I've been dealing with these "Tax Relief Group" calls too and they're absolutely relentless! After reading through everyone's experiences here, I'm convinced this is a major scam operation. What really bothers me is how they deliberately create panic with their fake "urgent deadlines" and threatening language about liens and wage garnishment. The most eye-opening thing from this thread has been learning about all the free IRS resources available online. I had no idea you could check your tax transcript, set up payment plans, or access the Taxpayer Advocate Service directly at irs.gov without paying anyone thousands of dollars for the same services. I finally created my IRS online account after reading all these comments, and guess what? My tax status is completely fine - no outstanding balances, no liens, nothing. These scammers were literally trying to create a problem that doesn't exist to sell me an expensive "solution." For anyone else getting these calls, definitely check your actual IRS account status first before even considering calling any tax relief company back. And keep blocking their numbers - they eventually give up when they realize you're not going to engage. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this thread is going to save so many people from falling for this expensive scam!

I've been getting these exact calls too! The "Tax Relief Group" has been blowing up my phone for months with the same threatening voicemails about "urgent IRS deadlines" and scary talk about liens and garnishments. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly reassuring - I was starting to wonder if maybe I actually did have some hidden tax problem I didn't know about. What really got to me was how they make everything sound so official and urgent. Even though I'm pretty sure I'm current on my taxes, those voicemails with phrases like "final notice" and "immediate action required" definitely made me second-guess myself. It's clear now that this psychological manipulation is exactly what they're banking on. The most valuable thing I've learned from this thread is about all the free IRS tools available online. I had zero idea you could check your tax transcript, set up payment plans, or access help through the Taxpayer Advocate Service directly at irs.gov. It's amazing that all these resources exist for free while these scam companies are trying to charge thousands for the same services. I'm definitely going to create my IRS online account this week to check my real status and put this anxiety to rest. Then I'll block their number and report them to the FTC. Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences and advice - this community really looks out for each other and you've probably saved me from making a very expensive mistake!

idk why everyone uses chime anyway their customer service is trash 🤡

Still waiting on mine too! Filed CA state on Jan 27th through TurboTax and it's been radio silence. My federal hit Chime in like 8 days but state is dragging. At least I'm not the only one dealing with this wait 😅

Great advice from everyone here! I just want to add one more tip that saved us some stress last year - if you're planning to split payments across different dates (not just different methods), make sure both payments are completed well before the April deadline. We made our first payment in early April and planned to make the second one closer to the deadline, but then got busy with work and almost forgot. The IRS doesn't send reminders for partial payments, so you need to keep track yourself. Also, if you're using a credit card for part of the payment, double-check the processing time. Bank transfers are usually instant, but credit card payments can take 1-2 business days to process. Don't want to accidentally miss the deadline because of processing delays! Setting up those IRS online accounts that @Anastasia mentioned is definitely worth it - you can see exactly when each payment hits your account and confirm everything is applied correctly.

Just wanted to share my experience as someone who's been splitting tax payments for the past few years. My spouse and I typically owe around $10-12K each year, and we've developed a system that works really well for us. We always make one payment from our joint checking account for about 70% of what we owe, then use a rewards credit card for the remaining 30%. Even after paying the processing fee (usually around 1.87% for credit cards), we still come out ahead with the cash back rewards. One thing I learned the hard way - always screenshot or save the confirmation page for each payment! The IRS emails you a confirmation, but I've had those emails get lost in spam filters before. Having that backup saved me hours of searching through old emails when I needed to reference a payment. Also, pro tip: if you're making payments close to the deadline, do the credit card payment first. Bank transfers from checking accounts process faster than credit cards, so if there are any processing delays, you want the slower payment method to go through first. The payment system really is flexible once you understand it - we've used different combinations of both our SSNs over the years and never had an issue with payments being misapplied.

Just want to add one more thing that saved me a lot of stress - when you do mail your 1040-X, include a cover letter with your SSN, tax year, and a brief summary of what you're correcting. I know it seems redundant since you're explaining it in Part III of the form, but having it right on top made me feel more confident that whoever opens the envelope will immediately understand what they're looking at. Also, if your misplaced number affected multiple lines that cascade down (like if it changed your AGI and then affected other calculations), make sure you recalculate ALL the affected lines correctly on the 1040-X. Don't just fix the original error - show the complete corrected calculation chain. This prevents the IRS from having to do additional math checking that could slow down processing. One last tip: if you haven't already filed, double-check your work one more time. I've seen people catch additional small errors when they're being extra careful with the 1040-X, and it's much easier to fix everything at once rather than filing multiple amendments.

I've been following this thread and wanted to add my perspective as someone who works in tax preparation. The advice here has been really solid overall. For situations like yours where you're just correcting the placement of a number, the key is simplicity and clarity. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that you should also check if the misplaced number affected any refundable credits or triggered any additional taxes. Even if your overall tax liability didn't change, moving a number might affect things like the Earned Income Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit calculations. If so, you'd want to include any relevant worksheets or schedules that show these calculations. Also, while everyone's focused on what to include, don't forget about timing. If this correction results in you owing additional tax, you'll want to include payment with your 1040-X to avoid interest charges. If it results in a larger refund, you'll get that money eventually, but it will take those 16+ weeks everyone mentioned. The IRS has actually been pretty good about processing straightforward line-correction amendments lately, so as long as you're clear about what you're fixing and include only the necessary documentation, you should be fine. Your attention to getting it right the first time will definitely pay off in faster processing.

Another option you might not have considered: look into foreign preferred shares or certain types of ADRs that pay higher dividends than common shares. They sometimes have significantly higher yields than regular dividend stocks. Also, have you looked into foreign royalty trusts? Some Canadian and Australian royalty trusts focus on natural resources and pay significant distributions that are considered passive income. I'd be careful with directly buying on foreign exchanges though - the forex fees and extra paperwork might eat into your gains. Sometimes you can get similar exposure through US-listed securities that still qualify as foreign source income.

Great discussion here! I've been dealing with foreign tax credit carryovers myself and wanted to add a few insights from my experience. One strategy that's worked well for me is focusing on foreign government bonds or sovereign debt funds. Many developed countries' government bonds are available through US brokers and generate foreign source interest income that clearly falls under the passive category. The yields might be lower than stocks, but it's predictable foreign passive income. Also, regarding your question about creative strategies - have you considered foreign closed-end funds trading at discounts? When they distribute capital gains or dividends, those are typically foreign source. Plus, if you buy at a discount and the discount narrows, you get additional capital appreciation. One word of caution based on my mistakes: keep meticulous records of your foreign transactions, especially the dates and exchange rates. The IRS gets very particular about the currency conversion calculations on Form 1116, and having clear documentation saved me during an audit a few years back. The 10-year carryover window does create urgency, but don't let it push you into investments you're not comfortable with. Foreign passive income is great, but not at the expense of sound investment principles!