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
Has anyone had luck with the automated phone system? I've been trying for days and it keeps hanging up on me š
Paolo Marino
ā¢Oof, I feel you. That system is the worst. I had better luck calling right when they open in the morning.
Thanks for the tip! I'll try that tomorrow. Fingers crossed š¤
I just went through this whole process last week and finally got verified! Here's what worked for me: I called first thing Monday morning at exactly 8 AM when they opened, had all my documents spread out on my desk, and got through in about 45 minutes (which felt like a miracle compared to my previous attempts). The rep was super helpful once I got connected. One thing that caught me off guard - they asked for a Form 1040 from my last tax return to verify my identity, which wasn't mentioned anywhere in their initial requirements. So maybe have that handy too! Don't lose hope, it's definitely doable even though the process is frustrating.
Join the conversation
Yara Sayegh
If you're filing as a resident alien after passing the substantial presence test, don't forget about FBAR requirements! If you had foreign bank accounts with a combined total of over $10,000 at any point during the year, you need to file an FBAR (FinCEN Form 114). This is separate from your tax return and has really steep penalties if you miss it.
And don't forget about Form 8938 (Statement of Foreign Financial Assets) which is similar but different from the FBAR. The thresholds are higher ($50k+ for single filers living in the US, higher for those living abroad), but it's an important form that goes with your actual tax return.
Diego Vargas
This is such a common situation that catches so many former international students off guard! I went through the exact same thing a couple years ago. One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned yet - make sure you understand the "closer connection" exception. Even if you pass the substantial presence test, you might still be able to file as a nonresident if you can demonstrate that you have a closer connection to your home country than to the US. Since you moved back to your home country in August 2024, you might qualify for this exception for the portion of the year you were back home. You'd file Form 8840 (Closer Connection Exception Statement) to claim this. It considers things like where your permanent home is, where your family lives, where your personal belongings are, etc. Also, regarding software - yes, you can generally use regular tax software like TurboTax now, but be careful because most mainstream software isn't great at handling the dual-status alien situation or treaty benefits. The specialized services mentioned above might be worth considering given your specific circumstances with the scholarship income and the mid-year move back home.
Join the conversation
17 Another option is to file electronically through a tax professional. Some EAs and CPAs can e-file returns from the previous three tax years through professional software. This might save you time and reduce processing errors compared to paper filing. I did this for my 2021 and 2022 returns last month, and my refund for 2022 was deposited within 3 weeks. The professional I worked with charged about $200 per year, but the speed and accuracy were worth it to me.
4 Can tax pros e-file ALL prior year returns? I thought only the most recent 2-3 years could be filed electronically, and anything older had to be paper filed.
17 Tax professionals can generally e-file returns for the current year and two years prior. Right now in 2025, that means they can potentially e-file for 2022, 2023, and 2024 tax years. Any returns older than that (like 2021 or earlier) would still need to be paper filed. So in your situation, a tax professional could e-file your 2022 return, but your 2021 would still need to be mailed in. The rules about which years can be e-filed change each year as the IRS rolls forward their systems.
8 Just a heads up - make sure you're including ALL the required forms and schedules with each return. I mailed my 2020 and 2021 returns last year and my 2020 got rejected because I forgot to include one of my W-2 forms. The whole thing got sent back to me weeks later and I had to restart the process. So frustrating! Double and triple check everything before sealing those envelopes!
2 Did you get hit with additional penalties because of the rejection and having to resubmit? I'm nervous about making mistakes on my late returns too.
Fortunately, no additional penalties for the rejection itself - the penalty clock keeps running from the original due date regardless of processing delays or rejections. The key is that your filing date is considered the date you first mailed it, even if it gets rejected for missing documents. When I resubmitted with all the correct forms, they used my original mailing date. Just make sure to keep records of when you first sent everything and use certified mail so you have proof of the date!
Join the conversation
Don't forget to check if your vending machine might actually be considered Section 1245 property which could make it subject to different recapture rules. I sold some business equipment last year and had to deal with this.
Jamal Harris
ā¢I'm not familiar with Section 1245 property - is that different from regular capital assets? Does it change how I would report the loss?
Section 1245 property generally refers to depreciable personal property used in a business. If you were using this vending machine as a business and taking depreciation deductions on it, then it would be Section 1245 property. The main difference is that losses on Section 1245 property are generally treated as ordinary losses rather than capital losses, which is actually better for you since ordinary losses don't have the $3,000 annual limitation that capital losses do. You'd report this on Form 4797 instead of 8949/Schedule D.
Sofia Torres
Can you clarify if you were operating this as a business? Because if you were taking any deductions for the machine operation or claiming depreciation, that changes everything about how you handle the loss.
This is really important! If OP was claiming business expenses and depreciation on the machine, this isn't a capital asset but business equipment and would be filed completely differently.
@862c57aae96a This is a crucial question that Sofia raised. If you were operating the vending machine as a business - even informally - and claimed any business expenses like electricity, maintenance, restocking costs, or depreciation on your tax returns, then this isn't a capital asset at all. It would be business property and the loss would be treated as an ordinary business loss on Form 4797, which is actually much better for you since there's no $3,000 annual limit like with capital losses. You'd need to look back at your previous tax returns to see if you reported any income or expenses related to the vending machine operation.
Amina Bah
I found a free Excel template called the "Ultimate Financial Calculator" on vertex42.com that I customized for exactly this purpose. It's more work upfront to set up, but I've been using it for 3 years and it's way more accurate than any online calculator. The benefit is you can add ANY type of pre-tax deduction and see exactly how it flows through your taxes. I've modeled scenarios with 401k, HSA, dependent care FSA, transit benefits, and even some weird pre-tax legal insurance my company offers.
0 coins
Oliver Becker
ā¢Did you have to manually enter all the tax brackets and rates yourself? I've tried spreadsheets before but they become outdated as soon as tax laws change.
0 coins
Adrian Connor
I've been in a similar situation and found that most calculators fall short because they don't account for the complexity of how different pre-tax deductions interact with each other and various tax rules. One approach that worked well for me was using Personal Capital's retirement planner (now Empower) in combination with a simple spreadsheet. The retirement planner helps you see the long-term impact of different contribution levels, while the spreadsheet handles the immediate paycheck impact. For the spreadsheet part, I created columns for gross pay, each type of pre-tax deduction (401k, HSA, transit, etc.), then calculated federal tax, state tax, FICA, and final take-home. The key insight was realizing that HSA contributions save you the most per dollar because they're exempt from both income tax AND FICA taxes. Also worth noting - if your company offers both traditional and Roth 401k options, you might want to split contributions. Sometimes having some post-tax savings gives you more flexibility in retirement, especially if you expect to be in a similar or higher tax bracket later. Have you checked if your company's HR department has access to more sophisticated modeling tools? Some larger employers have partnerships with financial planning services that can do exactly this kind of optimization analysis for employees.
0 coins