Let me share what I've learned from handling dozens of these cases. The 45-day timeframe is their standard line, but in my experience, most refunds come much sooner after the review is completed. I had a client last year in your exact situation - return under review, worried about bills, first-time joint filer. Once their review was completed, the refund was issued in just 8 days. The key is that March 15th date - that's when you should see your transcript update with either a refund approved code (846) or a notice issued code (971). If you see code 846, you'll typically receive your refund within 5-7 days of that date. Keep checking your transcript daily after March 15th!

I'm going through something very similar right now! Filed my joint return in early February and got the same "under review" status. The waiting is absolutely torture when you're counting on that refund for bills. One thing that helped me was setting up account transcripts online at irs.gov so I could check for updates myself instead of calling constantly. The hold times are insane right now. Also, I read somewhere that filing jointly for the first time can sometimes trigger additional verification because they're matching up two tax histories that weren't previously linked. Hang in there - from what I've seen in this community, most people get their refunds way before that 45-day worst-case timeline they give you. Sending you positive vibes that yours comes through quickly after March 15th! 💙

Pro tip: upload your stuff to taxr.ai - saved me so much stress with my CP05. It actually predicted when my refund would hit within 2 days! Better than playing guessing games tbh

That letter about the amended return and frivolous filing penalty is really concerning - especially since you never filed an amended return! This sounds like identity theft or the IRS mixed up your case with someone else's. I'd definitely call that number (866-883-0235) ASAP to get this sorted out. Don't worry about it delaying your refund - if someone filed fraudulent documents under your SSN, that needs to be addressed immediately. Document everything and ask for a case number when you call. The CP05 might actually be related to this mix-up rather than normal verification.

If ur worried about criminal charges dont be. The IRS almost never pursues criminal tax evasion unless ur hiding millions or deliberately committing fraud. What ur describing is just failure to file which is bad but not criminal bad. Just get those returns filed ASAP and be honest about everything. If u cant pay what u owe right away, the IRS is actually pretty reasonable about payment plans. The interest and penalties suck but its better than continuing to hide from them.

Hey Butch, I totally get the panic - I was in almost the exact same situation about 3 years ago. Hadn't filed for 8 years due to a mix of 1099 work confusion and then just pure avoidance. The good news is it's way more fixable than your anxiety is telling you right now. A few things that might help ease your mind: First, the fact that you've been claiming zero deductions on your W-4 for 6 years is actually huge in your favor. You've likely been overpaying taxes this whole time, which means some of those years you might not even owe anything (or could have been due refunds). Second, the reason you haven't heard from the IRS isn't necessarily weird - their systems are incredibly backlogged and if your current job withholding has been covering your tax liability, you might not have triggered their automated collection notices. My advice: Start with getting your wage and income transcripts from the IRS website (it's free and won't trigger anything). This will show you exactly what income was reported under your SSN for all those years. Then you'll have a much clearer picture of what you're actually dealing with instead of just imagining worst-case scenarios. You've got this - it's scary but totally manageable once you start taking action.

Has anyone tried getting PayPal to issue a corrected 1099-K? I'm having the exact same issue where they're counting my DraftKings withdrawals as business income.

This is such a frustrating situation that unfortunately many people are dealing with. PayPal and other payment processors often categorize gambling transactions incorrectly because their systems aren't designed to distinguish between different types of money transfers. A few additional points that might help: 1) When working with your tax professional, make sure they're familiar with gambling tax issues specifically. Not all tax preparers understand the nuances of how payment processors report gambling transactions. 2) Consider requesting your complete PayPal transaction history going back to 2020 and cross-reference it with your gambling site records. Sometimes the discrepancy between what PayPal reported ($170k) and your actual withdrawals ($285k) is because they're only counting certain types of transactions or excluding some transfers. 3) If you haven't already, document EVERYTHING - screenshots of your betting account histories, bank statements showing transfers to/from PayPal, and any correspondence with PayPal about the issue. 4) You might also want to consider filing a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) against PayPal for incorrect reporting. While it won't immediately fix your tax situation, it creates an official record of the issue. The fact that you have win/loss statements and transaction logs is great - that documentation will be crucial in proving your case to the IRS. Don't give up!

Tax professional here: This is standard procedure for Louisiana's verification program. They randomly select returns to verify income reporting accuracy. Best practices: 1) Send copies not originals 2) Use certified mail 3) Keep proof of mailing 4) Include letter reference number on all docs 5) Make copies of everything you send. Average processing time after docs received is 30-45 days. Pro tip: Use taxr.ai to analyze your federal transcripts first - it can help identify any discrepancies that might trigger state reviews. Worth the $1 cost to avoid headaches later.

Same thing happened to me last year! I was freaking out at first but it really is just routine. Louisiana does these verification checks pretty regularly. I sent in copies of everything they requested and got my refund about 5 weeks later. Just make sure you respond within their deadline - I think they give you like 30 days to send the docs. Don't stress too much about it!