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I went through almost the exact same situation with my 2021 return - mailed it in March 2022, had delivery confirmation, but it sat unprocessed for 13 months. What finally worked for me was a combination approach: First, I kept detailed records of every attempt to contact the IRS, including dates, times, and what happened. This documentation became crucial later. Second, I filed Form 911 (Request for Taxpayer Advocate Service) online. You can do this if your case meets certain criteria - like experiencing economic hardship or if the IRS hasn't responded to your inquiries within normal timeframes. Since you're buying a house and need your tax transcript, that definitely qualifies as economic hardship. Third, and this was the game-changer: I contacted my state's Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC). Even though I'm not low income, they helped me for free because of the systemic nature of the problem. They knew exactly which IRS departments handle different types of processing delays and had direct contact information. The LITC advocate was able to get through to the right person within 48 hours and discovered my return was flagged for manual review due to a minor discrepancy. It was resolved within a week of their intervention. You can find your local LITC at https://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/about-us/low-income-taxpayer-clinics-litc/. Don't let the "low income" part deter you - many help regardless of income level for systemic issues like this.
This is incredibly helpful advice - thank you for sharing your experience! I had no idea about the Low Income Taxpayer Clinics or that they would help with cases like this regardless of income. The Form 911 option sounds promising too, especially since you mention the economic hardship angle with the house purchase. Quick question - when you say you kept detailed records of your contact attempts, what specific information did you track? I've been calling sporadically but haven't been keeping good notes. Should I start documenting this going forward even though I've already been trying for a year? Also, did the LITC require any specific documentation from you when you first contacted them, or could you just call and explain the situation?
I'm going through almost the exact same nightmare right now with my 2022 return! Filed in March 2023, have certified mail delivery confirmation from April 2023, and it's like my return just vanished into thin air. The "Where's My Refund" tool gives me the same useless "no information available" message every single time. What's really frustrating is that I've tried calling that main IRS number probably 50+ times over the past year. Half the time I get the "we're too busy, call back later" message and just get hung up on. The other half I sit on hold for 2-3 hours before giving up because I have to get back to work. Reading through these comments is giving me some hope though. I had no idea about the Taxpayer Advocate Service or the congressional representative option. The Low Income Taxpayer Clinic suggestion sounds especially promising since @Jasmine Hancock mentioned they help regardless of income level. I'm also dealing with a time crunch since I need my tax transcripts for a mortgage application. My loan officer is getting antsy and I'm worried this is going to derail the whole process. Has anyone here successfully gotten their tax transcripts while their return was still stuck in processing limbo? I'm wondering if there's a separate process for that or if I'm just stuck waiting until they finally process my return. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's weirdly comforting to know I'm not the only one dealing with this bureaucratic nightmare!
I feel your pain @Nia Thompson! I'm actually dealing with something similar - my 2021 return was stuck for over 8 months before I finally got it resolved. For the tax transcript issue, you might be able to get a "Record of Account" transcript even if your return hasn't been fully processed yet. This shows what the IRS has on file for you, including any payments or estimated taxes. You can request it online at irs.gov using the "Get Transcript Online" tool, or by calling their automated transcript line at 1-800-908-9946. Sometimes this will show information even when the "Where's My Refund" tool shows nothing. Your mortgage lender might accept this as proof of filing, especially if you also provide them with a copy of your mailed return and the certified mail receipt. Also, definitely document every single call attempt going forward - date, time, how long you waited, what happened. This documentation will be crucial if you end up needing to escalate through the Taxpayer Advocate Service or congressional office route. I wish I had started keeping better records earlier in my process!
So... if I amended my return am I just screwed? Been waiting 9 months now š
Amended returns are taking 20+ weeks minimum right now. I filed an amended return in August 2023 and just got it processed last month.
omg that's insane. why even bother having a tax system at this point
Congrats Andre! That's such a relief after waiting so long. I'm still stuck in processing hell myself - filed in January with EITC and CTC and it's been radio silence ever since. The WMR tool just keeps saying "still processing" with no timeline. Quick question - did your WMR ever show any bars or progress before you got the DDD? Mine has been stuck on the first bar forever and I'm wondering if that means anything or if it just randomly updates one day. Also for anyone else still waiting, I've found that checking your transcript on the IRS website sometimes shows more info than WMR, even though the transcript codes are confusing as hell. At least it gives you something more concrete than "still processing" š¤·āāļø
Can you call your accountant in Spain and ask them to check the status for you? My accountant can log into the IRS system and check my payment status even though I made it myself. They have some special tax preparer account that shows more info than regular online accounts.
I've been in this exact situation before! When you split your filing like this, the key is patience and documentation. Your Direct Pay confirmation is your best friend right now - that's proof of payment that the IRS will honor even if there are processing delays. One thing to keep in mind: the IRS typically takes 2-4 weeks to fully process and match electronic payments with mailed returns. Since you're at the 3-week mark, you're right in that window where things should start showing up properly in their system. I'd recommend checking your IRS online account first (as others mentioned), but also consider calling the Practitioner Priority Service line if you have access through your accountant. Since she's handling your taxes, she might be able to check the status more easily than you can, even from Spain. The international location shouldn't matter for checking existing payment status - only for e-filing new returns. Also, make sure you kept copies of everything you mailed. If there are any issues down the line, having your own complete paper trail will make resolution much faster.
I just want to caution you about one thing - make sure the CP3219A is legitimate before paying anything! There are a lot of scams out there. Double check the phone number against the official IRS website (not just Google), and never pay through gift cards or wire transfers. Real IRS notices have a notice number in the upper right corner, and you can verify it by creating an account on irs.gov and checking your account transactions. If you're at all unsure, you can also request your wage and income transcript from the IRS website to verify what income they have on file for you for 2018.
This is really important advice. My parents got a fake CP3219A last year that looked super convincing but had a slightly different phone number. The scammers were really pushy about paying immediately. Definitely verify through the official IRS site before paying anything!
Just wanted to add my experience with CP3219A notices since I've dealt with a few of these over the years helping family members. One thing that often gets overlooked is that you should make a copy of everything before you mail it back - the Form 5564, the notice itself, and any payment confirmations. Also, when you pay online through Direct Pay, print out the confirmation page immediately. The IRS payment system sometimes has glitches where payments don't show up in their system for several days, and having that confirmation number can save you a lot of headaches if there are any questions later. I'd also suggest sending the Form 5564 via certified mail with a return receipt. It only costs a few extra dollars, but you'll have proof that the IRS received your response within the 90-day window. This becomes really important if there are any disputes later about whether you responded on time. The good news is that once you pay and submit the form, this should be resolved fairly quickly. Most people I've helped have seen their account updated within 2-3 weeks of payment, and the case gets closed out completely.
Liam McGuire
I filed on February 3rd and I'm still waiting for any update. My transcript hasn't changed since February 10th when it first showed received. Last year I filed on February 5th and had my refund by February 19th. The year before I filed on January 31st and had my refund by February 14th. This is definitely taking longer than previous years! Has anyone who filed around February 3rd received their refund yet or at least gotten a DDD?
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GalaxyGazer
Filed on 2/1 and still waiting here too! Your timeline gives me hope though - 28 days isn't too bad considering what everyone else is reporting. I've been checking WMR obsessively and it's been stuck on "return received" for over 3 weeks now. Did you notice any pattern with when WMR updates, like specific days of the week or times? I'm trying to figure out if there's an optimal time to check or if it's just random. Also wondering if the fact that you filed so early in the season (1/31) might have actually worked against you initially but then cleared through once they caught up with the backlog.
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