Ugh I feel your pain! Just went through this exact same thing last month. WMR is honestly trash - mine said "processing" for like 6 weeks straight while my transcript showed my refund had already been issued 🙄 The transcript route is definitely more work upfront but SO worth it. Once you figure out how to read those codes it's like having insider info. Also pro tip - if you're still confused after looking at your transcript, try calling the IRS automated line at 800-829-1954. You can check your refund status without waiting on hold for hours. Way faster than the regular customer service line!

I've been following this thread and wanted to share my experience from last year. Filed in early February and WMR showed "processing" for almost 8 weeks - I was going crazy! Finally learned about transcripts from this community and it was a total game changer. The transcript showed my refund was actually approved weeks before WMR updated. Now I skip WMR completely and go straight to checking my account transcript every Friday morning when they do updates. It takes a bit to learn the codes but once you do, you'll never go back to that useless WMR tool. Hang in there - 3 weeks isn't too bad, most returns take 21+ days especially during busy season!

Just wanted to add one more suggestion that worked for a friend of mine in a similar situation - check if the company had any business licenses or permits that might still be searchable online. Many cities and counties maintain databases of business licenses, contractor permits, or professional licenses that include the business's federal tax ID. For example, if it was a restaurant, they would have had health department permits. If it was a construction company, they'd have contractor licenses. Even something like a business license or sales tax permit from the city/county might include the EIN in the records. These local government databases are often overlooked but can be goldmines of information. The permits usually stay in the system even after a business closes, and they're typically searchable by business name. Worth checking your local city and county websites to see what business databases they maintain. Also, one thing I learned from my own experience - don't forget to check if they had any professional licenses or certifications specific to their industry. These are often maintained at the state level and require accurate tax information for renewal and reporting purposes.

Great question about timing! In my experience, it really depends on which method you try first. Some approaches are much faster than others: **Quick options (1-3 days):** - Checking your own old tax returns (if you can access them digitally) - Searching through old emails and documents you already have - Contacting former coworkers who might have kept paperwork - Online state business registry searches **Medium timeframe (1-2 weeks):** - Contacting banks, insurance companies, or benefits providers - Reaching out to the company's former CPA or bookkeeper - Using callback services to get through to the IRS - Third-party document analysis services **Slower options (3-6 weeks):** - Requesting detailed records from Social Security Administration - Standard IRS phone support (if you can even get through) - Waiting for responses from state agencies My advice? Start with the quick options first - check your old tax returns, search your emails, and try the state business database. If you worked there recently, one of these will probably work within a few days. Save the slower methods as backup options. But honestly, don't wait until tax season if you know you'll need this info! Start the process in late fall so you have plenty of time to try multiple approaches without the stress of tax deadlines. I learned this lesson the hard way!

Don't forget that community colleges often have student tax help services! Mine offers free tax filing assistance through the VITA program (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance). They specialize in handling education credits and can help you navigate this exact situation with the 1098-T. Check if your school offers something similar - these services are usually staffed by accounting students supervised by professors or certified tax professionals.

I had a very similar experience with my community college last year! The key thing to understand is that you're still responsible for reporting education-related income and expenses on your tax return, even without an official 1098-T form. Since your scholarships/grants ($2,575) exceed your qualified tuition payments ($1,225.50), you'll need to report the excess amount ($1,349.50) as taxable income on your tax return. This goes on Line 1 of Form 1040 with "SCH" written next to it to indicate scholarship income. However, you can still claim education tax credits like the American Opportunity Tax Credit or Lifetime Learning Credit based on your actual qualified education expenses - just make sure you have documentation like payment receipts, bank statements, and your student account records. The reason your school isn't issuing an official 1098-T is likely because your scholarships exceeded your qualified expenses, which means they're not required to file the form. But that doesn't eliminate your tax reporting obligations! Keep all your records and consider visiting your school's VITA tax assistance program if they offer one - they're really helpful with education credit questions.

I'm going through the exact same nightmare! Filed my Indiana return on February 19th, accepted same day, and it's been 51 days of complete silence from the state. What's absolutely infuriating is that my federal refund was deposited within 8 days, proving that efficient processing IS possible when agencies actually care about doing their jobs properly. I've called the Indiana DOR twice and gotten two completely different stories - first they said "normal processing delays" and the second rep claimed there might be "additional verification needed" but couldn't tell me what kind or give any timeline. The lack of consistency makes it clear their reps either don't have real system access or are just trained to give vague non-answers to get people off the phone. After reading through all these experiences, I'm convinced this is intentional mismanagement rather than genuine processing issues. The fact that they can charge us penalties for being even one day late while sitting on OUR money for months with zero consequences is absolutely backwards. And learning about the priority queues and cash flow manipulation from the former employee's comments really opened my eyes to what's actually happening here. I'm planning to contact my state representative this week based on all the success stories shared in this thread. It's ridiculous that we have to escalate to elected officials just to get our own tax refunds, but it seems like that's the only thing that actually cuts through their bureaucratic BS and gets real results. Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences - at least now I know I'm not alone in this mess and there are concrete actions I can take!

I'm dealing with this exact same situation! Filed my Indiana return on February 8th, accepted immediately, and it's been 58 days of absolutely nothing. What makes this even more frustrating is that I'm a first-time Indiana resident (moved here from Illinois last year) so I have no idea if this is normal or not. I've called the DOR four times and gotten four completely different explanations: "normal delays," "system updates causing backlogs," "possible address verification needed," and yesterday someone told me there were no issues at all and to just wait. The complete inconsistency makes it obvious they either don't have real information or are just making stuff up. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful - especially learning about the new fraud detection system flagging legitimate returns and the priority queue system. The fact that they're potentially using our refunds for cash flow management while charging us penalties for late payments is absolutely infuriating. I'm going to try contacting my state representative this week based on all the success stories shared here. Also planning to use one of those callback services to avoid the hold music torture. It's ridiculous that we have to become tax detectives and involve politicians just to get our own money back, but if that's what it takes to cut through their bureaucratic nonsense, I'm willing to do it. Thanks to everyone sharing their timelines and strategies - this thread has been more helpful than any conversation I've had with the actual DOR! Will update if I make any progress.

Another option nobody mentioned - you could also file Form 1116 Schedule B as a PDF attachment to your return. This works if your tax software won't allow you to complete just Schedule B without the main form. Just download the PDF form from the IRS website, fill it out manually, and then attach it to your e-filed return as a PDF supplement. Most tax software allows you to include supplemental forms this way. This might be cleaner than entering artificial foreign income data just to trigger the form. The key is making sure you have documentation of your carryover amounts for future use!

I went through this exact situation two years ago and can confirm that filing Form 1116 Schedule B is absolutely necessary to preserve your FTC carryovers, even when you have no foreign income for the current year. What really helped me was creating a simple spreadsheet to track all my carryovers by year and their expiration dates. Since FTC carryovers expire after 10 years, it's crucial to maintain clear records of when each carryover originated so you know when they'll expire. For the tax software issue that several people mentioned - I found that most software programs have a "forms mode" or "manual entry" option that lets you add forms without going through the interview process. In TurboTax, you can search for "Form 1116" and add it directly, then just complete Schedule B without filling out the main form sections. One important note: make sure your Schedule B carryover amounts match what you reported in previous years. The IRS computers will flag any discrepancies, so consistency in your carryover tracking is key. I learned this the hard way when I had to amend a return because my carryover amounts didn't match my previous year's filing.