I'm so sorry to hear about your extended wait, Mae. 20 weeks is definitely beyond the normal timeframe, and your frustration is completely understandable. After reading through all these helpful responses, I wanted to share my own experience - I waited 26 weeks for my FICA refund last year and it was absolutely maddening. What finally worked for me was a combination approach: First, I called the IRS at 800-829-1040 right when they opened (7 AM) on a Tuesday morning and specifically asked to be transferred to "Accounts Management" - this is the specialized unit that handles FICA refunds. The regular customer service reps often don't have access to the right systems. Second, I also contacted the Taxpayer Advocate Service since I was well past the 12 weeks + 30 days threshold that qualifies as an "unreasonable delay." They assigned a case worker who was able to track down exactly where my application was stuck. It turned out my refund was sitting in what they called the "correspondence review" queue because the IRS had questions about one of my supporting documents, but they never sent me a letter requesting clarification. Once the advocate's office flagged this, they expedited the review and I had my refund within 3 weeks. I'd definitely recommend trying both approaches - the direct call to get immediate information about your case status, and the Taxpayer Advocate for longer-term resolution if needed. Don't give up - these refunds do eventually come through, the system is just frustratingly slow and poorly designed for tracking. Keep all your documentation handy when you call, including your certified mail receipt if you have one. Good luck!

I'm dealing with a very similar situation and this thread has been a lifesaver! I filed my FICA refund application in February 2025 (also by mail with certified delivery) and I'm now at 25 weeks with zero communication from the IRS. Like many others here, I tried the "Where's My Refund" tool multiple times before realizing it doesn't work for FICA refunds. What's really frustrating is that the IRS website makes it sound like 12 weeks is the standard processing time, but clearly that's not realistic given everyone's experiences here. I wish they would just be upfront about the actual timeframes instead of giving false hope. Based on all the advice shared here, I'm planning to call 800-829-1040 first thing Tuesday morning and ask specifically for "Accounts Management" - thanks Dylan for that tip! I'm also going to contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service since I'm well past their delay threshold. One thing I wanted to add that might help others - I've been keeping a detailed log of every attempt I've made to contact the IRS, including dates, times, and any reference numbers. Even when I get disconnected or can't get through, I document it. I have a feeling this documentation will be helpful when I finally get someone on the phone who can actually help. Mae, I really hope you get some movement on your case soon. It's ridiculous that we have to become detective investigators just to get our own money back from the government!

Quick question - has anyone here successfully claimed both the Lifetime Learning Credit AND used employer tuition reimbursement in the same year? My situation seems similar to the original poster.

Laura, I went through almost the exact same situation with my MBA program last year! The timing confusion is totally normal - don't worry about the "mess" because this is actually pretty straightforward once you understand the key principles. Here's what I learned: You're absolutely right that you can maximize the $5,250 exclusion across multiple years. Since your reimbursements will span 2025-2026 (and potentially into 2027 if any payments are delayed), you can indeed take advantage of the annual exclusion in each year you receive payments. For your 2024 taxes, you'll report the 1099-T but won't report any reimbursement income since you didn't receive any in 2024. The January 2025 reimbursement will count toward your 2025 tax year, and so on. One thing to watch out for that saved me money: make sure your employer properly codes the reimbursements on your W-2. The first $5,250 each year should be excluded from your taxable wages, not just have taxes calculated differently. If they're including the full amount as taxable income, you'll need to work with HR to get that corrected. Also consider whether you want to claim education credits (like Lifetime Learning Credit) on the expenses that aren't covered by the tax-free reimbursement - just remember you can't use the same expenses for both benefits.

The early deposit feature is offered by some banks as a courtesy, but it's not guaranteed. When it fails, your refund defaults to the standard processing time. The IRS isn't denying you anything - they're sending it on the date they always planned to (your DDD). Your bank is the one that tried to get it to you early and couldn't.

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Got denied for the early deposit and now I'm seeing that pending status again even though I have the email confirmation for today. Reading through all these responses is actually making me feel a lot better - sounds like this is happening to tons of people this year. I'm going to check my bank account throughout the day and if nothing shows up by tomorrow evening, I'll call my bank first like some people suggested. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, it really helps to know I'm not alone in this mess!

I just went through this exact scenario! The key thing is whether you deducted or depreciated the digital assets when you got them. If you expensed them (deducted the full cost when purchased), there's no need to report anything when closing your business. If you depreciated them as capital assets, then you need Form 4797. For my graphic design business, I had purchased some expensive font packages and stock photo collections. Since I had fully expensed them under Section 179 in the year I bought them, my tax preparer said I didn't need to report them at all when closing my business.

Just to add another perspective - I went through business closure last year and found that the IRS actually has some helpful guidance on their website about asset disposition when closing a sole proprietorship. The key distinction is between "disposition" (selling, exchanging, or abandoning property) and simply converting business property to personal use. For digital assets like templates, photos, or software that you're keeping and not selling, this is typically considered conversion to personal use rather than a disposition that requires Form 4797. However, if any of these digital assets were subject to depreciation (which is uncommon for most digital media but possible for expensive software), then you'd need to report the conversion at fair market value. For most small digital assets that were expensed when purchased, no additional reporting is needed when closing your business. The bottom line: if you're not selling the assets and you didn't depreciate them, Form 4797 likely doesn't apply to those specific items.

14 Don't forget you can also use Form 4852 (Substitute for W-2) as a last resort if you can't get your W2 info from any source. You'd need to estimate your wages and withholding as accurately as possible from your final pay stubs.

I went through something similar when my company closed unexpectedly. One thing that really helped me was checking if your state has a Department of Labor or Employment office that might have wage records. Some states keep copies of quarterly wage reports that can help you reconstruct your W2 information if other methods don't work out. Also, if you have any old pay stubs from that job, keep them handy - they'll have a lot of the same information as your W2 and can help verify the numbers you get from the IRS transcript. The year-to-date totals on your final pay stub should match what was reported on your W2. Good luck getting this sorted out! It's frustrating when companies just disappear like that, but there are definitely ways to get the info you need to file your taxes.