Great advice from everyone here! I'm dealing with a similar situation right now where my former employer isn't responding. One additional resource I found helpful is the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS). If you've tried multiple avenues and are still stuck, they can sometimes help expedite getting your wage information or assist with employer compliance issues. You can reach them at 1-877-777-4778 or through their website. They're especially helpful if you're facing financial hardship or significant delays that could impact your tax filing. It's free and they act as your advocate within the IRS system. Not everyone knows about this service, but they've been really helpful for complex situations where the standard channels aren't working.

Another option that hasn't been mentioned yet is to check if your employer uses a third-party payroll service like Workday, BambooHR, or Gusto. Even if you can't access your old company's employee portal, these payroll platforms sometimes have their own separate login systems where you can access your tax documents directly. You'd typically use the same credentials you used for viewing paystubs. Some of these services also send automated emails with links to view your W-2, so it's worth searching your email for messages from these platforms too. If you remember which payroll system your employer used, you can try going directly to their website and seeing if you can log in with your old credentials. This has worked for several people I know who got locked out of their company portals after leaving.

I'm dealing with this exact same classification error right now - filed for an EIN as a corporation when we're actually an LLC electing partnership taxation. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly reassuring! One thing I wanted to add that might help others: when I called the IRS business line yesterday, the agent mentioned that they're seeing a lot of these classification mistakes lately, especially with LLCs. She said the key is demonstrating "consistent conduct" with your intended classification from the beginning. For anyone else in this situation, she recommended keeping detailed records of how you've been treating the business - things like: - How you've been handling profit distributions - Whether you've been paying yourself a salary (corporations) vs. draws (partnerships) - How you've structured your business bank accounts - Any partnership agreements or operating agreements you've executed The agent also mentioned that if you haven't filed any tax returns yet under the incorrect classification (like OP's situation), your case is much simpler to resolve. The IRS is generally very accommodating when it's clearly an administrative error and your business operations match your intended classification. Good luck to everyone dealing with this - it sounds scary but it's definitely fixable!

I've been following this thread as someone who went through this exact nightmare last year with my marketing consultancy LLC. The stress is real when you realize you've been classified wrong! What really helped me was creating a timeline document that showed our consistent partnership behavior from day one. I included dates of when we opened our business bank account (as a partnership), when we drafted our operating agreement specifying profit-sharing percentages, and when we made our first partnership-style distributions. The IRS agent I eventually spoke with said this kind of chronological evidence really strengthens your case because it shows the misclassification was purely administrative - your actual business conduct never matched corporate treatment. Also, don't beat yourself up about the 7-month delay in response. That's unfortunately typical right now. When I submitted my Form 8832 last spring, it took almost 4 months to get confirmation of the classification change. The key is making sure your initial submission is as complete and compelling as possible so they don't need to request additional information, which just adds more delays. One last tip: if you have business insurance policies or contracts with vendors that reference your partnership structure, include copies of those too. They serve as additional evidence that you've been consistently operating as the entity type you intended from the beginning.

This thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm a new STR host with a mountain cabin in Colorado (just closed last month) and was completely overwhelmed by the active vs passive income classification requirements. Like @Connor Murphy, I'm keeping my day job while managing the property myself. What's been most eye-opening is realizing that the 750-hour rule isn't the only path to active income status. @CosmicCowboy's breakdown of the 7 material participation tests should honestly be pinned to the top of this community - I had no idea about tests like "substantially all the work" or the 100+ hour threshold where no one else works more than you. I've been meticulously tracking my time since closing (thanks to the advice from @Connor Gallagher and others about time-tracking apps), and I'm already at 85 hours just in the setup phase - furnishing, creating listings, learning local regulations, setting up business accounts, and getting all the permits sorted. Colorado's STR requirements vary so much by county that the compliance research alone has been a major time investment. Once I start taking bookings next month, I'll be handling all guest communications, cleaning coordination, maintenance, and marketing myself. Based on everyone's experiences here, it sounds like I'll easily qualify under test #2 (substantially all the work) even if I don't hit 750 hours in year one. The insights about travel time and compliance work counting toward participation hours are game-changers. Thanks to this community for turning what felt like an impossible tax puzzle into a clear path forward!

This has been such an incredibly thorough and helpful discussion! As someone who's been struggling with STR tax classification for my property in Arizona, I can't thank everyone enough for breaking down the complexity of active vs passive income determination. What really struck me is how many of us were fixated on that 750-hour rule without understanding the other material participation tests. @CosmicCowboy's list of the 7 tests was a revelation - I've been doing substantially all the work for my desert rental property (guest management, maintenance, pool/spa upkeep, landscaping in extreme heat, dealing with Arizona's unique STR licensing requirements) but never realized that could qualify me for active status regardless of total hours. The time-tracking insights from @Connor Gallagher and others have convinced me to start documenting everything immediately. Between monsoon season preparations, managing the property during Phoenix's brutal summers, and navigating the complex web of city/county STR regulations here, I'm probably putting in way more hours than I initially calculated. One thing that's particularly relevant for Arizona STR owners - we deal with a lot of HVAC maintenance and energy management issues due to extreme temperatures, plus pool/spa maintenance year-round. That specialized property management work definitely supports the "substantially all the work" classification. I'm planning to review my situation with my CPA using all 7 tests instead of just assuming I'm stuck with passive income classification. This thread has potentially saved me thousands in taxes - thank you all for sharing your real-world experiences and cutting through the IRS complexity!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to thank everyone for sharing such detailed experiences! I've been lurking here trying to figure out my own EIP situation and finally decided to join because this thread has been more helpful than anything I've found on the official IRS website. I'm dealing with a pretty frustrating situation - I filed my 2024 taxes in January, got my refund processed normally, but the Payment Status Tool has been giving me errors for over two months now. Based on reading through all these comments, I'm pretty sure it's the address formatting issue that's been mentioned repeatedly. What's particularly helpful is learning that the payment will still come automatically even if I can't get the online tool working. I was genuinely worried I'd miss out entirely just because their website couldn't recognize my information. I'm definitely going to try the address formatting fix using my exact tax return, and if that doesn't work, I might look into one of the third-party services that several people have had success with. It's really valuable to see honest reviews from actual community members rather than just promotional material. One question for the group - has anyone noticed if there are certain times of day when the Payment Status Tool works better? I've been trying during lunch breaks but wondering if off-hours might have better success rates. Thanks again for creating such a supportive community around what's honestly been a pretty stressful process for many of us!

Thanks for this incredibly comprehensive guide! I'm new to this community and have been dealing with EIP issues for the past month. After reading through all these helpful comments, I finally understand why I've been getting the "Payment Status Not Available" error - it's almost certainly the address formatting issue that so many others have mentioned. I filed my 2024 return in February and got my refund quickly, so I know the IRS processed everything correctly. But I've been entering my address in my normal format instead of checking exactly how it appears on my tax return. I'm definitely going to pull out my return copy and try entering it exactly as printed there, including any abbreviations or specific formatting. It's really reassuring to learn from everyone's experiences that the payments are processed automatically based on your filed return, even when the online tool isn't working. I was genuinely worried I might miss out entirely just because I couldn't get their website to recognize my information. Also wanted to thank everyone who shared their experiences with the various third-party services - it's so valuable to see honest feedback from actual community members rather than just promotional claims. If the address formatting fix doesn't work, I feel much more confident about potentially trying one of those options based on the positive experiences shared here. This community is incredibly supportive and informative. Thanks for making this stressful process a bit easier to navigate!

I'm in a very similar boat - filed in March, got multiple review letters, and I'm still waiting 8 months later for a $3,200 refund. What really helped me understand the process was realizing that the IRS is essentially operating with a skeleton crew while dealing with record numbers of complex returns. A few things that have worked for me: **Documentation is key**: I created a spreadsheet tracking every letter, date, and reference number. When I finally got through to an agent, having this organized timeline made the conversation much more productive. **Local IRS office visits**: I visited my local Taxpayer Assistance Center twice. The second visit was more helpful because I brought a specific list of questions and all my documentation. The representative couldn't speed up the process, but she confirmed my return was in the "identity verification" queue and gave me realistic expectations. **Persistence with phone calls**: The 8am strategy mentioned by others is real. I got through on my fourth attempt at exactly 8:02am on a Tuesday. The wait time was still 45 minutes, but at least I reached a human. The most frustrating part is watching people who filed after us get their refunds while we're stuck in these review cycles. But from what I've learned, complex returns with multiple jobs, states, and amendments just take significantly longer to process manually. Hang in there - every person I've talked to who had similar delays eventually got their refund plus interest. It's just a matter of the IRS working through their massive backlog.

I'm really sorry to hear about your extended wait - 6+ months is absolutely exhausting, especially when you're expecting a significant refund like $4,300. Your situation is unfortunately becoming all too common with the IRS's current processing challenges. From your timeline, the amended return you filed in May after receiving the corrected W-2 is likely what extended your processing time significantly. When the IRS receives amended returns, especially those correcting employment information, they essentially restart their verification process to cross-reference the new data with employer records. A few practical suggestions based on what others have shared here: **Try the 8am calling strategy**: Call the IRS exactly at 8:00am when their phone lines open. You have the best chance of getting through in those first 15-20 minutes before call volume overwhelms the system. **Consider your congressional representative**: At 6+ months, you're well past reasonable processing times. Most congressional offices have constituent services that can submit inquiries to the IRS on your behalf. This often gets faster responses than individual calls. **Visit a local Taxpayer Assistance Center**: Bring all your documentation and a list of specific questions. They can often provide more detailed information about which processing queue your return is in. The good news is that you'll receive interest on your delayed refund - it's currently around 7% annually and compounds daily. While it doesn't make up for the frustration and inconvenience, it's something. Keep documenting everything and don't lose hope. Your letters indicate normal processing for a complex amended return, even though "normal" feels anything but normal when you're waiting this long.