Can't reach IRS? Claimyr connects you to a live IRS agent in minutes.
Claimyr is a pay-as-you-go service. We do not charge a recurring subscription.
Using Claimyr will:
- Connect you to a human agent at the IRS
- Skip the long phone menu
- Call the correct department
- Redial until on hold
- Forward a call to your phone with reduced hold time
- Give you free callbacks if the IRS drops your call
If I could give 10 stars I would
If I could give 10 stars I would If I could give 10 stars I would Such an amazing service so needed during the times when EDD almost never picks up Claimyr gets me on the phone with EDD every time without fail faster. A much needed service without Claimyr I would have never received the payment I needed to support me during my postpartum recovery. Thank you so much Claimyr!
Really made a difference
Really made a difference, save me time and energy from going to a local office for making the call.
Worth not wasting your time calling for hours.
Was a bit nervous or untrusting at first, but my calls went thru. First time the wait was a bit long but their customer chat line on their page was helpful and put me at ease that I would receive my call. Today my call dropped because of EDD and Claimyr heard my concern on the same chat and another call was made within the hour.
An incredibly helpful service
An incredibly helpful service! Got me connected to a CA EDD agent without major hassle (outside of EDD's agents dropping calls ā which Claimyr has free protection for). If you need to file a new claim and can't do it online, pay the $ to Claimyr to get the process started. Absolutely worth it!
Consistent,frustration free, quality Service.
Used this service a couple times now. Before I'd call 200 times in less than a weak frustrated as can be. But using claimyr with a couple hours of waiting i was on the line with an representative or on hold. Dropped a couple times but each reconnected not long after and was mission accomplished, thanks to Claimyr.
IT WORKS!! Not a scam!
I tried for weeks to get thru to EDD PFL program with no luck. I gave this a try thinking it may be a scam. OMG! It worked and They got thru within an hour and my claim is going to finally get paid!! I upgraded to the $60 call. Best $60 spent!
Ask the community...
- DO post questions about your issues.
- DO answer questions and support each other.
- DO post tips & tricks to help folks.
- DO NOT post call problems here - there is a support tab at the top for that :)
Join the conversation
Join the conversation
Just to add a bit more clarification because I think people get confused about the tax brackets too. When you reduce your taxable income with a Traditional IRA contribution, you're saving at your MARGINAL tax rate - the highest rate you pay. Example: If you're married filing jointly with taxable income of $190k (like OP), you're in the 24% bracket for 2023. Contributing $6,000 to a Traditional IRA would save you approximately $1,440 in federal taxes (24% of $6,000). It's still a great deal since you're getting an immediate tax benefit PLUS tax-deferred growth over time. Just don't expect it to reduce your tax bill by the full contribution amount.
ThunderBolt7
ā¢So if I'm in a lower tax bracket now but expect to be in a higher one when I retire, should I do Roth instead? I'm trying to figure out which type of IRA makes more sense for my situation.
That's a great question and you've hit on one of the key considerations. If you expect to be in a higher tax bracket in retirement, a Roth IRA might make more sense because you pay taxes now at your lower rate, and then withdrawals are tax-free in retirement. Conversely, if you expect to be in a lower tax bracket in retirement, a Traditional IRA might be better since you get the tax deduction now at your higher rate, then pay taxes at your lower retirement rate when you withdraw. It's also worth considering that tax laws change over time, so having some money in both types of accounts (called "tax diversification") can be a prudent strategy.
One thing nobody's mentioned - don't forget about state taxes! Your traditional IRA contribution usually reduces your state taxable income too, not just federal. So if your state tax rate is like 5%, that's additional savings on top of the federal tax reduction. I contribute the max to my traditional IRA every year for this reason - between federal and state tax savings, it's a no-brainer. Just remember that you'll eventually pay taxes when you withdraw in retirement, but hopefully at a lower rate.
Mei Chen
ā¢Not all states treat IRA deductions the same way as the federal government though. Some states don't allow all deductions that the feds do.
Join the conversation
Sean Doyle
One thing that seriously confused me with backdoor Roth conversions was understanding why the 1099-R shows the full amount as taxable when it shouldn't be if you made non-deductible contributions. Tax software doesn't automatically know your contribution was non-deductible. That's why Form 8606 is so important - it's where you tell the IRS "Hey, I already paid tax on this money, don't tax me again!" If you're struggling with the software interface, sometimes it helps to read through the actual Form 8606 instructions on the IRS website first, then go back to the software. The actual form is more straightforward than how some tax apps present it.
Zara Rashid
ā¢This is so true! I was panicking when I saw my 1099-R showing the entire distribution as taxable. I almost paid thousands in unnecessary taxes before realizing I needed to complete Form 8606.
Luca Romano
Warning: Don't forget that if you have ANY other traditional IRA funds (including SEP or SIMPLE IRAs), you'll get hit with the pro-rata rule when doing backdoor Roth conversions. This catches a lot of people by surprise. For example, if you have $50,000 in a traditional IRA from an old 401k rollover, and you add $6,000 non-deductible for a backdoor Roth, you can't just convert the $6,000 and call it non-taxable. The IRS considers all your IRA funds as one pool, so only about 10.7% of your conversion would be non-taxable.
Malik Davis
ā¢Oh wow, I didn't realize this! Thankfully I don't have any other traditional IRA funds, but this is really important info. Does this also apply if my spouse has traditional IRA funds or are those treated separately?
Luca Romano
ā¢Good news - your spouse's IRAs are completely separate for pro-rata calculations. The IRS treats each individual's IRA accounts as their own pool, so your backdoor Roth conversion won't be affected by anything your spouse has in their traditional IRAs. That's one of the few areas where the IRS is actually taxpayer-friendly in these calculations! Just make sure you each file your own Form 8606 if you're both doing backdoor Roth conversions.
Join the conversation
Everyone's overthinking this. You're returning money to your dad that was essentially his anyway. The IRS isn't monitoring family financial arrangements at this level. As long as you're not repeatedly transferring large sums of money back and forth to avoid taxes, nobody cares about a one-time $15k transfer to your parent that's below the gift tax threshold anyway.
Thanks, that's reassuring. The bank teller really freaked me out mentioning tax implications. Just to be clear though - neither of us needs to mention this on our tax returns at all, right?
Correct, neither of you needs to report this on your tax returns. This kind of transaction isn't reportable income for your dad, and since it's under the annual gift exclusion limit (even if it were considered a gift), you don't need to file a gift tax return. The bank teller was probably just being cautious - they're trained to mention potential tax implications for large transactions, but they're not tax professionals. In the banking world, any cash transaction over $10,000 requires special reporting (for anti-money laundering purposes), so tellers tend to be extra cautious about large transfers.
Yara Sayegh
Something nobody's mentioned - if your dad ever gets audited, having some kind of documentation that this was a repayment might be helpful. Maybe just write "loan repayment for car purchased in 2018" in the memo line of the check, or even better, create a simple signed document between you two stating that the money is repayment for the truck he bought you. Better safe than sorry!
This is really good advice. My cousin had a similar issue come up during an audit and having even basic documentation saved them a ton of hassle.
Join the conversation
Charlie Yang
8 Don't overthink the W-4! I'm a payroll specialist and see people stress about this all the time. Quick tip: the IRS withholding calculator is your best friend for complicated situations like yours. Just Google "IRS tax withholding estimator" and it'll walk you through everything. You'll both need to update your W-4s for best results.
Charlie Yang
ā¢1 I tried using that IRS calculator but got stuck when it asked for YTD income and withholding amounts. Since I haven't started the job yet, I don't have that info. Should I just put zeros?
Charlie Yang
ā¢8 For your new job, yes, you would put zeros for the YTD income and withholding since you haven't started yet. The calculator will still work - it'll just base the calculations on projected amounts for the remainder of the year. For your wife, you should use her actual YTD information from her most recent paystub. That way, the calculator can give you the most accurate recommendation based on what's already happened this year and what's projected to happen with both incomes going forward.
Charlie Yang
17 Has anyone used the IRS online portal to adjust withholding throughout the year? I'm wondering if it's better to start with a "safe" W-4 filing and then adjust as needed.
Charlie Yang
ā¢3 The IRS doesn't have an "online portal" for W-4 adjustments - you have to submit a new W-4 to your employer anytime you want to change withholding. I usually file a new W-4 quarterly since my commission income fluctuates. Most HR departments let you update it anytime.
Zara Shah
From my experience as someone who's done both, here's my take: if your situation includes self-employment, multiple states, or unusual deductions, pay a professional the first year. Ask lots of questions, take notes, and then next year you can probably DIY it using what you learned. I paid $375 to a CPA when I first started freelancing, and she found deductions I never would have known about. The next year, I used TurboTax Self-Employed ($120ish) and felt confident because I knew what to look for. The first professional return becomes your template for future years.
0 coins
NebulaNomad
ā¢Do you think there's a dollar threshold where it becomes worth it? Like if OP is only making $13k from delivery work, maybe the deductions won't add up to enough to justify the professional fees?
0 coins
Zara Shah
ā¢There's not a strict dollar threshold - it's more about complexity than income amount. Even with "only" $13k in delivery income, there are potentially thousands in deductions at stake. Mileage alone at 65.5 cents per mile adds up fast for delivery drivers. If you drove 5,000 miles for deliveries, that's over $3,200 in deductions right there. The multi-state situation is another complexity factor regardless of income. Each state has different rules about what income is taxable for part-year residents. A good preparer might find state-specific credits or deductions that software might miss, especially if you don't know to look for them.
0 coins
Luca Ferrari
Has anyone used H&R Block? They're running a special for $195 for self-employed returns. Wondering if they're any good for this kind of situation or if they're basically just using the same software I could buy myself?
0 coins
Nia Wilson
ā¢Avoid H&R Block for anything complicated. They're fine for super basic returns, but for self-employment and multi-state, you're usually getting someone with minimal training who just plugs info into their software. I made this mistake and they missed several deductions a real CPA later found for me. You're better off with either good software you run yourself or an actual CPA/EA.
0 coins