust self-insurance reserve fund for smaller, frequent risks (like minor equipment repairs) while maintaining commercial coverage for major exposures. This gave us some of the cash flow benefits of self-insurance without the regulatory complexity of a formal captive structure. The compliance burden and audit risk with captives just wasn't worth it when these simpler strategies achieved most of our goals with far less complexity and professional fees.

0 coins

Another option to consider is creating a formal "advertising services agreement" with the Little League rather than just donating the equipment. I did this with my hardware store when we provided branded equipment to the local high school. The agreement should specify: - You retain ownership of the equipment - The Little League agrees to display your branding/advertising - Specific terms for how long they can use it - Maintenance responsibilities - Insurance coverage This documentation helped me clearly establish the business purpose when I was audited last year. The IRS initially questioned whether my equipment donations were actually advertising expenses, but the formal agreement made it clear this was a legitimate advertising arrangement.

0 coins

StarSailor

•

Did you still have to depreciate the equipment over time or were you able to use Section 179 to deduct it all in the first year? I'm looking at doing something similar for my landscaping business with the local parks.

0 coins

I was able to use Section 179 to deduct the full amount in the first year. The key was having that formal advertising agreement that clearly established the business purpose. The IRS agent who handled my audit specifically noted that the documentation made it clear this was a legitimate business advertising expense, not a donation. She also mentioned that taking photos of the equipment with my branding visible and keeping records of customers who mentioned seeing the equipment were important supporting evidence. Make sure your agreement specifically calls out the advertising purpose rather than just being a "sponsorship.

0 coins

Don't forget about liability issues! My friend did something similar with his restaurant, providing branded cooking equipment to the local community center, and got sued when someone got injured using it. Make sure your agreement includes: - Liability waivers - Clear maintenance responsibilities - Insurance requirements - Training provisions if needed The Little League should add your equipment to their insurance policy, and you should check with your business insurance to see if you need additional coverage for equipment used off-premises.

0 coins

Yara Sabbagh

•

That's a really good point. Would a standard liability waiver be enough or should I have an attorney draft something specific? Also, wouldn't the Little League's insurance typically cover equipment they're using regardless of who owns it?

0 coins

You definitely want an attorney to draft something specific rather than using a standard waiver. Equipment liability can get complex, especially with specialized machinery like pitching machines that have moving parts and potential for injury. Regarding insurance - don't assume the Little League's policy will cover your equipment. Many general liability policies have exclusions for equipment owned by third parties. I'd recommend having your attorney include specific language requiring the Little League to either add your equipment as a scheduled item on their policy or provide you with a certificate of insurance showing coverage. Also consider requiring them to name you as an additional insured on their policy for claims related to your equipment. This gives you direct coverage rather than having to rely on them to handle claims properly. The few hundred dollars for proper legal documentation upfront could save you tens of thousands if something goes wrong.

0 coins

Prev1...26442645264626472648...5643Next