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I went through this exact same process two years ago and completely understand your frustration! The 120-day timeline is their worst-case scenario, but in my experience, most cases resolve much faster than that. A few things that helped me get through it: ⢠Set up automated transcript monitoring through the IRS website - check weekly, not daily (for your sanity) ⢠When the official letter arrives, respond immediately if they request documentation ⢠Keep all your medical expense records organized and easily accessible ⢠Don't send unsolicited documents - it can actually slow things down My case took about 78 days total, and the actual refund hit my account 5 days after they updated my transcript to show "refund sent." The hardest part is just the waiting and not knowing exactly where you stand in the process. Since you mentioned you have everything properly documented, you should be in good shape once they actually review your file. The medical expense trigger is super common - it's not personal, just their algorithm flagging higher-than-average deductions for verification. Hang in there! Most people I know who've been through this got their money well before the 120-day mark. š¤
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! It's really reassuring to hear from someone who actually went through this and got their refund in a reasonable timeframe. 78 days is still a long wait, but so much better than the full 120 they quoted. I really appreciate the tip about automated transcript monitoring - I've been checking daily and it's definitely driving me crazy! Weekly checks sound much more manageable for my mental health. Quick question: when you say "respond immediately" to their letter, how fast is immediately? Like within a few days, or do they typically give you a reasonable window (2-3 weeks) to gather and send documents? I want to be prepared but also don't want to panic if I need a few days to get everything organized perfectly. Also, did you notice any specific transcript codes that indicated progress, or was it pretty much radio silence until they suddenly updated it to "refund sent"? Just trying to understand what to look for during the waiting period. Thanks again for the hope and practical advice! š
I'm dealing with this exact situation right now too! Filed in February and got the 971 code last week. It's incredibly frustrating because like many of you, I have legitimate medical expenses that are fully documented - about $15k from cancer treatment last year. What I've learned from calling multiple times is that the IRS has been overwhelmed since 2020 and their review department is severely understaffed. The agent I spoke with yesterday was actually pretty helpful and explained that medical expense reviews typically focus on whether the expenses exceed 7.5% of your AGI and if the documentation appears complete in their system. She mentioned that if they don't need additional documentation from you, the review could be as simple as a supervisor signing off on the return - but you're still stuck in the queue waiting for that to happen. It's basically a bureaucratic bottleneck rather than intensive scrutiny of your actual expenses. The most helpful thing I learned: if you haven't received a CP75 letter within 30 days of getting the 971 code, it likely means they're not requesting additional documentation and you're just waiting for the review to be completed internally. Hang in there everyone - we'll get through this! At least we know our expenses are legitimate. šŖ
Thanks for sharing that insight about the CP75 letter timeline - that's really helpful information I hadn't seen anywhere else! It makes sense that if they're not requesting additional docs, we're basically just waiting in line rather than under active investigation. Your point about it being a bureaucratic bottleneck rather than intensive scrutiny is oddly comforting. Sometimes it helps to know it's just a process issue and not that they're suspicious of our returns. I'm curious - when you called multiple times, did you get different information from different agents, or were they pretty consistent about the process? I've been hesitant to call again because I don't want to be "that person" who keeps bothering them, but if it's actually helpful to get updates, maybe I should. Also really sorry to hear about your cancer treatment - dealing with this review delay on top of medical expenses from something like that must be incredibly stressful. Hoping we all see movement on our cases soon! š¤
Has anyone tried contacting Keeper through Twitter? Sometimes companies respond faster on social media than through their official support channels.
I'm actually dealing with this same issue right now! I'm a freelance consultant and have been using Keeper for about 6 months. The bulk editing limitation for percentages is super frustrating, especially for mixed-use expenses like home office utilities and phone bills. One workaround I discovered is to create separate "rules" for different expense types in Settings. You can set up automatic categorization rules that also apply default business percentages. It's not perfect for existing transactions, but it helps going forward. For your existing 75+ car expenses, honestly the export-to-spreadsheet method mentioned earlier might be your fastest option right now. You can export, do a find-replace to change all the percentages from 100% to 56%, then re-import. It's clunky but beats editing each transaction individually. I've also been tracking this as a feature request with them - apparently it's one of their most requested features so hopefully they'll add proper bulk percentage editing soon!
Whatever you do, respond to everything by their deadlines! I ignored an audit notice thinking it wasn't legit (it looked kinda scammy) and ended up with a default assessment that was WAY worse than if I'd just responded with my documentation. Ended up costing me an extra $2,300 plus the stress of dealing with a collections case instead of just an audit.
I'm going through my first audit right now too and honestly, reading everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful. My audit is for home office and mileage deductions totaling about $4,200. One thing I learned from my tax preparer is to organize everything chronologically and create a summary sheet explaining each expense category. The IRS agent told me they appreciate when taxpayers make their job easier by presenting organized documentation with clear explanations. For your missing receipts, don't panic - bank statements showing the transactions can often work as backup documentation, especially if you can provide context about what the expense was for. I had to recreate some documentation using credit card statements and calendar entries showing business meetings that corresponded to meal expenses. The waiting is definitely the worst part. My audit has been going on for 2 months now and I'm still waiting for their final determination. But so far the IRS agent has been professional and reasonable about working with the documentation I've provided.
Has anyone successfully gotten the IRS to waive penalties for late 941 filings? I'm in a similar position but afraid of getting hit with thousands in penalties even though we paid everything on time.
Yes! I just went through this last month. Request first-time penalty abatement if you've had a clean record for the past 3 years. I called the IRS (after waiting 2 hours) and specifically asked for this, and they waived about $3,400 in penalties. You need to be persistent tho and specifically mention "first time penalty abatement" or "reasonable cause abatement.
Thanks so much for this info! That gives me some hope. I've never had any issues with filing before, so hopefully they'll consider the first-time abatement. $3,400 in savings is huge for a small business like mine.
I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now! My small business also used QuickBooks for payroll and tax payments, but somehow we missed filing several 941 forms in 2022. I just got an IRS notice last week showing discrepancies between our W-2s and what they have on file for quarterly returns. One thing I learned from calling the IRS Business Tax Line is that they have a specific department for employment tax issues (different from individual tax problems). The representative told me that as long as you can show you made the payments on time through EFTPS or QuickBooks, they're usually willing to work with you on penalty abatement. She also mentioned that many small businesses run into this exact issue when winding down operations - the focus shifts to closing everything up and sometimes the quarterly filings get overlooked even though the payments continue automatically. I'm planning to gather all my QuickBooks payment confirmations and file the missing quarters this week. The IRS gave me 30 days to respond to their notice, but they said filing sooner rather than later shows good faith compliance.
Malik Robinson
About the commercial insurance question - definitely get commercial coverage. I bought a vehicle through my LLC and initially kept my personal insurance. Had a minor accident and my claim was DENIED because the vehicle was registered to a business entity but only had personal coverage. Had to pay out of pocket for repairs AND still had to switch to commercial insurance after. The premium difference wasn't even that big in my case (about $300/year more), but the coverage is much better for business use.
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Isabella Silva
ā¢Do you have a recommendation for insurance companies that offer good commercial policies? I'm looking at doing the same thing with my LLC.
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Carmen Ortiz
One thing to keep in mind is the timing of when you can claim the commercial clean vehicle credit. Unlike the personal EV credit which can be taken at the point of sale, the commercial credit (IRC 45W) is only available when you file your business tax return. So if you purchase the PHEV in 2024, you won't be able to claim the $7,500 credit until you file your 2024 business taxes in 2025. This is important for cash flow planning - you'll need to finance the full purchase price upfront and wait for the credit to reduce your tax liability later. Also, since you mentioned this is a single-member LLC with pass-through taxation, make sure you have enough tax liability to fully utilize the credit. The commercial clean vehicle credit is generally non-refundable, so if your total tax liability is less than $7,500, you might not be able to use the full credit (though there may be carryforward provisions - worth checking with your tax preparer).
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Lydia Santiago
ā¢This is a really important point about timing that I hadn't considered! I was planning to buy the PHEV in December 2024, thinking I could use the credit to help with financing. But if I have to wait until filing my 2024 taxes in early 2025 to actually get the credit, that changes my cash flow planning significantly. Do you know if there's any way to get an advance on the credit like some other business credits allow? And regarding the tax liability requirement - if my LLC doesn't have enough tax liability to use the full $7,500 credit, can it carry forward to future years or is it just lost? Also wondering if estimated tax payments throughout the year can be reduced to account for the expected credit, or if that would cause underpayment penalties.
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