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.
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!
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 :)
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
that refund freeze from march is sus. did you get any letters about identity verification?
Already verified back in April and got the confirmation letter
I feel your frustration! With your 180-day review period officially complete and identity already verified, you're in a strong position to get that freeze lifted. Since the amended return hotline (1-866-464-2050) can have long waits, here are a few additional strategies: 1. Try calling right at 7 AM EST when lines open - much shorter wait times 2. If you can't get through, try the general IRS line (1-800-829-1040) and ask to be transferred to Accounts Management 3. Document every call with date/time/reference numbers for your records Your transcript clearly shows everything processed correctly - the $11,721 refund is legitimate based on your withholdings, EIC, and credits minus your tax liability. The March freeze code 810 should have been automatically released after identity verification, but sometimes requires manual intervention. If phone calls don't work within a week, definitely escalate to Taxpayer Advocate Service now that you're past the 180-day threshold. They have more authority to resolve frozen refunds when all requirements have been met. Hang in there - you've done everything right and that refund should be released soon! 🤞
Join the conversation
I'm also an international student and cryptos are taxed weirdly in US. 2 important things to understand - your TAX RESIDENCY status is completely different from your IMMIGRATION status. You could be nonresident for immigration (F1 student) but still be resident for tax purposes if you stay in US long enough (substantial presence test). This affects which form you fill - 1040 vs 1040NR. Also even if youre nonresident, ANY crypto you sell while physically present in US is US-sourced income taxable here. Doesnt matter if your exchange thinks your foreign or not, you still gotta report it!
This is so confusing. So if I bought Bitcoin while in my home country but sold it while studying in the US, it's US-sourced income? What if I bought it in the US but sold after returning home? The location rules for crypto seem really unclear.
The location rules for crypto are indeed complex! Generally, if you sold crypto while physically present in the US, it's considered US-sourced income regardless of where you originally purchased it. So your first scenario (bought abroad, sold in US) would likely be US-sourced and taxable here. For your second scenario (bought in US, sold after returning home), it gets trickier. The IRS generally considers the location where the sale transaction occurs as the determining factor for sourcing. If you executed the sale while physically outside the US, it might not be US-sourced income, but this can depend on various factors including which exchange you used and how the transaction was processed. The safest approach is to consult the IRS guidelines or speak with a tax professional who specializes in international student tax issues, especially since these rules can have significant implications for your tax obligations.
As someone who went through a very similar situation last year, I completely understand your confusion! The key thing to remember is that the forms you receive from different platforms don't determine your actual tax filing requirements - your immigration and tax residency status does. Since you're an international grad student, you'll most likely need to file Form 1040NR (not 1040) regardless of what Coinbase provided you. The reason TD Ameritrade sent you 1042S is because they correctly identified you as a non-resident alien, while Coinbase may not have your status properly documented in their system. Here's what I'd recommend: First, determine your tax residency status using the substantial presence test (but remember F-1 students have an exemption for the first 5 calendar years). Then file 1040NR and report all your crypto transactions using Form 8949, just like you would attach it to a regular 1040. The most important thing is accurate reporting on your actual tax return - don't worry too much about the inconsistency in the forms you received from different platforms. What matters is that you report all your US-source income correctly as a non-resident alien.
This is really helpful advice, thank you! I'm in my second year as an F-1 student, so I should definitely qualify for the student exemption from the substantial presence test. One thing I'm still unclear about - when you say "report all your crypto transactions using Form 8949," do I need to list every single buy/sell transaction, or can I summarize similar transactions? I had probably 50+ small trades throughout the year and I'm worried about making the form incredibly long. Also, did you run into any issues with the IRS when your actual filing (1040NR) didn't match the forms your exchanges provided?
Join the conversation
Here's a simple example to help understand blended/effective tax rates: Let's say you're married filing jointly with $250,000 taxable income. Your marginal rate is 24% (based on 2023 brackets), but you don't pay 24% on all $250,000. You pay: - 10% on first $22,000 = $2,200 - 12% on next $67,450 = $8,094 - 22% on next $101,300 = $22,286 - 24% on final $59,250 = $14,220 Total tax: $46,800 Blended/effective rate: $46,800 ÷ $250,000 = 18.7% Your "tax bracket" is 24% but you're actually paying 18.7% overall!
OK this example really helps put it into perspective! No wonder my blended rate is so much lower than my tax bracket. Does TurboTax show this calculation somewhere in the final review? I feel like they should make this more obvious since so many of us are confused about it.
TurboTax does show this calculation, but they don't make it very obvious. In the desktop version, look for the "Tax Tools" menu and then "Tax Summary" - it should have a breakdown of your income by bracket. In the online version, check the "Review" section and look for "Tax Calculation" or something similar. I agree they should make it clearer - many people don't understand they're only paying their highest rate on a portion of their income, not all of it. This is why you'll often hear people say things like "I don't want a raise because it'll push me into a higher tax bracket" - which is a fundamental misunderstanding of how our tax system works.
I feel like high schools should teach this basic tax info! I went years thinking I was being taxed at my highest bracket rate on ALL my income. Literally nobody explained the progressive system to me until I was 30.
100% agree. I'm a high school math teacher and I've been fighting to add a personal finance unit that includes tax calculations. The pushback I get is "it's too complicated" or "that's what tax preparers are for" - but this is such basic knowledge everyone should have.
@Abigail Spencer That s'so frustrating! Personal finance education is desperately needed. Even something as simple as explaining marginal vs effective tax rates could save people so much confusion and stress. I see posts like this all the time where people are genuinely worried they re'doing something wrong with their taxes when they just don t'understand the progressive system. Keep fighting the good fight - maybe you could start with a simple example like the one Austin posted above to show administrators how accessible this information can be when explained clearly.
Join the conversation
Another option is to request an "Account Transcript" instead of just the wage and income transcript. It shows different info like estimated tax payments you've made, any adjustments or credits from previous years that might carry forward, and other account activity. I usually request both to get the full picture before filing.
This is really helpful, I didn't know there were different types of transcripts! Will the Account Transcript show things like estimated tax payments I made throughout the year? I made quarterly payments but lost one of my records.
Yes, the Account Transcript will show all the estimated tax payments you made throughout the year, including the date received and amount for each payment. It's perfect for confirming those quarterly payments when you've misplaced your records. The Account Transcript also shows any credits applied from previous years, adjustments made to your account, and other activity like penalties or interest. It essentially gives you a comprehensive view of your account balance and transaction history with the IRS, which complements the income information from the wage and income transcript.
Just a heads up - sometimes the wage and income transcript isn't fully updated until later in the year. I checked mine in February and it was missing several 1099s that I knew had been issued. When I checked again in April, they had appeared. So if you find things missing, it might just be timing rather than actual missing documents.
That's a good point. Do you know if there's a specific deadline for when all documents should be reported to the IRS and show up on the transcript?
Most employers and financial institutions have until January 31st to send 1099s and W-2s to recipients and file them with the IRS. However, the IRS systems can take several weeks to process and make them available on transcripts. From my experience, most documents show up by mid-February, but some can take until March or even April depending on the issuer and any corrections that need to be made. If you're missing something after April, that's when I'd start following up directly with the issuer or calling the IRS. The IRS also updates their transcripts weekly, usually on Fridays, so it's worth checking back periodically if you think something should be there but isn't showing up yet.
Ruby Garcia
Yes!! Make the switch! I was in your exact situation last year - HSA account holder getting forced into TurboTax Deluxe. Switched to FreeTaxUSA and absolutely no regrets.
0 coins
Alexander Evans
•Did you find any features missing from FreeTaxUSA that you had with TurboTax? I'm worried I'll miss something important during the switch.
0 coins
Henry Delgado
I made the switch from TurboTax to FreeTaxUSA two years ago for exactly this reason - they were trying to charge me $59 just for having an HSA! FreeTaxUSA has been fantastic and completely legitimate. The interface is definitely more no-frills compared to TurboTax's flashy design, but it walks you through everything you need and includes all the necessary forms in their free version. I actually prefer it now because there's no constant pestering to upgrade or buy additional services. One thing I really appreciate is their transparent pricing - what you see is what you get. No surprise fees at the end. The $15 state filing fee (if you need it) is clearly stated upfront, unlike TurboTax's habit of revealing costs at the last minute. Your tax situation sounds perfect for FreeTaxUSA's free tier. With just W-2 income, standard deduction, and an HSA, you'll have everything you need without paying a dime for federal filing. I've recommended it to several friends in similar situations and they've all been happy with the switch.
0 coins