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 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!
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
One thing nobody's mentioned - your kids need to have tax liability to get the full benefit of AOC. Only $1,000 of the $2,500 credit is refundable. So if they don't have jobs with income that generates at least $1,500 in tax liability, they won't get the full benefit of the credit. Also remember that if you don't claim them as dependents, you lose other potential benefits like the dependent care credit (if applicable) and the possibility of head of household filing status if you're single.
Luca Conti
ā¢Thanks for bringing this up! My kids actually both work part-time while in school. One made about $14,000 last year and the other around $12,500. Would that be enough income to take full advantage of the non-refundable portion of the AOC?
With those income levels, they should have enough tax liability to take advantage of most if not all of the non-refundable portion of the AOC. At approximately $12,500-$14,000 of income, they would have roughly $1,250-$1,400 in federal tax liability (depending on other factors), which means they could utilize most of the non-refundable portion. They'd definitely get the full $1,000 refundable portion, plus be able to offset most of their tax liability with the remaining credit. This makes your strategy even more viable since they have enough income to benefit substantially from claiming the credit themselves.
Don't forget to have a written agreement with your kids if they're going to claim their own education credits! Last year I did this with my daughter, and she agreed to give me the tax savings since I paid her tuition. Without that agreement, she might have kept the refund even though I paid the qualifying expenses. Also make sure they understand they need to keep all the tuition statements and expense records for their tax files, not yours, since they're claiming the credits.
Is that agreement really legally required? I never thought about needing documentation between family members.
Join the conversation
Don't forget you might need to pay state taxes on that crypto sale too, depending on where you live! My state treated my crypto gains as regular income and I got surprised with an extra tax bill after thinking I was done with just the federal return.
Rhett Bowman
ā¢Wait really? I completely forgot about state taxes. Do all states tax crypto the same way or do some handle it differently?
States vary a lot in how they handle crypto. Most follow the federal approach and treat it as capital gains, but some states like New York and California have their own specific rules. A few states like Wyoming and Nevada are more crypto-friendly with no state income tax. Check your specific state's department of revenue website. They usually have sections on cryptocurrency reporting requirements. Since your amount is small, the state tax impact might be minimal, but you still need to report it correctly to avoid any potential issues down the road.
Teresa Boyd
Quick tip: if ur using tax software like TurboTax or H&R Block, they usually have specific sections for crypto now. just search for "bitcoin" or "cryptocurrency" in the search bar. Makes it way easier then trying to figure out which forms to fill out manually.
Lourdes Fox
ā¢The crypto sections in those tax programs are so expensive tho! They make you upgrade to the premium version just to report even tiny amounts of crypto. Any free alternatives?
Join the conversation
Nia Harris
The real issue might be that your employer has classified you incorrectly in their payroll system. I had this happen - was categorized as "exempt" somehow and wasn't having nearly enough withheld despite having filled out my W4 correctly. Check your paystubs and look for these potential issues: - Very low federal withholding compared to your salary - Missing FICA taxes (Social Security and Medicare) - Any mention of "exempt" status If you spot any of these red flags, talk to your HR or payroll department immediately. It could be a simple database error that's causing your withholding to be way off.
Omar Hassan
ā¢I just double-checked my paystubs and I do see federal withholding, but it's definitely low compared to my salary - only about 8% is being withheld when it should probably be closer to 15% based on my tax bracket. I don't see any "exempt" status listed though. Is there any other terminology I should look for that might indicate a payroll system error?
Nia Harris
ā¢An 8% withholding rate definitely sounds like a setup issue. Besides "exempt," look for terms like "NRA" (non-resident alien), "AEIC" (advanced earned income credit), or any checkboxes marked for "multiple jobs" or "spouse works" on your W4 information that your employer has on file. Sometimes the issue is simply that an old W4 from years ago is still in the system with outdated allowances. Since the W4 form changed completely in 2020, any form from before that might be causing problems with current calculations. Ask HR if they can show you what W4 information they currently have in the system for you - it might be something from years ago that needs updating.
GalaxyGazer
Does it matter which tax software I use to file if I know I'm going to owe this much? I usually use TurboTax but wondering if there's a better option when you know you're going to owe a lot.
If you're going to owe, I'd recommend FreeTaxUSA over TurboTax. TurboTax charges extra for everything, especially when you owe and need to set up a payment plan. FreeTaxUSA is literally free for federal (state is $15) and handles payment plans without extra charges. Same accuracy, way less cost when you're already facing a big tax bill.
Join the conversation
Yara Khalil
Former tax preparer here - just to add another clarification about the April 15 deadline: if you owe money and can't pay the full amount, still file on time! The penalty for filing late (5% per month up to 25% of unpaid taxes) is much worse than the penalty for paying late (0.5% per month up to 25%). And if you're getting a refund, there's actually no penalty for filing late, though you generally only have 3 years to claim your refund. But why wait for money that's yours?
Keisha Brown
ā¢What about if I know I need to file an extension? Does that need to be done by 11:59pm on the 15th too? And is there any downside to filing an extension?
Yara Khalil
ā¢Yes, the extension request (Form 4868) must also be filed by 11:59pm local time on April 15th. Electronic is best because you get immediate confirmation. The main downside to an extension is that it only extends the time to file your paperwork, not to pay what you owe. You still need to estimate what you might owe and pay that by April 15th to avoid penalties and interest. If you're getting a refund, there's no downside at all to filing an extension. And having an extension actually slightly reduces your audit risk according to some statistics, though that shouldn't be your main reason for filing one.
Another thing that confuses people - if you e-file, you get confirmation right away, but if you mail your return, the POSTMARK date is what counts, not when the IRS receives it. So if you're mailing on April 15th, make sure to go to the post office and get it postmarked that day!
Amina Toure
ā¢This saved me last year! My local post office has a self-service kiosk that's open until midnight, and the postmark from that counts as official. Double check your local post office hours if you're cutting it close.
Great tip about the self-service kiosk! Not all post offices have them though, so definitely check ahead of time. And remember that private delivery services like FedEx or UPS can also be used, but the IRS only accepts certain types of delivery services as "timely filed" - there's an official list on the IRS website. One more thing: if you're mailing a payment with your return or extension, use Form 1040-V for the payment. Makes processing faster and ensures your payment gets properly credited to your account.
Zoe Papadakis
22 One thing nobody's mentioning - consider running at least quarterly payroll instead of just one annual payroll at year-end. The IRS sometimes looks skeptically at S corps that only run payroll once a year since it doesn't resemble a typical employer-employee relationship. My accountant advised me to run quarterly to look more legitimate.
0 coins
Zoe Papadakis
ā¢14 Is that really necessary? I've been doing one annual payroll for my single-member S corp for 3 years with no issues. Seems like extra work and payroll fees for no reason.
0 coins
Zoe Papadakis
ā¢22 While not technically required, it can definitely help establish the legitimacy of your employment relationship with the S corp. The IRS often raises eyebrows at once-a-year payments because regular employees typically don't get paid just once annually. Multiple payroll runs throughout the year can strengthen your position that you're treating the employment relationship properly. Plus, it helps with cash flow planning and can make your estimated tax payments more manageable rather than dealing with one large tax hit. My accountant specifically mentioned this was one of the factors that can help avoid unwanted IRS attention.
0 coins
Zoe Papadakis
4 Has anyone run into issues with state payroll taxes and reporting deadlines being different from federal? I made this mistake last year and ended up with penalties because my state required payroll tax deposits more frequently than I realized.
0 coins
Zoe Papadakis
ā¢9 Yes! I'm in California and they required quarterly payroll tax reporting even though I was below the federal threshold. Got hit with a $250 penalty my first year. Definitely check your specific state requirements.
0 coins