Has anyone actually succeeded in getting a partial refund during an EIC audit? I've been reading conflicting information about this. Some say it's technically possible but practically never happens, while others claim they've received the non-EIC portion while waiting. What's been your experience?

This is exactly what I went through in 2023! The chess game analogy is perfect - you really can't move any pieces until the audit clears. I was under a 420 code for 5 months and the entire $4,200 refund was frozen, including my Child Tax Credit portion. What helped me was getting my account transcript through the IRS website every few weeks to track any movement. The code changed from 420 to 421 when they started processing my submitted documents, then finally cleared to 846 when the refund was approved. Don't count on any partial payments - plan as if you won't see anything until it's fully resolved. The waiting game is brutal but hang in there! 🎯

4 Has anyone considered a compromise? My ex and I alternate who claims our daughter as a dependent each year. In even years, I claim her and file HOH. In odd years, he claims her and files HOH. We found this works better for us than one person always getting the tax benefit. Just make sure you have a written agreement to avoid problems!

This is such a helpful thread - I'm learning so much! I'm in a similar situation with my partner, but we have two kids from different relationships. I claim my older daughter (she lives with us full time), and he claims his son who's with us every other week. We've both been filing as Single, but after reading through all these comments, I'm wondering if I could qualify for Head of Household since I claim my daughter and we split household expenses pretty evenly. The part about calculating ALL expenses really opened my eyes - I never thought to include things like school supplies, activities, and clothes in the support calculation. I think I might be providing more support than I realized. Has anyone else dealt with blended family situations like this where each parent has their own biological child they claim?

Everyone's focusing on the math, but let me share a practical tip: slightly OVERWITHHOLD during the year. I'd rather get a small refund than scramble to pay a surprise bill in April. I add an extra $50 per paycheck in line 4(c) of my W-4 as a buffer.

I completely understand your frustration with the W-4 - I went through the exact same thing when I got a promotion last year. The $19,500 figure you're seeing is likely way off for your actual situation. Here's what worked for me: First, don't rely on generic withholding charts. They're designed for the most basic scenarios and don't account for filing jointly, dependents, or common deductions. For your income level ($165k) filing jointly with kids, you'll likely benefit significantly from: - Standard deduction of $27,700 (2023) - Child Tax Credit ($2,000 per qualifying child) - Any retirement contributions you make A rough calculation: Your taxable income after standard deduction would be around $137,300. With two kids, you're looking at maybe $30k-32k in actual tax liability for the year, not $19,500 in withholding. My advice: Use the official IRS Tax Withholding Estimator (not third-party calculators) and have your most recent paystub and last year's tax return handy. It'll give you personalized guidance for filling out each line of the W-4. The new W-4 is actually more straightforward once you understand it - no more confusing allowances, just direct inputs for your specific situation.

While there is certainly a backlog for general processing, the IRS appears to be prioritizing what they call "dependency cases" - where current year refunds are held pending prior year filings. It seems, from most reports, that these are processed somewhat faster than standard late filings, possibly because they already have an open case file. Of course, individual experiences may vary based on complexity and other factors.

I just went through this exact scenario! Filed my missing 2021 return via fax on February 28th after getting the 570/971 codes on my 2024 refund. My transcript updated on March 14th with an 846 code and the refund was deposited 3 days later. The whole process took about 16 days from fax to deposit. A few tips that helped me: - Include a cover letter explaining you're filing to release your 2024 refund hold - Reference your current year case number if you have one - Keep checking your transcript every few days for updates - Don't panic if it takes the full 2-3 weeks they quote The IRS seems to be handling these cases pretty efficiently right now. Good luck with yours!

According to IRS Publication 5367, when a taxpayer experiences a change in dependent claiming status due to death, the IRS system is programmed to provide additional security measures. Per Internal Revenue Code §6109(i), the Identity Protection PIN program is one such measure. I successfully resolved this exact issue for a client last month. After contacting the IRS Identity Verification department, they confirmed this was an automatic security feature. They removed the PIN requirement immediately, and my client's resubmitted return was processed within 72 hours. Their refund was direct deposited exactly 21 days after the accepted resubmission date. The key is getting through to the correct department - specifically request to speak with Identity Verification when you call, not general tax assistance.

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now! My return was also rejected for a PIN I never set up, and like you, I'm a first-time TurboTax user this year. After reading through these responses, it sounds like the death of your children's father might indeed be triggering additional IRS security measures. I called the Identity Verification line at 800-830-5084 this morning (thanks to those who shared that number!) and while the wait was long, they were able to confirm that my rejection was also due to automatic fraud protection rather than actual identity theft. The agent explained that significant changes in family status - like what you're experiencing - often trigger these safeguards. One thing I learned: make sure you have your previous year's tax return handy when you call, as they'll ask specific questions about prior filing information to verify your identity. Once cleared, they said I should be able to resubmit within 24-48 hours. Hang in there - it sounds like this is more common than we realize, especially for people in our situations with recent family changes.