Just a heads up that the 3/28 date was just before Easter weekend, so there might be additional delays due to the holiday. Banks don't process on weekends or holidays, so Monday (tomorrow) would be the first business day after your DDD. I'd wait until end of day Tuesday before really worrying.

I'm in a similar situation with my March 28th DDD - also banking with Chime and still waiting. Based on what others are saying here, it sounds like there might be some processing delays this week, especially with the Easter holiday. I'm going to wait until Tuesday evening before I start panicking. If it doesn't show up by then, I'll probably try to get my transcript or call the IRS directly. Fingers crossed both of our refunds hit soon! The waiting is definitely stressful when you're counting on that money.

Just wanted to add a quick tip that saved me from a lot of confusion when I first started using EFTPS for my freelance writing income. After you select Form 1040-ES, make sure you're also selecting the correct tax period (Q1, Q2, Q3, or Q4) that matches when you're making the payment. I made the mistake of selecting Q1 for a payment I was making in July, thinking it was for income I earned in Q1. But actually, the tax period should match the quarter you're currently in when making the payment, not when you earned the income. So a July payment should be marked as Q2, even if some of that money is covering income from earlier in the year. The IRS uses this to track whether your payments are on time for each quarter. Getting the tax period wrong can make it look like you missed a quarterly deadline even if you paid the right amount.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm a newcomer to freelancing and was completely overwhelmed by the EFTPS system. Reading through everyone's experiences has given me so much clarity. Just to make sure I understand correctly: for my freelance graphic design income of about $3,200 from last quarter, I should select Form 1040-ES in EFTPS, choose the current quarter (Q1 for a payment I'm making now in January), and save that confirmation number. Is that right? One follow-up question - do I need to calculate exactly how much tax I owe, or is there a safe harbor amount I can pay to avoid penalties while I figure out the precise calculation? I want to make a payment this week but I'm still working through all the numbers with my tax software.

Going through EXACTLY this rn. Called TAS 3 times and got rejected each time. This system is beyond broken.

Same situation here! Got the TAS rejection last month and they gave me the same vague "wait 180 days" response. It's so frustrating not knowing what's actually happening. I've been checking my transcript obsessively but honestly can't make heads or tails of all those codes and dates. Really hoping that mystery letter actually shows up and explains something useful 🤞

Did you check if your country has a tax treaty with the US? Many countries do, and as an international student, you might qualify for a reduced withholding rate or even exemption on certain types of income including interest. If you're eligible for a treaty benefit but the bank withheld at 30%, you'd actually get money back by amending.

As someone who went through a similar situation, I'd strongly recommend filing the amended return even though the amount seems relatively small. Here's why: First, regarding your specific situation - $175 in interest income is definitely reportable, and since you're on an F1 visa, maintaining perfect tax compliance is crucial for your immigration status. The IRS may not actively pursue small discrepancies, but having complete documentation protects you if questions ever arise. Second, you should definitely check your country's tax treaty with the US. Many countries have treaties that reduce the withholding rate on interest income from 30% to 15% or even 0% for students. If your country has such a treaty and you qualify, you could get a significant portion of that $52 withholding back as a refund when you amend. For the amendment process, I'd suggest trying these options in order: 1. Contact your university's VITA program first - many maintain year-round services for international students 2. If VITA isn't available, the IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers can help with amendments 3. Consider using tax software designed for amendments if you're comfortable doing it yourself Don't stress too much about the timing - you have up to 3 years to amend, and there are no penalties for filing an amendment that results in additional refund. The key is getting it done properly to maintain your compliance record.

Has anyone tried requesting a Taxpayer Assistance Order (Form 911)? I've heard that filing this form when you're experiencing significant hardship due to IRS delays can speed things up. Apparently it forces them to prioritize resolving your case.

I'm dealing with a similar situation - filed electronically in March 2024 and still waiting in September. After reading through all these suggestions, I think I'm going to try the Taxpayer Advocate Service first since that seems to be the most official route. For anyone else in this boat, I found that you can actually check if you qualify for TAS assistance online before applying. They have criteria like experiencing economic hardship, facing significant delays, or not receiving responses from normal IRS channels. With 7+ months of delay on an e-filed return, that definitely seems to qualify. I'm also going to document everything - all my attempts to contact the IRS, dates, what I was told, etc. From what I've read, having a clear timeline of your efforts to resolve the issue helps when you escalate to TAS or congressional offices. This whole situation is completely unacceptable. Electronic filing was supposed to make things faster, not slower than paper returns used to be processed.