To all those having trouble reaching a human at IRS. I just ran across this video that gave me a shortcut to reach a human. Hope it helps! https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c

Hey Phillip! I've been seeing this same message for about 10 days now. From what I've gathered talking to others and doing some research, this is basically the IRS's standard "we got your return and we're working on it" message. It doesn't necessarily mean there's a problem - they just haven't finished processing it yet. The 21 day timeframe is more of a guideline than a guarantee, especially during busy filing season. If it's been longer than 21 days from when they received it, that's when you might want to call them directly. In the meantime, just keep checking WMR every few days for updates. Hope this helps ease some worry!

My sister dealt with this exact situation! Her husband was in the Philippines while she was in the US with their son. The IRS actually flagged her return for review when she filed as Head of Household because they had record of her marriage from the I-130 petition. She had to provide extra documentation showing she qualified as "considered unmarried" for tax purposes. Just something to be aware of!

This is such a stressful situation, but you're definitely not alone in dealing with this confusion! Based on what you've described, you have a few paths forward: Since your husband is living abroad and you're supporting your daughter, you might actually qualify for Head of Household if you can demonstrate that you're "considered unmarried" for tax purposes. This requires living apart from your spouse for the last 6 months of the tax year and paying more than half the costs of maintaining your home. However, given the complexity with the I-130 petition and potential IRS scrutiny (as others have mentioned), Married Filing Separately might be the safer route to avoid any flags or requests for additional documentation. For the address issue with your husband's country not using postal codes - you can write "Foreign" in the ZIP code field or use "00000" as many tax software programs require something in that field. Definitely amend last year's return from Single to the correct status. The IRS is pretty understanding about honest mistakes, especially in complex immigration situations like yours. Have you considered consulting with a tax professional who specializes in international tax situations? They might be able to run the numbers both ways (HOH vs MFS) to see which gives you the better outcome while minimizing audit risk. Hang in there - tax season is stressful enough without immigration complications!

As someone who used to work for a tax resolution firm, I'd add one more thing - check if you received a closing letter for the CP-2000 (often a letter number 2030C). If not, you should absolutely call to verify the status. Sometimes the IRS makes adjustments based on information they receive from third parties without properly notifying you. Even if your account shows $0 now, if the issue isn't formally closed in their system, it could potentially come back later. The IRS operates on extremely slow timelines, and sometimes notices cross in the mail. Better to be 100% sure than to have this resurface years later with interest and penalties attached.

This situation is more common than you think, especially with older debt cancellations. The timing disconnect between when the CP-2000 was generated and when your online account updated is typical - the IRS systems don't always sync immediately. Since your online account shows $0 due, it's very likely that the IRS already processed information showing you either qualified for an exclusion (like insolvency) or determined the debt cancellation income wasn't actually taxable in your case. Credit card companies sometimes report cancellations incorrectly or the IRS receives corrected forms later. However, I'd strongly recommend calling the CP-2000 phone number to get official confirmation and ask for a closing letter. You want documentation that this specific notice has been resolved, not just that your current balance is zero. Also request an account transcript that shows the adjustment - this will give you peace of mind and protect you if anything comes up later. Don't ignore it completely, but also don't panic and pay money you might not actually owe. Get the official word first.

I'm actually a subcontractor for several different contractors and many of them don't really understand how to handle the taxes. From my perspective, I receive the full payment and report it all as income on my Schedule C, paying the full self-employment tax. But the contractor definitely shouldn't be paying SE tax on money they paid to me.

Great discussion everyone! I want to add one more important point that hasn't been covered yet - timing of the deduction. Since you paid the subcontractor in the same tax year you received the payment, you can deduct it immediately. But if there's ever a situation where you receive payment in one tax year and pay the subcontractor in the next, you'd need to be careful about when you claim the deduction. Also, keep detailed records beyond just payment receipts. Document the work scope, timeline, and why you needed to subcontract the work. This helps establish the legitimate business purpose if the IRS ever questions the arrangement. I learned this the hard way during an audit - having clear documentation of the business relationship saved me a lot of headaches. One last tip: consider setting up a separate business bank account if you haven't already. It makes tracking these pass-through payments much cleaner and provides better separation between personal and business expenses.

What specifically did the email say was wrong with your return? Sometimes it's just a simple fix like an incorrect Social Security Number or a math error that you can easily correct without starting over or paying for another service.

I went through something similar last year! Before you switch to TurboTax completely, definitely check what exactly the email from eztaxreturn.com says needs to be fixed. Sometimes these "refile" notices are just for minor corrections that can be handled on the original site without starting over. If it really is a major issue and you want to switch, yes you can use TurboTax for an amended return (Form 1040-X). Just be prepared that you'll likely pay TurboTax's fees on top of what you already paid, and amended returns take much longer to process - usually 2-4 months instead of a few weeks. My advice: first try to understand what went wrong on your original return. If it's something simple like a typo or missing form, fixing it on eztaxreturn might save you time and money. If it's complicated or you really don't trust that site anymore, then switching to TurboTax for the amendment is definitely an option.