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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 ā 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!
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Amina Toure
Pro tip from someone who deals with this regularly: call your state tax agency directly rather than focusing on the IRS. The IRS just processes the offset - they don't actually have details about the underlying debt. When you call your state, ask specifically for the "offset resolution department" or "refund intercept team" - using those exact terms helps get you to the right people faster.
Oliver Weber
ā¢This is great advice! I wasted so much time with the IRS when I had an offset. The state tax people were much more helpful and could actually make adjustments to the underlying debt.
Just to add another perspective - check if your state has a Taxpayer Advocate Service. When we had an offset situation last year, our state advocate was able to put a temporary hold on collections while we worked out a payment plan. They even helped identify an error in the calculation that reduced our debt by almost $800!
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Laila Fury
Have you checked your withholding amounts? That's a huge factor that people often enter differently between programs. Make sure both programs have your correct federal withholding amounts from your W2s (Box 2). That alone could explain a huge difference.
OMG you're a genius! I just checked and somehow I had completely missed entering the federal withholding amount in TurboTax. Withholding was there in Taxslayer but not TurboTax. After fixing this, both programs now show almost the same result (within $200 of each other). I can't believe I missed something so obvious but I guess that's why it's good to double-check with multiple programs. Thank you so much!
Laila Fury
ā¢Happy to help! That's such a common mistake and explains the massive difference you were seeing. The software can only work with what we give it. The $200 remaining difference is probably due to how each program handles certain calculations or rounding. That's normal and nothing to worry about. Either program should be fine for filing now that you've fixed the main issue.
Which version of TurboTax are you using? Their free version often misses deductions that their paid versions catch. I've seen the Deluxe version find thousands in deductions that the free version missed.
Simon White
ā¢This is super important. TurboTax free doesn't support itemized deductions for homeowners properly. If you own a home, you really need at least their Deluxe version.
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If you find that your gambling losses plus other itemized deductions don't exceed the standard deduction, there's another approach. You could consider bunching your charitable deductions into alternating years to push yourself over the threshold for itemizing in specific years. For example, make double charitable contributions this year and none next year. This strategy might let you itemize and claim gambling losses in the "bunched" years while taking the standard deduction in other years.
can u explain more about this bunching strategy? not sure i understand how that would help with claiming gambling losses. does this actually work with the irs?
The bunching strategy works because it helps you cross the threshold where itemizing becomes more beneficial than taking the standard deduction. Let's say your standard deduction is $13,850 but your itemized deductions including gambling losses only total $11,000. In this case, taking the standard deduction is better, but you lose the benefit of the gambling loss deduction. However, if you normally donate $3,000 to charity each year, instead you could donate $6,000 this year and $0 next year. Now your itemized deductions are $14,000 ($11,000 + extra $3,000), which exceeds the standard deduction. This allows you to benefit from deducting your gambling losses. The next year, you'd take the standard deduction since you wouldn't have charitable contributions to itemize. The IRS allows this strategy completely - there's nothing questionable about timing your legitimate charitable contributions to maximize tax benefits.
Julia Hall
Im looking at freetaxusa right now actually. If you go to Deductions > Itemized deductions, then look for "Other Itemized Deductions" section. Its listed right there as "Gambling losses" with a field to input the amount. But remebr you can only deduct up to the amount of your winnings that you reported.
Arjun Patel
ā¢Thanks for the exact location! I've been searching for ages. What confuses me is I've entered my W-2G forms but the winnings amount shown in FreeTaxUSA doesn't match my actual winnings. Do you know why that might be?
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Another thing to check is if you received any one-time tax credits or stimulus payments in 2023 that weren't available in 2024. The tax code changes every year, and there were several temporary benefits during and after the pandemic that have since expired. For example, the expanded Child Tax Credit was a thing for a while, and the Earned Income Credit had different rules. Even if your income and withholding were identical, these changing credits could explain the difference in refund amounts.
Thanks for this explanation. I actually did get some kind of pandemic-related credit in 2023 now that I think about it. I'll have to check my old return. Do you know if there's a simple way to compare the two returns side by side to spot the differences?
Most tax software allows you to view or download PDF copies of your previous returns. I'd suggest opening both your 2023 and 2024 returns and comparing the following sections: adjusted gross income, taxable income, total tax, and tax credits. The key differences will usually jump out when you see them side by side. Pay special attention to any lines that have numbers in one year but are blank or zero in the other - those are often the special credits that might have disappeared. If you used online tax software, many have a comparison feature that will highlight year-over-year differences automatically.
Nia Thompson
check ur filing status too... i had a similar thing happen and realized i accidentally filed as single one year when i shoulda been head of household. made a HUGE difference in my refund! also look at ur witholding on ur w2s from both years... sometimes employers mess this up or apply the wrong tables.
Filing status makes a massive difference! I accidentally filed as Single instead of Head of Household last year and had to file an amended return. The refund difference was almost $2,000! Definitely worth checking.
Brandon Parker
Just a quick heads up - even if you don't legally NEED to file, sometimes it's beneficial anyway. Not only to get withholding back like others mentioned, but also because some tax credits are refundable, meaning you could get money even if you don't owe taxes. The Earned Income Credit might apply depending on your situation.
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Adriana Cohn
ā¢Are there any downsides to filing when you don't have to? Like does it trigger any extra scrutiny or anything?
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Brandon Parker
ā¢There are really no downsides to filing when not required. It doesn't trigger extra scrutiny or increase your audit risk. The IRS actually appreciates voluntary compliance. Filing an unnecessary return might be a slight inconvenience, but many tax software options are free for simple returns with low income. Plus, getting in the habit of filing annually helps you understand the process better for when you do have more complex tax situations in the future.
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Jace Caspullo
Quick q - I'm in a similar boat but I also had like $200 in crypto gains. Does that change anything about needing to file?
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Savannah Weiner
ā¢Yes, that changes things! Any amount of capital gains (including crypto) technically requires filing, regardless of how small the amount. The IRS is particularly focused on cryptocurrency transactions. Even $200 in crypto gains should be reported.
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